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Mama
Back to back columns, imagine that. Don't be surprised that we'll even have 2 more columns next week! All thanks to the war, which leaves me plenty of time to write at work. Thank you sweet tourism industry! Expect my thoughts on Phone Booth on Monday or Tuesday. In the meantime, I leave you readers with a short update on projects shooting in my hometown and Miss Jones' take on My Baby's Mama.
Montreal Update
Today, La Presse (Montreal's leading French newspaper) announced that The Aviator will be filmed here sometime during the summer. The Martin Scorsese project could be the biggest movie ever shot in my city. It also brings Leonardo DiCaprio back here. He previously worked with Spielberg on Catch Me if You Can around the province of Quebec. I read the screenplay and let me tell you, it's solid work from John Logan. It's a sure-fire hit. There are also three other pictures about to start rolling in the next three months. We have Head in the Clouds with Charlize Theron. Next stop is Mathieu Kassovitz's English-language directing debut Gothika starring Halle Berry and Penelope Cruz. Finally, DJ Caruso (The Salton Sea) brings Taking Lives featuring Ethan Hawke and Angelina Jolie to town. Ms Lara Croft is a Montreal regular. Taking Lives will mark her third project in town after The Bone Collector and the yet unreleased Beyond Borders. We love you Angie!
I need to mention the current status of The Day After Tomorrow shoot. Last weekend, they had their wrap party, even though they are not done quite yet. They're pulling insane hours to finish for the March 28th deadline. I heard they are running a bit over-schedule. They've brought wolves from Alberta to the set, probably for scenes of the rescue mission Quaid's character runs. I haven't heard great things about the film. I've heard folks who have worked on the production saying they won't even pay 10¢ to see it in theatres next year. Some of the footage shown at the wrap party wasn't impressive. One blooper of Dennis Quaid and another actor eating a frozen burger managed to bring down the house. Apparently their facial expressions were priceless.
My Baby's Mama Script Review
“When I read scripts like My Baby's Mama, I don't know whether I am more pleased by their attempt to rectify misguided behavior or angrier at the fact that those same behaviors are reinforced on every other page. I eventually came to reason that maybe the script's immediate focus isn't supposed to be on its' depiction of three black men as infinitely obsessed with weed and/or their total lack of respect towards women. Maybe the story is simply trying to show that those types of men can embrace the joys of fatherhood too?? Even though a wholesome message of paternal responsibility is relayed by the end of the script, I couldn't help but wonder whether this story's moral could have been packaged much better. Like, for instance, in a script that doesn't use crass profanity frivolously and endlessly for the sake of fulfilling age old, and quite frankly, tired images. Where Baby Boy was profound and sophisticated in its' handling of serious social issues, this script takes a serious matter and toys with it in a manner that barely scrapes the surface in judging irresponsible behavior. And in the end, one has to wonder whether the message will really be taken seriously.
With a title like My Baby's Mama, this movie is most definitely a comedy... a comedy directed at an African-American demographic. There is no smart witty humor. There is no refreshing comedic direction. There is nothing but regretful chuckles at ignorance. In fact, I'm tempted to believe that, on the whole, it just may be a step backwards. Well, what is it?
Instead of Three Men and a Baby, screenwriters Eddie Griffin (Undercover Brother, John Q) and Damon Daniels have given us 'three lame brothers and the women who, at one point, liked them enough to have their baby'. Of course, Griffith and Daniels would rather a description that sounds more like, three African-American men who come to learn the real meaning of fatherhood. I must admit that the writers do accomplish that goal with one of their characters, G. The other two men are pretty much losers from start to finish.
My script dated June of 2001 dealt with three Black men, but it looks as if the actual movie will only have two, played by Anthony Anderson (Kangaroo Jack, Barbershop) and Eddie Griffin. The other father will be Michael Imperioli seen recently in The Sopranos. Their girlfriends will be Joanna Bacalso (Snow Dogs), Bai Ling (Anna and the King), and Paula Parker(Phone Booth, Friday).
The audience first meets all three men as worthless young nincompoops who develop into young adult worthless nincompoops. Jamal is a wannabe rapper and player; G is a drug dealer; and, Lonnie is a nerdy doormat. Jamal dates a Korean law student, Mi-Soong, who chose to be with Jamal, probably, for his good looks. G dates a Biracial woman, Michelle, who seems fairly comfortable with him being a drug dealer...and looks forward to him being a good father. Hmmm. Lonnie proudly dates a promiscuous African-American woman, Rolonda, who everyone except him knows has been a gold digger since she was a child. (I don't think there are any subliminal messages meant from the characterizations of those women, but one can certainly wonder). Anyway, both Jamal and G find out that their girlfriend is pregnant at the same time. Lonnie has more than settled into the idea of being a father for the few weeks he has known. He can't wait. Where Mi-Soong and Michelle happily embrace the news, their boyfriends are petrified, but eventually accept it. Accepting it doesn't necessarily mean that they will detach themselves from their destructive behavior and surroundings. Watching them ease into their chosen paths is what this story is all about. In fact, I find it odd that the script is titled My Baby's Mama when it is predominately focused on the fathers' development.
Before I begin reading a screenplay, I usually check out the first and last lines of the script. Some first lines are good at setting the tone for the movie, others aren't. Some last lines are good closers, some seem to serve no purpose at all. In the case of the baby's mommas, the first line set the tone just perfectly. That line: ' On your back, hoes.' The last line: 'Don't worry niggas, I got this.' So, as you can imagine, I went into this piece dragging my feet.
It's pretty hard to like a script when you don't particularly care for any of its' characters. As I mentioned before, G is the only character that revamps his lifestyle and mentality for the benefit of the child, overlooking the fact that he names his daughter Indoe. Lonnie is so helpless that he relies on the suspect guidance of his friends in order to redefine his image. This entails giving him a new 'pimped out' look and the confidence to call his baby's mother a 'bitch' ten times over, as well as teaching his son to call her a 'chickenhead'. With the exception of giving his son a better environment, I actually think Lonnie changed for the worse. And, not to forget Jamal who warms up to the idea of being a father only after being force-fed the idea, i.e. taking over babysitting duties while his ex-girlfriend goes on a weekend trip. These, ladies and gentlemen, are our newly responsible fathers.
Before I leave readers with a totally negative perception of the screenplay, I have to say that I do admire the writers for creating these characters, to a certain degree. There are, indeed, men and women out there like them. Are there many? I doubt it. Still, if this movie causes one person to think more deeply about their own direction, it has done its job. It could have been done that job much better, though. Like, giving more depth to Michelle and Mi-Soong's characters, giving Lonnie a stronger brain, taking greater risks with a more circumspect assessment, and realizing that African-Americans will laugh at more than marijuana and pimp jokes.
A woman by the name of Cheryl Dunye will be in charge of the camera on this project. Having seen her wonderful, powerful film, Stranger Inside, I still can't believe that she took this project. I suspect that it was purely a career move, and I can't be mad at that. I am pretty eager to see how her socially challenging, independent style will impact this movie; hopefully, for the better. Even with that curiosity fueling me, I know without a doubt that I will be waiting until this movie hits the dollar theater. If I'm in the mood for a cool social awareness flick, I'll just sit back and wait patiently for another Baby Boy.”
-Miss J laying down the law.
Join our Oscar Pool
I've been playing the Yahoo Oscar pool game for a few years now. Last year we had around 80 contestants in our pool. We're doing it again this year. All you need to do is follow this link.
Register if you're not a member already.
Create a pick set and choose to Join a Private Group. Then, when prompted, enter the following information...
Group ID: 1588
Password: tnmc
Good luck to everybody.
Stay tuned...
That's all folks...
Jean-François Allaire (aka DeadPool)
Questions, comments, praise etc. Email me at deadpool@tnmc.org
Jean-François Allaire is TNMC's first columnist. At only 24 years old he has become a respected entertainment journalist, with his columns appearing in Corona's Coming Attractions and Scr(i)pt magazine. He also writes a monthly column in Screenwriters Monthly entitled 'The Last Word.' Hailing from Montreal this young writer is determined to dig up all the details on the movies before they hit your local theater. If you're part of a movie production then you really need to be talking to him.
