Customer Reviews

Levity

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I wish I could fill my library with movies exactly like this. When I first saw this movie, I sort of watched it in shock. Stories of this quality are so rare! First and foremost, this is about forgiveness. Each character in our story feels that they have failed in some way, and they're not sure how to simply make it right. To make peace. Large mistakes, little mistakes, these little devils tend to stay with us, sowing the seeds is discontent.
Manual Jordan (Billy Bob Thorton) is released from jail after 20 years and embarks on a mission to find redemption, although he doesn't really expect to find it. Perhaps it is the journey that is more important to him. He finds a preacher (Morgan Freeman) who is trying to reach a bunch of teenagers and steer them away from the destructive lifestyles they're leading. He runs a makeshift church/soup kitchen across the street from a local dance club.
Manual also comes in to the life of a woman (Holly Hunter) who is trying to steer her son away from the gang street life he is falling in to. By far my favorite piece of this story is played by the beautiful Kirsten Dunst. She is the emotional heart of the story as the confused party girl who dreams of a better life, but has no idea how to get there. Suffering from low self-esteem and an angry alcoholic mother, she drifts closer to harms way each night.
What is story has to offer is emotions in raw form. What would any of us do in extreme circumstances? Most of us will never know. These people do. Most of their lives have been impacted by one form of violence or another. These are decent people inside. People that made bad choices. The road to hell is paved with good intentions they say and little tiny mistakes. Pretty soon these little mistakes feed on themselves and before you know it, you start having BIG lapses in good judgment. How did this happen? How did I get here? ---by many little mistakes.
What was most important to me in this story was the insight in to the fragility and strength of the human spirit. These people are not perfect. But each of them is hoping for something better, something more meaningful. A purpose, and maybe a little emotional justice. You can think of them all as wounded animals, trapped in a box. Most of them don't know how they got in there. They want out. They don't know how to get out, and they're growing increasingly desperate. It is in this dark place that they find their true characters. By looking their little devils in the face and choosing another path, they begin to find peace within themselves.

I know that this is not always a pretty picture. But sometimes you need to look at the ugliness of humanity in order to see the beauty. Beauty is there, whether we see it or not. And that's what I think this movie is, beautiful.

The word "levity" is supposed to mean "lightness", but there is certainly nothing light about this stark drama which deals with sin and redemption. Billy Bob Thornton is cast as a troubled man who has just been released from prison for killing a convenience store clerk in a botched robbery 23 years before. He plays the role with quiet stoicism, wears his graying hair shoulder length and speaks in a gentle voice as he returns to the neighborhood where the crime was committed.

Here, he meets Morgan Freeman, a storefront preacher with a secret of his own, and he's given a job as custodian of the place. Kristin Durst is one of the lost young people who he comes in contact with, and in his own simple way, he seems to be making a difference in her life. The person he has come here to meet, however, is the sister of the young man who he had murdered. Holly Hunter is cast in this role and they start to develop a deep friendship, especially when her son gets in trouble and Billy Bob Thornton comes to his aid.

There's a sadness and melancholy to the entire film, which is set on cold dreary winter streets. It's slow, bleak and rather creepy, especially when the hero is visited over and over again by the apparition of the young man who he has murdered. I found the concept interesting, the acting excellent and the story sad and depressing. And yet, it was a fine film.

This film is what's known as a sleeper. It was basically disregarded when it came out theatrically, but what a great movie!!! The lead performances are all Oscar worthy! The cinematography by Roger Deakins is visually poetic, a series of contemporary paintings in motion. I've never seen this type of "urban" beauty in a long time. See for yourself and enjoy the subtle imagery. It's awesome.

This is a movie that says so much, it stays with you long after you've seen it. It deals with issues about the past; how difficult it can be to deal with guilt; the resignations that one must often make when things we regret cannot be changed; and how through good (and love) evil is conquered. It's a very spiritual film in many ways. I loved it, and I think that most people will appreciate it also. It's not the type of banal garbage Hollywood keeps pumping out. This is a sedate, intelligent, and enormously entertaining film. I applaud whoever had the good taste to finance it! It's simply and unpretentiously wonderful.

New on DVD (August, 03), this overlooked, exceptional film strikes an emotional chord with universal truths.

Based on real events, LEVITY (Columbia Tristar) stars Billy Bob Thornton as a convicted murderer paroled after serving 19 years in prison. Haunted by his spontaneous shooting of a store clerk in a failed robbery, he craves reconciliation and returns to his old inner-city neighborhood where he encounters a troubled woman (Kirsten Dunst), a mysterious street preacher (Morgan freeman) and the sister (Holly Hunter) of the boy he killed.

It's rare that a movie tackles such difficult themes of guilt, forgiveness, reconciliation and atonement with such insight, grace and intelligence.

If there is a common theme running through Billy Bob Thornton's dramatic roles, it would have to be a man's search for redemption. It can be found in SLING BLADE, A SIMPLE PLAN, THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE, MONSTER'S BALL, THE BADGE, and again in LEVITY, the film directorial debut of screenwriter Ed Solomon. Unlike more 'commercial' actors, who would prefer playing innocent victims framed for crimes (or would be 'heroic' in committing 'justifiable' deeds), Thornton's characters are guilty of their trespasses, and accept their punishment as deserved. This gives his performances a sense of reality that is always interesting to watch.

In LEVITY, Thornton is Manual Jordan, a 'lifer' who has spent over twenty years in prison for shooting and killing a kid during a convenience store robbery, as a youth. The act was not a crime of passion, it was simply an involuntary reaction to a quizzical 'look' the kid gave him, an expression that would bond the two of them for years to come.

When a parole board decides to commute Jordan's sentence ("Why?" he asks, stunned by the decision after saying he was content to remain in prison), the middle-aged man finds himself alone in an alien, indifferent world, with only the kid's 'ghost' as company.

Jordan decides to try and help the victim's sister, Adele (the ageless Holly Hunter), without revealing his identity ("If you're trying to 'hit' on me," she quips, "I have to warn you, over the years, my standards have lowered..."). She has her hands full with a wild teenaged son, and can't quite figure out this taciturn, long-haired vagrant!

Answering a ringing pay phone, Jordan finds his way to a jaded lay minister (Morgan Freeman, excellent, as always), who, recognizing him as an ex-con, provides him with a place to stay, and a job, cleaning and directing teens from a dance club into the broken-down mission he runs, next door. When Jordan tells the old preacher that he doesn't believe in God, the old man snaps, "I'm not asking you to! I'm asking you to work!" One of the rowdy 'club' teens (Kirsten Dunst), the daughter of a 'one-hit wonder' singer on the skids, finds herself drawn to Jordan, despite his obvious disapproval of her lifestyle.

As with all the best 'indies', there is a richness of character in LEVITY, with each actor in top form. Subtly building to a surprising revelation and an emotional climax, the film may not appeal to audiences who prefer pyrotechnics to plot, but if you like movies with believable characters, and an involving story that unfolds at it's own pace, you'll find it to be a very rewarding experience!

Levity is a film dealing with a man seeking redemption after serving over 20 years in prison for a murder he committed as a teenager. It was first aired at the 2003 Sundance Film festival and deserves a MUCH larger audience then it will most likely get.

OK, so I went to see this movie because I am a fan of Kirsten Dunst, but she does not disappoint here, playing a role not too unlike that of Nicole Oakley in Crazy/Beautiful. As Sofia, Kirsten's character is generally lost and spaced out, yet in her smile you can see a bit of Kirsten herself, something I have noticed in all the roles I have seen her in to date. Sofia may be spacey, but she is NOT an airhead, unlike most of the roles Kirsten has played to date (At times I wonder if she is one herself.) However, she is not the main character, and not the only good thing about this film.

Billy Bob Thornton plays Manual the main character who seeks to help people by working at a drop in center/soup kitchen. He encounters a woman (Holly Hunter) who is the sister of the man he murdered, and a preacher (Morgan Freeman) who runs the center he works at.

A few surprising plot twists including an encounter with Ms. Hunter's son (Geoffrey Wigdor) who may end up killing someone himself after being shot at make this an interesting film.

One thing I have noticed is that conservative newspapers seem to give this film a positive review,while liberal newspapers and magazines seem to give it a negative review.

One thing I really enjoyed is the film's strong positive message dealing with redemptions. It was quite uplifting and despite its "R" rating, it would find a home within a Christian film festival. (Note: This comment was made over a year before "The Passion of the Christ" )

I was glad I was able to see it in a theatre.

An auspicious directing debut from the talented writer of more mainstream fare such as "Men in Black" and "Charley's Angeles." Solomon creates a layered and dreamlike view into the lives of a half-dozen souls, bent but not broken by "slings and arrows." Billy Bob Thorton delivers the same kind of complex understated performance he has given us in the past in "Monster's Ball" and "The Man Who Wasn't There." Holly Hunter, however, ups the ante yet again with a staggering portrayal of a woman who knows her life is a complicated mess, who knows she is damaged and flawed, but refuses to give in to the easy tempation to turn maudlin or self-flagellating. She is not ashamed by the choices she has made and continue to make. You cannot take your eyes off her for a moment when she is on camera, for fear of missing a single one of the emotions and thoughts written across her face and her body language. While her dialog is rich, it's but a shadow of the truth and beauty which seems to shoot from her skin like fireworks. Kirsten Dunst continues to mature, here playing one of her most interesting and complex roles to date. Morgan Freeman is inspired, as always, even in a supporting role. The story is like a Shakesperean tragedy. It refuses sentimentality or predictability at every turn. It challenges your assumptions and stereotypes with each turn of the worm, and reminds us of the profound gifts which are intertwined with the worst of life's suffering.

I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into when I pulled this movie from the $5.50 bin at Wal-Mart. All I knew is it had actors I respected, who gave good comedy and drama, and that was good enough for me. Had I known, I'd have gladly paid full price for this film when it was first released.

A pity the average movie goer has the depth of a damp tissue, this movie is worth seeing. A tale of unrequited redemption, well played, well written. Yes, the focus is Manual, as it ought to be. I loved Morgan Freeman, but I've adored him since I saw him on PBS in "Electric Company" some 25-30 years ago.

This movie should make you think. No happy ending, things don't tie up just because they ought to. It's dark, but what isn't these days?

See it. It's worth whatever you pay.

I had heard good things about Levity, so when I found it for $5.50 at Wal-Mart, I decided to give it a chance. It's a very welcome addition to my DVD collection indeed. The acting is excellent and I truly enjoyed every minute of it. I particularly loved Kirsten Dunst as the drugged out club kid. I also loved Holly Hunter as the older sister of the boy that was murdered by Billy Bob Thornton. The theme of trying to right a wrong and helping others is something we should all keep in mind in the real world.

Genre: Drama

Genre Grade: B

Final Grade: A-

This was a suprisingly excellent film from the screenwriter of Men in Black and Charlie's Angels. I have been holding off on watching this movie for a long time simply because Billy Bob Thornton's long hair on the cover box kind of turned me off from the movie. After watching it (and finding out his long hair is due to 21 years in prison, probably not too many haircuts during that time) I was suprised how much I enjoyed it. The acting from Morgan Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, Holly Hunter, and even Kirsten Dunst was great, and this strong story about redemption will leave you pondering how you might react in such a situation.

This movie didn't get a lot of good reviews (I don't know why), but I still enjoyed it and I think most audiences might too. It is a tad slow but the story is strong and there is some good humor in it to keep it moving. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed 21 Grams, American History X (although this movie could have been a LOT more controversial) or if you just enjoy the actors in the film.