DVD Review

Lackawanna Blues (2005)

Details Release Date: Aug 30, 2005; DVD Release Date: Aug 30, 2005; Genre: Drama; With: Rosie Perez, S Epatha Merkerson and Liev Schreiber

In Lackawanna Blues, a jumping juke joint of a film, Rachel ''Nanny'' Crosby (S. Epatha Merkerson) is bolder than the va-va-voom dresses and flashy cars on display. She opens her boarding house to a hodgepodge of misfits (Delroy Lindo and Jeffrey Wright among them) and, most notably, a boy named Junior (Marcus Carl Franklin). Ruben Santiago-Hudson — the real Junior, adapting his 2001 Off Broadway play for the screen — is so busy idolizing Nanny that the other characters get short shrift. Still, what Lackawanna lacks in depth it makes up for in vibrancy.

EXTRAS In an eloquent commentary, Santiago-Hudson expands upon his childhood memories and director George C. Wolfe explains his ''control-freak'' tendencies (like handpicking all the extras for their Southern-looking faces). One meaty deleted scene fleshes out Louis Gossett Jr.'s too brief story arc, and in a featurette rife with sound bites, Franklin remarks precociously, ''These people are like windows. Each one, you can see a different path.''

Originally posted Aug 26, 2005 Published in issue #837 Sep 02, 2005 Order article reprints

Add your comment

The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.

500 characters remaining
Advertisement