Product Details

• Actors: Kerry Washington, Anna Simpson, Melissa Martinez, The Jackie Robinson Steppers Marching Band, Marlene Forte
• Directors: Jim McKay
• Writers: Jim McKay
• Producers: Jim McKay, Alexa L. Fogel, Ashaki 'Saki' Fenderson, Caroline Kaplan, Diana E. Williams
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English, Spanish
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• VHS Release Date: January 14, 2003
• Run Time: 95 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00007ELKR
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #324,758 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In Our Song, director Jim McKay takes the same concerns as in his debut, Girls Town--friendship, poverty, and suicide--and crafts a superior film. While Girls Town felt like a somewhat privileged look at underprivileged life, Our Song feels as if it were written by the young women themselves: Lanisha (Lift's Kerry Washington), Joy (Anna Simpson), and Maria (Melissa Martinez). In fact, the trio really was involved with Brooklyn marching band the Jackie Robinson Steppers when McKay recruited them to star in this Michael Stipe-produced effort, and the marching sequences in the film provide a rousing counterpoint to the difficulties with which the girls are grappling. When one of the 15-year-olds discovers she's pregnant, already-frayed relationships are strained to the breaking point. Our Song always rings true and is all the more admirable--and affecting--for its refusal to conform to the conventions of most Hollywood teen movies. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description

The sweet joy and bitter anguish of contemporary teen life is movingly explored in this 'remarkable (The New York Times) coming-of-age tale set in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. Breathtaking (L.A. Weekly) and astonishing (The Washington Post), Our Song delves deep inside the complex lives of three girls who, despite all the odds, discover the indomitable spirit that survives within them. Late summer finds inner-city best friends Maria, Joycelyn and Lanisha at a crossroads. Though once inseparable, they drift apart when their high school abruptly closes and Maria discovers she's pregnant. As Joycelyn rejects school for a paycheck and Lanisha opts to continue her education, each girl must chart a new course for herself but can their friendship survive?

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A peek into the life of a teenage girl..., June 26, 2001

By 

Diane Moore - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

I'd say being a teenager was one of the best and worst times of my life. This movie shows the trials and tribulations that girls have to go through...teen pregnancy, money troubles, friendships coming together and some breaking up, guys, school..

The three main characters of the film created a beautifully acted story that was so natural, that you fell into it and found it very believable. I liked the acting better than I liked the movie.

It shows you that even though the scenery may change the feelings still are the same for every girl because we all go through it.

Some light humor was included and depressing times as well.. it was all interwoven nicely throughout the film. Not just a "chick flick" its for everyone!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The theme of their lives., January 2, 2004

By 

Blackworm - See all my reviews

This review is from: Our Song (DVD)

Lanisha, Maria, & Joy are three best friends who are part of the Jackie Robinson Marching Band. They share secrets and petty squabbles and seem to think that life will keep them together. Then, one by one, life begins to caress each girl in different ways, with Maria's lopsided relationship with her boyfriend, Joy's bonding with a different set of females, and Lanisha trying to hold them together while facing to prospect of leaving the city to attend college, leaving her bosom lifelines behind. A little lengthy, this film still makes a statement. Life can be a beautiful thing, but it's the reality that makes it challenging, and change can make it more difficult. Kudos to the three actresses involved in making this coming-of-age movie truly unforgettable.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Exceptional Film with first time actors, June 4, 2003

By 

Ernest Acosta (Bronx, NY United States) - See all my reviews

I recently rented the dvd version of "Our Song". To my surprise this film is exceptional and the acting of the three young ladies was much better than a lot of the hollywood stuff floating around. Director McKay ("Girls Town") wrote a very "REAL" script about the day-to-day life of being a teenager in New York. Filmed in Crown Heights, Brooklyn this film brings us close to three teenage girls going through trials and tribulations. You get the feeling that you are looking in on their lives in real time without them knowing. The Jackie Robinson Marching/Step Band rocks. The realism in this film really catches your attention and the girls are very addictive. Kerry Washington (Save the Last Dance, Bad Company, Lift) is a wonderful remarkable actress. She plays a 15 year old with incredible depth and range, eventhough she was 22 when the movie was filmed. Considering that this was McKay's second film and the three girls' first film, they should have either won some award or at least nominated for an award. I feel if this film was submitted to the Cannes Film Festival it would have been accepted and possibly awarded a prize. Melissa Martinez who played Maria was also good as well as Anna Simpson who played Jocelyn. All these young ladies should definitely consider a full time career (as Washington is doing) in the dramatic arts. A film that everyone must see!!! TWO THUMBS UP.