Customer Reviews

Constellation

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

"Constellation," which begins in 1940's Alabama, tells the tale of a secret, forbidden love between a black woman named Carmel and a white soldier named Bear, whose romance is cut short when he is shipped overseas to fight in the war. Flash forward fifty years to the funeral of Carmel - who never married after breaking up with Bear - which serves as the pretext for all the principal people in her life to gather together to air out their grievances and to thrash out the personal relationship problems that have haunted them all their lives. The participants include her emotionally distant brother and his two ex-wives; her two adult nieces and their respective men folk; and Bear himself, who, despite the fact that the two of them were kept apart all their lives by the restrictions of a racist society, has decided to pay not only for the services, but to put all these people up in one of the swankier hotels in Huntsville, Alabama.

Though there are a goodly number of insightful, touching moments in "Constellation," the movie probably would have been more effective had the screenplay (by director Jordan Walker-Pearlman) not tried to cram so many different characters into such a relatively short space of time (the movie runs barely over an hour and a half). Yes, I understand that the theme of the movie is all about how we form "constellations" with the people who are most important to us in life, but speaking strictly in narrative terms, much too often, the genuinely compelling travails of one character are shunted aside to make room for the far less interesting problems of another. Moreover, the romantic relationship between Carmel and Bear, which is supposed to function as the emotional cornerstone of the movie, is never made all that convincing. We are TOLD that these two people are in love with each other, but we aren't made to FEEL it. In addition, Aunt Carmel is portrayed as such a wise and ethereal earth-mother presence even after death that she is essentially robbed of her own individuality and humanity as a character.

Still, there is much that is good in the movie, starting with the performances of Billy Dee Williams, as a man incapable of making emotional connections with the people in his life, and Rae Dawn Chong, as the daughter who has the most trouble dealing with this reality. They are ably abetted by Lesley Ann Warren, Zoe Saldana, Melissa De Souza, and Hill Harper. The movie also boasts a flavorful soundtrack, filled with an eclectic mixture of musical styles, ranging from classical to hip hop to spiritual. The Huntsville setting also provides a refreshing change for audiences weary of seeing New York, Los Angeles and Chicago constantly being recycled in film after film, as if they were the only urban centers moviemakers had to choose from.

The movie does lay its message on a bit thickly towards the end, employing heavy-handed speech-making and rather obvious symbolism to get its points across. It really doesn't need to go to all that effort, since the viewers could probably figure the themes out on their own given half a chance.

Yet, although "Constellation" is a decidedly mixed bag as far as family and social dramas go, it has enough elements of quality to make it worth checking out.

This movie is wonderfully scripted and acted and illustrates perfectly the importance of family, regardless the makeup of that family. It teaches many lessons about unconditional love and commitment, following your heart and what happens when you succumb to the pressures of the world. There are enough twists to hold your interest, and enough personal flaws to make each character believable. Treat yourself to a good story with a great message.

The movie centers around Cameral (Gabriel Union) and her death. In returning to AL for her funeral her loved ones are forced to deal with their past issues that they've either ignored or avoided. It is a movie that you have to pay attention to understand because it does jump between characters, but if you follow each character you will get it.

This is a film that does not "spell out" the story for you. You connect the dots ("constellation") on your own. This is an engaging, almost interactive film. When I saw it in the theater in New York City, the audience was full and literally talking back to the movie with "yeah, yeah!" etc.
I am not African-American but I still strongly connected to the story. The themes of family forgiveness & when in doubt, holding on to the "love" beyond anything else, will resonate with any person, regardless of gender, age, race, religion, etc.
This film does not follow a conventional formula; it feels like you are plunged into another world, only to find yourself looking into a mirror where pieces of your own life reflect back.
I personally hope for more films like "Constellation."

I rented CONSTELLATION and hadn't considered reviewing it. While looking over the reviews, I wanted to add my two cents.

CONSTELLATION is a great movie about family, loves and forgiveness. Carmel Boxer, played by Gabrielle Union, narrates her life story. She begins by telling you about a love she shared with a white soldier, Bear, during the time when it was clear that blacks and whites shouldn't mix. As the film goes on you realize that the family is gathering to mourn the loss of Carmel and it's apparent that times have changed as her younger brother, Helms, played by Billy Dee Williams, was married to a white woman and their daughter married a white man. While times have apparently changed, Helms and his daughter are both dealing with so much hurt from the past. Will this family ever recover?

CONSTELLATION has a wonderful cast and it's a movie that you can watch with the entire family. I recommend to all.

First off thos movie had an excellent cast with a hard job of connecting the people in this movie. It took me a while to know how and why the people were connected. It was a moving story of the family of Caramel Boxer. Her life, love, and hurt were presented in a sad, but tasteful fashion. I want to give this movie 3 and 1/2 stars because it was emotional, driven, and beautifully written, but the scenes were jumbled and not inspiring. I will have to watch it again, because I see that the director wanted the movie to be like a constellation. You may only see one star (person), but they are apart of the whole constellation (family). The quotes from this movie were amazing. I am going to add them to my facebook page. Be patient with this movie and you will not regret it.
I would very much like to have had a soundtrack to this movie. The songs were moving and excellent.

I am from Huntsville, Alabama, and like most Huntsville residents I find this community an exceptional place to live, work, and raise a family. I can only sense that the writers, editors, and directors of this film feel the same way. Which is why they produced this film? The actors each gave good performances. But the script was poor, the direction was rushed, and the film editing was, well..., bad. This film was painful to watch, and I can only recommend watching to those who may find it interesting to see the more recognizable places in Huntsville. That was enjoyable.

At first glance given the cast line up, I thought Constellation would be a great movie. However, The characters and the set were the only good parts of this film. As for the storyline, it is totally all over the place. Whoever wrote this movie seemingly had a bunch of ideas and just threw them into one movie with no order or smooth transition from one scene to the next. The movie jumps around too much and you have no idea why this scene is following that scene. Totally unorganized and poorly written and directed. The storyline is difficult to follow from all the inconsistencies in the plot, and I never really saw a love story develop like the cover described. I just got it as a rental and I want my money back!

I just happened to stumble upon this movie while strolling through Blockbuster. I loved the message of unconditional love and forgiveness which was conveyed throughout the movie. And I do feel that the songs were very much appropriate and even moving. This is one of those few movies that I can watch more than once and still feel as though I've learned something new about life and love each time.

~ Lex ~

First off, I will have to agree with the other party who said that this movie is about connecting the dots if you wish to check it out. I went to buy this at the local video rental place and he told me that everyone who watched that film, hated it and suggested watching The Brother instead. I feel that the movie is a good idea. Real great, but too disjointed. For one thing, why did they feel the need to lie to Helms about the actual funeral? and although I understood the majority of the film, I find it distasteful that Rae Dawn Chong's found Helms so attractive due to the fact he was married to begin with. Other than that, it's an ok watch.