Antwone Fisher: Review By moviegeek

In Denzel Washington's directorial debut, Antwone Fisher, we get the heartfelt story of a young navy man, Fisher (Derek Luke), who is placed in counseling sessions with a doctor (Denzel Washington). After learning of Antwone's tough life growing up in a foster home, the doctor encourages him to find his real mother and his real family.

As his personal life deepens and is revealed, we see a very real, emotional masterstroke in storytelling. The emotionally heart-breaking moments aren't used as plot devices, nor are they present to make you tear up (though that may occur for some viewers). Instead, Washington uses these moments of fear in Antwone's childhood to develop the character this movie is about. Even up until the climactic moments, we are learning new things about this young man and who he is.

Derek Luke gives a career-starting performance here as our title character. He stands apart and alone from the cast, setting up a character with heart and life unlike anything in the movie. Denzel Washington plays his normal, leader self as the psychiatrist, adding perspective to the movie. The rest of the cast is also beautiful with the passion and emotion put into this.

Here is a movie about identity. One thing that young people struggle with in the world is finding themselves. They tend to blend with others or fade their personalities in order to match the status quo. But this movie is one incredibly inspiring movie for the younger generation. Teenagers need to view this movie.

I had only minor misgivings towards the picture that I won't get into because they just don't make a difference. This isn't a movie to squabble about because it has a heart so real and so defined that any little issue pales in comparison. This is a beautiful picture with real emotion.

As I scrolled through other reviews of this film, I discovered that nearly all of the criticisms towards this movie was that it was overly-sentimental. Anyone who would love to explain to me how that applies to this picture is invited to do so. Antwone Fisher is about a man finding himself, finding his family, and finding a home to belong to. That is a unashamedly sentimental story, and a true one. To discredit it for such is to deny any emotional interaction with this film. And to those who did that, you missed out.