Antwone Fisher

2.5/4

Starring: Derek Luke, Denzel Washington, Joy Bryant, Novella Nelson

Rated PG-13 for Violence, Language and Mature Thematic Material involving Child Abuse

I gotta hand it to Denzel Washington.  He chose a tricky story to tell for his directorial debut.  This is the kind of movie that can go wrong in so many ways, and sadly it does.  Telling a tale that covers such emotional material requires a deft touch that eludes the actor.  I give him props for trying, but the reality is that calling the film uneven is an understatement.

Antwone Fisher (Luke) is a Navy sailor with a hair-trigger temper.  After assaulting a senior officer, he is demoted and forced to talk to a psychiatrist.  Antwone thinks it is a waste of time, and tells the doctor point blank.  Dr. Jerome Davenport (Washington) has no problem with this.  Antwone must undergo three sessions with him, and they don't start until the young sailor begins to talk.  They remain at a state of impasse until finally Antwone starts to talk.

The painful secrets of Antwone's past are not for me to reveal.  What I can say is that Washington rarely finds a way to successfully deal with them.  This is tough, tough material here.  So tough that it's a wonder that Fisher is able to remain semi-functional.  But Washington seems unwilling to really dig into his past.  Instead, he glosses over the hurts Antwone experienced in an attempt to make it more accessible (even as is, this movie should never have been awarded a PG-13 rating).  That does an injustice to Fisher's story.

Antwone has deep wounds that he desperately needs to overcome.  Fortunately, he has two people who want to help him: Dr. Davenport and his girlfriend, Cheryl (Bryant).  Dr. Davenport is a strong man who, while acknowledging the barriers his patient has put around himself, won't let Antwone hide behind them any longer.  Cheryl is the perfect girlfriend.  She senses his hurts and vulnerabilities, and she's willing to help any way she can.  Even if it's just being there for him.

"Antwone Fisher" feels like a sanitized version of a much darker and edgier film.  It's not that it doesn't have mainstream appeal.  It's just that it deserved a more respectful treatment.  Fisher himself wrote the screenplay and sold it while working as a security guard at Sony.  Although he is credited with writing the screenplay (not that that means much, considering the rules that go into writing credits), much must have been lost during the 41 drafts he wrote before 20th Century Fox bought it. The disclaimer at the end seems to imply as much.

To be fair, there are scenes that do work.  The relationship between Antwone and Cheryl is nicely played by then-newcomer Derek Luke and Joy Bryant.  And the ending is emotionally effective (the first, not the second).  Sadly, the scenes between Antwone and Dr. Davenport are disappointing.  They should be the film's most powerful, but they aren't.  Part of it has to do with how they are written but mostly because of how they are acted.  When Luke is low-key, he is effective.  When he has to show emotion, it rings false.  Washington is especially disappointing.  The legendary actor is extraordinarily talented, but this is a role he could have done in his sleep.  Sadly, that's exactly what happens.

Like many near misses, there is a good story here.  It's just that it doesn't really hit all the right notes.  What a shame.