Review of Everyday Black Man (2011) by Jovanna F — 27 Aug 2011

Everyday Black Man was well intentioned if predictable movie. Henry Brown plays Moses, a reformed drug dealer, who thought he left his Scarface past by opening a small general store in a rougher part of Oakland, CA.

Of course the store is failing and desperate Moses decides to take a helping hand-out from a seemingly righteous N.O.I. disciple named Malik--played by Omari Hardwick in a surprisingly subtle performance.

But things quickly turn dark when duped Moses starts to see the full extent of Malik's thriving Muslim Bakery. The movie is best when dealing in little understated moments like the budding romance between Malik and Claire (Tessa Thompson), who turns out to be Moses' long lost daughter.

But when director/ writer Carmen Madden cranks up the morality meter the film's second act devolves into a beat-you-over-the-head parable about the evils of drugs in the black community replete with misogyny, over abundance of the n-word and gunplay.

The eventual shaky cam showdown between Moses and Malik ends with a bloodied Moses shaking his fist heavenward reminiscent of Laurence Fishburn pointing to his watch in the final scene of Spike Lee's self-righteous musical School Daze.

This movie could have been extraordinary but Everyday Black Man was an everyday run-of-the-mill movie.