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Native Son

Play trailer Poster for Native Son PG 1986 1h 51m Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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50% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 25% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
A young man (Victor Love) accidentally kills his white boss's daughter (Elizabeth McGovern) in 1930s Chicago.

Critics Reviews

View All (10) Critics Reviews
Vincent Canby New York Times The film makers haven't listened to Wright. They appear to have been aiming at the same genteel audience that insists on seeing something sentimental and upbeat even in a television movie-of-the-week about AIDS. Rated: 2/5 May 20, 2003 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times The movie understands that the story really is about the killer's point of view. It is not the story of a crime, not a docudrama, not a sociological essay. Rated: 3/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Rita Kempley Washington Post Unfortunately, drama translates as melodrama and speechy, preachy dialogue tells us we're watching something that's good for us. Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Kate Rushin Gay Community News (Boston) Freedman presents the plot of the novel without seeming to understand or respect Wright’s purpose. Aug 16, 2022 Full Review TV Guide Ultimately, the film fails because of Silver's fears of offending the audience, the same fear that Wright himself faced and overcame. Rated: 2.5/4 Aug 20, 2010 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Aug 12, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (6) audience reviews
Audience Member Unfortunate story of impoverished young black man who accidentally kills his wealthy white employer's daughter. Second filming of the landmark book released in 1940 and maybe best to read the novel instead judging from other reviews. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member My opinion of this movie is somewhat biased because it is my favorite book. The way in which the movie is covered does not do the book justice. I, in many ways prefer the version of the film that features Richard Wright himself. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Okay, the two worst parts of this movie -- the fact that the cut down Books 2 and 3 into 20 minutes. Book 3 had the most interesting character development, insight, and interactions, but they showed NONE OF IT. Because of this, the pacing was awful and it made this film seem like a waste of time. The second worst part was the MUSIC. It sounded like leftovers from Sesame Street. It didn't fit at all, and made scenes unintentionally humorous. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member As much as I hated the book, I found this to be even worse. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member loved the storyline but didn't liked how it turned out....i felt really sorry for bigger thomas, actually felt sorry for the whole family.... Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member has a stupid story.he killed the girl 'accidently'.but he didnt tell it anyone.but i kinda like it. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Native Son

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Native Son

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Movie Info

Synopsis A young man (Victor Love) accidentally kills his white boss's daughter (Elizabeth McGovern) in 1930s Chicago.
Director
Jerrold Freedman
Producer
Diane Silver
Screenwriter
Richard Wesley
Production Co
Cinecom Pictures, American Playhouse, Cinétudes Films
Rating
PG
Genre
Drama, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
May 22, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA)
$374.6K
Runtime
1h 51m