Disappearing Acts (2000)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disappearing Acts is an American television movie which premiered on HBO in 2000.

 

Here is some basic information about it:

 

** Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood

** Screenplay written by Lisa Jones

** Based on the book Disappearing Acts by Terry McMillan (1989)

** Released on DVD in 2004

** Run time: 110 minutes

 

The cast includes the following:

 

** Saana Lathan as Zora Banks - a teacher

** Wesley Snipes as Franklin Swift - a carpenter

** Regina Hall as Portia - Zora’s friend

** Lisa Arrindell Anderson as Claudette - Zora’s friend

** Q-tip as Reg Baptiste - a music producer

 

Terry McMillan is a well-known African American novelist who was born in 1951. Her third novel Waiting to Exhale was published in 1992. It was turned into a movie with the same title which premiered in 1995.

 

I do not want to spoil the viewing for anyone. This is why I am not going to say much about what happens in this movie. But I have to mention a few details in order to explain and justify my rating.

 

I have not read the book. This review is based on the movie. I do not know if the movie is a faithful rendition of the book.

 

Zora is a teacher who has a dream: she wants to become a singer. In order to start a career, she must have a demo with some of her songs.

 

Franklin is a carpenter who has a dream: he wants to start his own company. In order to do this, he must first finish high school and then pass an exam as an independent contractor.

 

Zora and Franklin meet when Zora is about to move into her new apartment whose floors Franklin has just painted. This means she cannot move in at once. She must wait until the floors are dry.

 

They start dating and soon Franklin moves into Zora’s place. From the very beginning it is clear that there is something wrong with Franklin.

 

He is not a nice guy. He is not reliable. In fact, the only positive thing I can say about him is that he knows Zora Neale Hurston, the famous African American writer, after whom Zora is named.

 

I understand why he can fall for her. But I do not understand why she can fall for him.

 

There are several occasions where he does something that should tell her to dump him, but she does not do that. She forgives him and moves on.

 

They are a couple, but he does not carry his own weight. She has to carry him. When she points out this fact to him, he gets very upset, even though it is the truth.

 

When he is in trouble, he starts to drink, and when he drinks, he can get nasty. When she finally tells him to get out, he responds by doing something that shows that she was wrong to trust him: this relationship was wrong from the very beginning.

 

There are many songs in this movie. Some of them are Zora’s songs. Unfortunately, they are not very good.

 

If we are supposed to think she has the talent to become a professional singer, the director should have given her some better songs to sing!

 

Full disclosure: actress Saana Lathan does not sing the songs herself. Zora’s singing voice belongs to Blandinna Melky Jean.

 

I cannot accept the movie character Zora. She is too nice; she is too ready to forgive Franklin when he behaves badly towards her.

 

I have a problem with another movie character: Q-tip, the music producer, who promises to make a demo for her. He is an awful person.

 

He is extremely selfish and, in the end, dishonest with her. I cannot accept this movie character, either.

 

To make everything worse, I cannot accept the way the movie ends. In my opinion, the ending of the movie is absolutely hopeless.

 

What do other reviewers say about this movie?

 

Here are some results:

 

** Emanuel Levy offers 2 of 5 stars = 40 percent

** IMDb offers 63 per cent = 3 of 5 stars.

** Michael Dequina (the Movie Repo) offers 4 of 5 stars = 80 percent

** On Rotten Tomatoes the audience offers 85 per cent = 4 of 5 stars.

** Mick LaSalle (San Francisco Chronicle) offers 4 of 4 stars = 100 percent

 

I understand the negative review from Emanuel Levy, but I cannot understand the other reviews. 

 

In my opinion, they are too high; they are too positive. This movie is highly overrated.

 

Since there are so many flaws, this movie does not deserve more than two stars (40 percent).

 

*****

 Disappearing Acts

a novel

by Terry McMillan

(First published 1989)

(reprinted 2004)

 

*****