Cover (2007)

Why so much hype?

Such a frustrating disappointment

Brilliant and touching

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Cover (2007) exposes 'down-low' (married or not) men as the conflicted potential danger that they are, yet also portrays them with sympathy. For those previous reviews which criticized the film for being too melodramatic, they missed the point: it IS a dramatic subject and such admissions and revelations CAN be devastating to a marriage or partnership. This is, after all, a movie; the emotions are played up to drive home their intensity. Wherever love and lust mix, fireworks are bound to occur, and this happens throughout the film.The artistic trappings and qualities (directing, acting, etc.) are open to debate, but don't let any perceived shortcomings detract you from the important message the film carries. We are treated to a rarely-seen depiction of the 'down-low' lifestyle and its consequences, and from this premise alone, the movie stands out. There are some scenes which may be too fast-paced or confusing at first, but the same can be said of the majority of movies today. Hopefully the 'back' button on the remote can be applied well in such cases and new explanations gleaned. Overall, this is a very impactful and memorable movie, compact but packed with content extravagant in illustration and gravity.

This film sheds light on things that even I as a gay man could not clearly see before. Sure you hear about it all but actually seeing it is another thing altogether. Whoever did the editing and/ or whoever approved of the film's editing needs to be seated in a dark room and made to watch this film repeatedly. It is rushed to say the least. Three things were lost on me competently until I began reading the comments here. Two are still a mystery. Someone here also commented on the make-up and I would have to agree. Halloween is the only day of the year that this film's make-up artist should be allowed access to a brush. The murder sub-plot was somewhat clever and might have worked better if played a little differently. I personally could have done without the whole Christian woman bit. And before I go off on a tangent about the storyline, I need to first remind myself that heterosexual men cheat on their mistresses every day. It's not enough that they have one on the side; they need two, three or perhaps more. Because this guy just so happens to sleep with men really should not add any weight but he goes for the non-acceptance card. So why 10 stars? That "scene" in the restaurant paired with the video confession scenes are worth 10 stars, I know that there are cruel, heartless, mentally unstable people out there but I think, not me. Why not me? And if everybody is clueless as to who is zooming who then it may not be the person that I am currently with but someone that they had been with days, weeks, months or years prior. Sure, the red and black posters hanging in the STD clinic reminds us of this. Sure, the counselors will reinforce what we read on these posters. There's just something about seeing it all go down that just hits home. And yes I know it is just a movie. I also know that in the 90 minutes it took to watch this movie, that kind of evil had to have happened at least 3x… in NYC alone.Before some white person gets on a soapbox here, I want to add that this is going on with white gay men as well. Unfortunately, I have been there. Try being naked in a white man's conjugal bed with wife out of town and him bidding her goodnight over the telephone. And this was nearly ten years ago… long before DL was glam. No one can be trusted!

I really was surprised by this movie. It kept my attention. I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next. THis movie deals very closely to a social issue that is harming the black community. even though some parts were kind of off the wall it still turned out the be a good film. I thought that it was well acted. I kept trying to figure out who the husband was cheating with and was completely surprised by who the person turned out to be. I enjoyed the film. The other wife who tried to kill herself was just foolish but I can't say that there is not a person who would put up with what she did from her husband. I wouldn't have ever guessed that most of the black male characters in the movie were down low, but it is happening. I think that this movie was an accurate portrayal of what is going on in today's society.

Bill Duke's "Cover" is like an urbanized, African-American version of "Brokeback Mountain" - only this time told from the viewpoint of the initially clueless spouse rather than the two male lovers. Aunjanue Ellis plays a deeply religious woman whose life and marriage fall apart when she discovers that her husband (Razaaq Adoti) is actually a closeted homosexual. This leads to a great deal of emotional trauma for both the wife and the husband - as well as to a patently absurd and wholly unnecessary murder subplot that's used to frame the story.There's no question that this is a well-meaning and well-intentioned film, but its attempt to deal honestly with a serious social issue all too often falls victim to slickery and overwrought melodramatics. Many a scene will have you rolling your eyes in incredulity and disbelief, even while conceding that some of the points the movie is making are indeed insightful and valid. And, commendably, the movie does give a fair hearing to each of its genuinely torn and conflicted characters. But an overall air of amateurishness - both in the performances (even from such acting stalwarts as Louis Gossett Jr. and "Amen"'s Clifton Davis) and in the direction - keeps it from having the impact it clearly wishes to have.All in all, a missed opportunity.