Customer Reviews

The Inkwell

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

How often dow we see movies about a teenage brother's coming of age that aren't violent or gang-related? Matty Rich(whatever he's doing now) did a superb job directing this film about an awkward teen vacationing with his parents in Martha's Vineyard visiting his well-to-do relatives.
He falls for the snot-nose Lauren who uses him to get back at her boyfriend who dropped her. Meanwhile he is also looking out for a married woman whose husband is cheating on her with other women.
It's a movie about growing up and what it means to be a person. Do all black movies have to be based on gang warfare and lewed sexual conduct?

This was an interesting little flick about a troubled teen who escapes with his feuding parents to Martha's vineyard for a
mini-vacation after he nearly burns down the house. "The Inkwell" is the Black section of Martha's Vineyard. Set in the '70s,
this is a retro film that evokes a real sense of the period.

Granted, this movie does have its weak points, but I thought the overall product was not bad. Larenz Tate has proven himself
to be a chameleon morphing from a psychopath killer in "Menace to Society" to this odd character and then later becomes a
suave wordsmith in 1997's "Love Jones." He does well in this coming-of-age flick that explores a little shown facet of black life -- the upper middle class. Though the relatives who owned the house on the Vineyard seemed a little pretentious at first (Glynn Turman and Vanessa Bell Calloway), we see that they honestly love their family. Even the brother-in-laws with the conflicting political views (Republican Vs Black Panther) manage to make peace with each other in the end.

Drew (Larenz Tate) really was a weird character, but at least the role was a departure from the black male stereotype of the
cool thug. At least Matty Rich was not afraid to take a chance here with a different type of lead character. Jada Pinkett was
very good here as the spoiled rich girl who wraps the poor, socially-inept Drew around her little finger. And although his role was minor, Morris Chestnut was a convincing (and foine!) philanderer.

My one major complaint is with the mother daughter conflict. Although the two make up in the end, you never really knew what
they were beefing about. That could have been fleshed out a little more, but I liked that this movie was about a family trying to reconnect with each other. And I also liked that the characters were not total stereotypes. If only more Black filmmakers would take risks instead of giving us the same tired story again and again.

This is a good movie. I never even heard of Matty Rich, and was unaware of the movie altogether until stumbled across it this year. I was thoroughly impressed with the performances of Larenz Tate and Jada Pinkett Smith.

As an aspiring writer myself, I look forward to hearing a lot more from Mr. Rich in the nearing future. I thought the film was well developed, with a believable plot, and excellent development of character. I also enjoyed the fact that the character in which Mr. Tate was sheltered about a lot of things that in today's society is considered the norm for some minorities. I appreciated that because in a society of where today's youth are so bombarded with so many different things, and it is progressively getting worse as of this writing, it is good to have African Americans portrayed in roles that are less than the norm.

I applaud Mr.Rich for his creativity and for gleaning on events that somehow magnificently pulled this incredible movie together.

The comparisions to "Summer of '42" are inevitable. But aside from the coming of age story of both films, they are completely different. The "Inkwell" is essentially a Shaggy Dog tale that flows nicely from beginning to end. Give credit for Matty Rich's abililty to create an authentic '70's atmoshphere with the use of very little of that era's well known music ("Dancing Machine" and "Let's Get It On" are the only two). ...

Pay no attention to the bourgeoisie reviewer below me. Its obvious that he has self-hatred issues(who else would refer to afros as tacky besides some self-hating Tom with lots of alabaster "friends"). Glynn Turman's character(Spencer) never congratulated Drew for courting an older women. Spencer never knew anything about Drew or the older woman. Its kind of obvious that this prudish clown didnt see the movie or if he did he allowed his blinding hatred coerce him into writing an inaccurate review.
The other two negative reviews are from sheer idiots simple and plain. Now that that is out of the way....

The story: Drew has problems coping with his life after he accidently burns down his house. His mom(played by Suzzanne Douglas and Dad(Joe Morton)move with her sister and from then Drew's life changes.

Larenz Tate is pretty good as the naive but likable Drew. Suzzanne Douglas is great as Drew's mother and Joe Morton is perfect as Drew's father Kenny. Glynn Turman is good also as the ignorant and arrogant Spencer Phillips. Duane Martin is just hilarious as Jr Phillips. And for me the silliness only made this movie more appealing.

Its a shame that Matty Rich(the director) never had another movie after this one. But I understand all to well that any gifted black director that gives us positive images will not last in Follywood. There is no high demand for them and a lot us will only promote the black films that these childish schizophrenics promote. If you are over the age of thirty and you still allow these freaks to dictate to you what quality entertainment is then you should be ashamed of yourselves. The editorial reviews as well as the negative reviews for this movie are the reason why positive black movies will never get the love they need. You cant pine about positive images for Black people and you would support a movie like this. We owe it to Matty Rich as well as all other talented black filmmakers to support movies of this ilk. Two thumbs up for this touching coming of age movie.

Matty Rich is proabbly one of the most talented directors you've never heard of. This film about a black teen's summer in Martha's vineyard. Larnez Tate who plays Drew plays this role perfectly as a teen who experiences love,heartbreak and emotion all in one summer. Rich once again proves his talent with this heartfelt film.

I saw myself in this movie in so many parts. That I thought it was my life story. This is my second time purchasing this movie, from the music to the underline story behind the story. Just about everyone had that stuff animal when they was growing that had to let go of. Till this day I still have mine, it was more then a stuff animal but a friend. The life changing events in this movie is a coming of age movie about a boy that had a traget experince and learning to date.

This is the story of a young boy who is going through growing pains. He talks to a stuffed doll and is caught between the world of childhood and adulthood. He accidently sets his family's house on fire which leads them to believe that he has psychological issues. He meets a pretty girl that he becomes attracted to, but she only uses him and breaks his heart. A young married woman the helps by exposing her cheating husband to her helps him make the transition into young adulthood. Great cast. Very entertaining.

One of my favorite movies. The case and disc, was in mint condition. I love Lorenz Tate. Its definitely worth the price.

this movie should be a part of every afro-american dvd collection, and should be watched at least yearly as a motivator.