A Raisin in the Sun (2008)

Image credit: Peter Stranks

THIS SUN ALSO RISES Sean Combs (pictured, with Phylicia Rashad) won't make you forget Sidney Poitier, but he holds his own in the revival of Raisin, now on DVD

This year, the 2004 Broadway revival of A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry's play about a black family in Chicago, was transferred to TV. Sean Combs is no Sidney Poitier — star of the 1961 film — but he hits the right notes (with some contrived crescendos) amidst Tony winners Phylicia Rashad and Audra McDonald. With the addition of new scenes that move the action to the streets, the heart of this drama beats loudly to the pulse of American dreams. EXTRAS Commentary with director Kenny Leon, who also helmed on Broadway, and a flimsy featurette about Hansberry and Raisin's historical trajectory. B