The Photograph Review
PG-13: Sexuality and brief strong languageRuntime: 1 Hour and 46 MinutesProduction Companies: Will Packer ProductionsDistributor: Universal PicturesDirector: Stella MeghieWriter: Stella MeghieCast: Issa Rae, Lakeith Stanfield, Chelsea Peretti, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Chante Adams, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Y'lan Noel, Lil Rel Howery, Teyonah Parris, Rob Morgan, Courtney B. Vance Release Date: February 14, 2020
When famed photographer Christina Eames unexpectedly dies, she leaves her estranged daughter Mae Morton (Issa Rae) hurt, angry, and full of questions. When a photograph tucked away in a safe-deposit box is found, Mae finds herself on a journey delving into her mother's early life and ignites a powerful, unexpected romance with a rising-star journalist, Michael Block (LaKeith Stanfield).
Very rarely does Hollywood provide a Black romance movie such as this one. Hollywood loves to tell stories centered on our struggle and pain. I, for one, am so exhausted by it. We just saw it in Queen & Slim where a romance between the leads blossoms over the forced trauma they’re thrown into. In my review, I called it “a great depiction of Black love.” I take that back. I was desperate. This! This is what Black love should look like. A Black romance where a Black man with a decent, stable job and a Black woman with a decent, stable job get together naturally through mutual attraction and good communication. Their relationship NEVER falls into the frustrating trappings of Hollywood’s lenses. No police killings, no incarcerated Black males, no poverty, no class struggle regarding upward mobility, no drug abuse, no domestic violence, no shared trauma, NONE OF THAT SHIT! Hollywood, can we get more Black romances like this? Please and thank you!
A good portion of my enjoyment regarding The Photograph comes from — you guessed it — the charismatic, charming, and hot cast. Writer/director Stella Meghie directs this original drama with tenderness and it’s hard to not be swept up by it. I love the vulnerability of these characters and how they wear their mutual attraction to one another on their sleeves. Their connection just covers your soul like a warm blanket, elevating your investment in their relationship. On top of that, the score slaps and is even better than its soundtrack. The film features this heavy jazz score from musician Robert Glasper who went all in. His score matches the film’s mellow atmosphere so well that it feels as if you’re watching a classic 20th-Century drama set in our day and age. Meghie infuses her script with nuanced modernity in the way her characters communicate, with utmost honesty and relatability from both parties. It’s 2020 and this is a romance fit for our times, for these adults actually communicate like adults! I hail it for not hitting Black Hollywood tropes, but I also hail it for not hitting White romance tropes where the common issue lies within miscommunication. Mae and Michael actually do communicate and when there’s a conflict between them, you can still understand where each party is coming from. They’re just chill people who talk out their issues while trying to find common ground without making any showy arguments. It has a mature modern sensibility that I greatly appreciate.
As much as I love the leads, who shine mostly with each other, the supporting cast really brought this all together. You got Chelsea Peretti, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Jasmine Cephas Jones, Y'lan Noel, Lil Rel Howery, Teyonah Parris, Rob Morgan, and Courtney B. Vance. They all shine within their designated roles! It’s as if this movie stared directly into my soul and said, “Hey Rendy, we got every single Black actor you love in one major motion picture, and they will all make you smile. Try giving me a low rating, I dare you. I double dare you.” My favorite is Lil Rel Howery as the comedic relief. He’s so naturally funny and delivers his lines in a way that feels organic. He’s really been shining a lot lately in everything I’ve seen him in.
The Photograph features a major b-plot centered around Mae’s mom (Catherine) which takes a huge chunk of the story and is relied on way too heavily. I appreciate the intention of the b-plot and how it is tied back to Mae, often cutting to her reading her mom’s final letter. When she reads a portion of the letter, you watch Mae’s interpretation of the story play out. That said, everything regarding the b-plot feels like elements from a vastly different movie in both writing and tone and it takes a large percentage of this film’s run time. In the midst of this lively modern romance that is nuanced and rich, it goes abruptly interrupted by another schmaltzy romance set in ‘80s Louisiana that is mostly dry, uninteresting, and tropey. It brinks on some Nicholas Sparks level of tropey, too. Even when it finally comes together to tie back to Mae as it works towards a bigger picture, its reveal is pretty predictable. Not only do you see that plot point coming from a mile away, but seeing so much of the past lessens the impact of the present reveal. Every time the film cuts back to Catherine’s story, it asks you to digest so much of a significantly different tone and it’s emotionally jarring.
The chemistry does feel a bit one-sided at points. I love Issa Rae so much. She’s one of the most creative storytellers working in the industry today. Her performance here, while good, isn’t as strong as Stanfield’s. Sometimes he would shoot her a loving stare, lower his eyelids a bit, and she would react with a blank stare mixed with a monotonous delivery. The chemistry works better in the latter half, but so much of the first wasn’t doing it much for me.All in all, The Photograph is a solid romance with wide appeal that works as a perfect Valentine’s Day diversion and has longevity for the rest of the month. It’s February and the fact that we got a mature romance starring beautiful dark skin talent is a Black History Month miracle. Rating: 3.5/5 | 71%
