Disappearing Acts
2000
Cast: Wesley Snipes, Sanaa Lathan, Regina Hall, Lisa Arrindell Anderson, Q-Tip, John Amos, CCH Pounder, Laz Alonso, Michael Imperioli
Genre: Romantic Drama
Plot: A couple in the midst of a tumultuous relationship fight to stay together
'Strong Performances in this Made-For-TV Movie That Deserved The Big Screen Treatment'
Disappearing Acts is another in the long line of relationship-based (romantic) drama films that, while touching on the trials and tribulations of two people who fall for each other and of whom love one another, unfortunately, doesn't attempt to reach any new territory, and in doing so, it ends up being nothing more than a rehash of familiar material that one has seen elsewhere in countless other movies and with a new set of characters. As with any TV movie film, Disappearing Acts serves up the expected ups and downs in a soap-opera-ish way. Based on the novel by best-selling author, Terry McMillan (Waiting to Exhale, How Stella Got Her Groove Back), HBO Films dished up this version in 2000, and whilst this is not an incredibly memorable film, it does hit a nerve several times; however, due to its limitations as a TV movie, I cannot help but feel how much more it could have achieved, had it been given the full cinematic treatment.
Disappearing Acts follows Franklin, an uneducated construction worker and Zora, a music teacher and aspiring singer, from the first time they meet up, and tracks their troublesome and turbulent relationship and all of the various inevitable conflicts that arise. Neither Zora and Franklin are without faults and this makes them more believable as people and gives the story something to focus on. They take it in turns to exhibiting less than amiable behaviours, and things come to a head when complications arise and Zora falls pregnant and Franklin is unable to support her. Most of the drama that occurs is cliched and fairly predictable, and henceforth, becomes a little tiresome after a while.
At first, earlier on, I sort of wanted Zora and Franklin to get together, but as the film went on, I felt that they weren't right for each other, and they appeared to be ill-defined. Disappearing Acts is a look at relationships and it shows that not everything is as rosy as it seems: two people are drawn together based on physical and sexual attraction, thinking this is as good as it gets for them... until the realities of a relationship start to sink in, gets complicated and become difficult.
It's pleasing to see and hear characters talk and act like real people; it's just that the twists and turns don't seem to be as surprising and revealing, and that is due to it being a TV movie. Disappearing Acts offers nothing new and doesn't really attempt to break any new ground. The film relies entirely on the strong performances and chemistry of Sanaa Lathan and Wesley Snipes: the characters go through an array of emotions, they constantly argue and fight with each other, they make up. Snipes gives a surprisingly good turn, - although some will argue about his casting and that they could have got another actor instead of him, Lathan fares just as well as her male star. The ending, which whilst it is supposed to satisfy, feels somewhat forced, because its outcome seems to be exactly what the film had been struggling with, as opposed to what it was alluding to.
Final Verdict:
The film gets by because of the story and the performances by Lathan and Snipes and the onscreen chemistry that they exhibit, and less so because of Zora and Franklin as characters and people, who are less defined and not as well developed by the writers, and which is why I was glued.
As a whole, whilst it's not great, it was still watchable.
Overall:
2000
Cast: Wesley Snipes, Sanaa Lathan, Regina Hall, Lisa Arrindell Anderson, Q-Tip, John Amos, CCH Pounder, Laz Alonso, Michael Imperioli
Genre: Romantic Drama
Plot: A couple in the midst of a tumultuous relationship fight to stay together
'Strong Performances in this Made-For-TV Movie That Deserved The Big Screen Treatment'
Disappearing Acts is another in the long line of relationship-based (romantic) drama films that, while touching on the trials and tribulations of two people who fall for each other and of whom love one another, unfortunately, doesn't attempt to reach any new territory, and in doing so, it ends up being nothing more than a rehash of familiar material that one has seen elsewhere in countless other movies and with a new set of characters. As with any TV movie film, Disappearing Acts serves up the expected ups and downs in a soap-opera-ish way. Based on the novel by best-selling author, Terry McMillan (Waiting to Exhale, How Stella Got Her Groove Back), HBO Films dished up this version in 2000, and whilst this is not an incredibly memorable film, it does hit a nerve several times; however, due to its limitations as a TV movie, I cannot help but feel how much more it could have achieved, had it been given the full cinematic treatment.
Disappearing Acts follows Franklin, an uneducated construction worker and Zora, a music teacher and aspiring singer, from the first time they meet up, and tracks their troublesome and turbulent relationship and all of the various inevitable conflicts that arise. Neither Zora and Franklin are without faults and this makes them more believable as people and gives the story something to focus on. They take it in turns to exhibiting less than amiable behaviours, and things come to a head when complications arise and Zora falls pregnant and Franklin is unable to support her. Most of the drama that occurs is cliched and fairly predictable, and henceforth, becomes a little tiresome after a while.
At first, earlier on, I sort of wanted Zora and Franklin to get together, but as the film went on, I felt that they weren't right for each other, and they appeared to be ill-defined. Disappearing Acts is a look at relationships and it shows that not everything is as rosy as it seems: two people are drawn together based on physical and sexual attraction, thinking this is as good as it gets for them... until the realities of a relationship start to sink in, gets complicated and become difficult.
It's pleasing to see and hear characters talk and act like real people; it's just that the twists and turns don't seem to be as surprising and revealing, and that is due to it being a TV movie. Disappearing Acts offers nothing new and doesn't really attempt to break any new ground. The film relies entirely on the strong performances and chemistry of Sanaa Lathan and Wesley Snipes: the characters go through an array of emotions, they constantly argue and fight with each other, they make up. Snipes gives a surprisingly good turn, - although some will argue about his casting and that they could have got another actor instead of him, Lathan fares just as well as her male star. The ending, which whilst it is supposed to satisfy, feels somewhat forced, because its outcome seems to be exactly what the film had been struggling with, as opposed to what it was alluding to.
Final Verdict:
The film gets by because of the story and the performances by Lathan and Snipes and the onscreen chemistry that they exhibit, and less so because of Zora and Franklin as characters and people, who are less defined and not as well developed by the writers, and which is why I was glued.
As a whole, whilst it's not great, it was still watchable.
Overall:
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