[yasr_overall_rating]
A tale of two men, separated by time and circumstance, but united in their search for freedom and redemption.
Since his Academy Award victory for “Jerry Maguire,” Cuba Gooding Jr.’s career as a leading man has been patchy, at best. Laughably-terrible Hollywood flops “Chill Factor,” “Boat Trip” and “Dirty” led to a series of straight-to-video fare, like “End Game,” “Hero Wanted,” “Line Watch,” “Hardwired,” “Ticking Clock” and “Sacrifice”. Those generic titles, resembling mid-1990s Mark Dacascos films (“Sanctuary” anyone?), speak for themselves: the poor guy’s career, save for a few minor supporting turns in Hollywood flicks, has been on a steady decline. Unfortunately, his latest starring vehicle, “Freedom” – which he also executive produced – gives little sign of a much-needed comeback for the once-inspired actor.
The feature-length debut of Peter Cousins, known mostly for his role as “Luke Carlyle” on the obscure 1980’s soap “Sons and Daughters,” “Freedom” was also written by Timothy A. Chey, whose credits sure strike a pattern: “Impact: The Passion of the Christ,” “David and Goliath,” “Final: The Rapture”… I have absolutely nothing against religious beliefs, nor have I seen any of Chey’s films, but this whole project gives off a mild riff of propaganda, the similar kind witnessed in the recent array of “faith-based” creatively bankrupt pictures (see: “God Is Not Dead”), driven by a forceful moral message, aimed at specific groups of religious fanatics, most of whom have no appreciation of true cinema. That’s not to say “Freedom” lacks any semblance of creative ambition – it’s certainly earnest and pretty to look at – it just constantly steps wrong, displaying an evident absence of filmmaking proficiency, screenwriting prowess and, as a result, originality, laying on its goodwill message way too thick.
The film jumps incoherently between two disparate storylines. The first, taking place in 1856, sees Cuba Gooding Jr. sleepwalking through his role as Samuel who, along with his family, attempts to escape from the Monroe foundation in Virginia, assisted on their way by the Underground Railroad, a secret organization that helped slaves flee to Canada. A potentially-fascinating and harrowing journey is rendered monotonous and cliché-ridden, led by indifferent performances, with the sole exceptions of William Sadler (“The Shawshank Redemption”), who almost saves this storyline with his sneering, impassioned portrayal of Plimpton, a morally-torn slave hunter, and the great character actor David Rasche (“Burn After Reading”), who provides solid, albeit very brief, support as Jefferson Monroe, the owner of the estate from which the Woodward family escaped.
The other storyline, narrated by Samuel’s mother over a crackling fire, takes place in 1748, and follows John Newton’s journey back from Africa; he’s the captain of a slave ship, and observes their miserable fates dejectedly (Bernhard Forcher in the role is as wooden as his ship)…But it’s really about how he came up with the song “Amazing Grace,” and how the song went on to influence millions to drop arms and have faith in humanity. Hallelujah.
To say that the film is riddled with cliché would be a gross underestimation. Within the very first minute, there are four glaring ones: the “inspired by a true story” chestnut; the unnecessary, exceedingly schmaltzy voice-over narration; the thunderous score; the old scrolls, depicting the characters’ journey with “Indiana Jones”-style traceable lines…
Some “memorable” bits of dialogue include the following “gems”: “In the smallest of things, I see a glimmer of hope;” “If I don’t come back, I want you to be careful;” “We must go quickly, there’s not much time!” “Hope can be found in the darkest of places” (…wait, I thought hope was “in the smallest of things?”); “With forgiveness comes true freedom” and, my personal favorite, the somehow wildly inappropriate, “My dear, we are slaves to the critics!” The words “freedom,” “faith” and “hope” are persistently uttered on so many different occasions, one truly begins to feel like the filmmakers are shoving their doctrine down their throat, as earnest as the director’s and screenwriter’s efforts may be.
Both storylines are regularly disrupted by musical numbers which, though thankfully toned down and avoid the exuberance normally prevalent in musicals, come off as misguided and unfinished, and do nothing to help drive the story or evoke any emotion (if in doubt, just check out Cuba Gooding Jr.’s own blank reaction to a particularly over-stretched choral piece). A story like this should be powerful enough on its own merits and does not need to be embellished by such flatulent, oddly contemporary touches.
But “Freedom”’s greatest flaw is its resolute lack of complexity; the film provides no real insight into the origins of slavery or the psychology behind it. It lacks “Amistad”’s epic scope, “12 Years A Slave”’s power and intelligence, and “Django Unchained”’s humor and drive. The dark irony lies in the fact that the story “Freedom” tells about the depths of human depravity and prejudice is in itself riddled with stereotypes and sermonizing, rendering it inconsequential, and further tarnishing Cuba Gooding Jr.’s ever-fledging resume.
Available on DVD July 14th
