Antwone Fisher (2002)

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Antwone Fisher (Derek Luke) is a navy officer with a short fuse who finds himself being referred to the navy doctor Jerome Davenport (Denzel Washington). At first, Fisher is standoffish and unwilling to open up to Davenport, but Davenport persists with the young officer and eventually Fisher does begin to try to explain some of the reasons for his behaviour. Davenport soon learns that Fisher had a troublesome childhood whilst he was growing up with his foster mother and Davenport believes that it may help Fisher's emotional psyche if he were to try and find his mother and make attempts to reconnect with his family.This is actually a nice story and from a narrative point of view it is very well-constructed and structured; essentially we'll witness something happening to Fisher that lands him in trouble and then we get flashbacks from his childhood which establishes motives for his behaviour in later life. The film uses this approach for much of its running time and it does work very well; you get the best of both worlds in some ways by witnessing some powerful dramatic moments and then we get some exposition explaining away why Fisher behaves in the manner that he does. It is a fairly well-written film which does a good job of developing its protagonist (although having the real life Antwone Fisher penning the screenplay probably helped the film a lot in this respect).According to the trivia section, the likes of Will Smith and Cuba Gooding JR auditioned for the role, but Washington refused and wanted an unknown actor to portray the lead character - this was probably a risk at the time, but one which, in the long run, probably paid off. Maybe it was budget constraints that forced Washington cast an unknown actor (who knows what sort of salary Smith or Gooding Jr wanted at the time) or maybe Washington knew that a film of this nature didn't have to rely on star power to get people to watch it after all everyone loves an uplifting feel-good story don't they? Whatever his reasons it was probably the right choice and Derek Luke really works hard here in crafting a character who is misunderstood, traumatised, deeply troubled, but he's also a character that is strong-willed and brave.From a narrative perspective this film is good and some of Washington's directing is also good, but the trouble with this film is that it does all feel a bit clinical, by-the-numbers and rather safe. It does have the feel of a Lifetime movie and it's clear when watching this film that Washington takes no real risks and whilst it is good in several parts, it is also quite weak in other areas - the film makes a big deal about Fisher meeting his mother and gives a big build-up to this occasion, but when the time comes for Fisher to meet his mother it all falls a bit flat and it doesn't have the emotionally satisfying pay-off that I was hoping for. Fisher's romance with Cheryl is also a weak part of the film which is both undercooked and underwhelming and to me isn't the most important aspect of the story - although it does seem to take up a good chunk of the film.Antwone Fisher is a nice uplifting story that will undoubtedly cheer you up if you're feeling down and I suppose in that respect it does its job. Despite my reservations above, I did like the film and I too found it uplifting and enjoyable, but it just wasn't quite the emotional punch to the gut that I was expecting it to be.

Thankfully, I was able to watch this on BET TV which removed profanity and porn. I, personally, found it to be excellent because I also was beaten as a child; had a father who left me when I was 2 years old; had a drunk step-father who beat me often; and had a women who attempted to have sex with me when I was 9 years old. I also became successful, though I did not have a counselor like in the movie. For me, being "born-again" was the solution.In the movie, the actors are excellent, save for Denzel who cannot leave his personality which sticks out like a red pimple on one's nose in every movie he is in. Thankfully, Denzel does not appear too often. The struggle of main actor is very realistic.An a senior citizen now, I found the movie very pertinent and encouraging, especially coming from a similar slum background. It may help those who suffer from the effects of bad upbringing, whether one watches the full or TV edited version.

The movie that I watched is Antwone Fisher, directed by Denzel Washington and written by Antwone Fisher. It is an autobiographical drama about Antwone Fisher. He is guided by a Navy psychiatrist, and confronts his past and connects with family he never knew existed.There was a huge array of things I noticed in the movie. The biggest of which was how it wasn't only white people that abused and exploited African Americans, it was also African Americans that exploited and abused people of their own race. For example, the foster parent of Antwone and the daughter of the foster parent treated Antwone horribly. I had always known how badly African Americans were treated, and I had always known how orphans were treated in many places, but I had never even thought about how much African American orphans were treated before and even now. Antwone Fisher was constantly threatened, beat up, and even sexually abused by his foster family. The frequency of how much the foster mother used the word 'nigger' really made me cringe each time I heard it. It was so bad that at one point, she didn't use the word 'nigger' in a sentence and it really surprised me. Even after 20 or so years when Antwone finally came back to get information about his parents, the first thing the foster mother said was a sentence including a truckload of the word 'nigger.'This move really helped my understanding of the era because seeing is always better than simply learning about it in a classroom. By seeing, I was able to see things through the point of view of a single individual, who seemed to have things going for him in the Navy. However, more and more problems with the past showed up and it taught me that even the most normal of people may have serious emotional, mental, or psychological problems. It also helped me truly think about the importance of having someone to talk to. I guess you could say that I am a fairly privileged student and young man, since I've never had to worry about the necessities of life and I've always had people I could trust and talk to. The idea of not having people around that I can talk to really scares me. Overall, I really enjoyed watching this film and understand why this movie has 17 awards and 18 nominations. I personally found this movie really touching and I really enjoyed watching the progress he made throughout the movie.

I just watched Antwone Fisher on BRAVO. What an awesome movie and incredible young man. This movie is a must see for anyone who is dealing with how to overcome childhood abuse and abandonment as an adult. Denzel Washington puts in an outstanding performance as well as the young man who plays Antwone Fisher. Kleenex alert--Feel good and tearful. The most heartrending moment is when he finally meets his mother, who he was taken away from at 2 months of age. And one of the most courageous was when he stood up to his abusive foster mother and sister. I saw this movie on Bravo in 2008 and only wish I had known about it years ago. Definitely a movie to add to my DVD collection.