Title: The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete
Writer: Michael Starrbury
Director: George Tillman Jr.
Year: 2013
Actors: Skylan Brooks, Ethan Dizon, Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks, Julito McCullum, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Anthony Mackie, Jeffrey Wright, Rege Lewis
Acting Style:
In this drama, all of the roles played by the actors are serious characterizations of what could be real life people. What I mean by that is, the characters in this movie, like Mister and Pete, are only a filmmakers example of everyday life for some people living in the projects in neighborhoods like those found in Brooklyn. Actor Skylan Brooks plays Mister, using what I believe to be a method acting style and he really gets the audience to believe he IS the character. Mister is a real interpretation of some children living in poverty and drug infested neighborhoods; Brooks seems to dip into his own personal tragedies to show pain and suffering throughout this film (Goodykoontz, 2014). He channels his inner “toughness” when dealing with almost every other character in the movie, but he develops compassion for his new found friend, Pete.
What’s even more interesting about Brooks character Mister, is he is in fact an inspiring child actor who shows off his skills a few times throughout the film, which says a lot about the level of talent within the young actor. Being his first big starring role, Brooks uses his talent for this dramatic role, with not just using “the Method”, but using realism as well. Even though Mister is a fictional character, his person is a common figure found within todays impoverished youth, bringing reality to this fictional drama. Other smaller roles he played includes comedic performances with Miranda Cosgrove in her Nickolodeon TV show, iCarly, and with Lance Gross in the movie, Our Family Wedding (2010). This proves that young Skylan Brooks is skilled at interpreting different types of people, and really brings a character to life
Supporting actor, Ethan Dizon plays Pete, who is Mister’s burden turn friend in this film. Another actor using “the Method”, is hopeful and pure in this role as a needy boy who seemingly can’t survive on his own. Dizon performs Pete well, as at such a young age he portrays the character and all his attributes, as if he experienced the lifestyle himself. A character actor like Dizon would probably also be considered a wild card actor because of his diversity amongst his previous roles, such as comedic character Randy Irvine in Bad Words (2013) with Jason Bateman (2013). Although young and small in size, Ethan Dizon packs a lot of talent within himself, and it would be difficult, at least this early in his career, to classify him in any specific type of character (Goodykoontz, 2014).
An actor most of us might be more familiar with in this film, would be Jennifer Hudson who plays Mister’s mother Gloria. This character appears to be a hard role to play because she is a seemingly bad mother addicted to drugs and prostitution. But for a star like Hudson, it’s just another character role she nails, even though her physical role in this movie is minor but still plays a major part at the same time. An American Idol winner, to making hit music, to starring in award winning movies, Hudson shows us her well-developed talent playing Gloria getting high in front of her son Mister and his unwanted friend Pete. She is a well-rounded actor, interpreting other roles in her career such as Effie White in Dreamgirls (2006) and Winnie Mandela in Winnie Mandela (2011). All serious roles, but very different in style, class, and culture, Hudson balances all of these characters both professionally and wholeheartedly as if it was what she was born to do – on top of singing. But like other effective character actors, she wasn’t generally recognized by the public as a star because of her ability to adapt to different roles (Goodykoontz, 2014).
Chosen perfectly for this movie, actors Skylan Brooks, Ethan Dizon, and Jennifer Hudson bring a movie with incredible potential to life with their acting style, skill, and personal experience. In their first movie, both Brooks and Dizon handle the big screen well, and are sure to grow into certain categories of acting style soon. For now, however, it is safe to say that these two talented young men are great at character acting and even interpreting specific roles if need be. More seasoned actor and musician, Jennifer Hudson, surprises us in this sinister and even pathetic role as a junkie mother, but touches all of our hearts at the end when she cleans herself up and comes for her son. She is as believable in this character, as she is in all of her roles she has ever played, which is a true talent for any actor to possess. A true wild card character actor, with terrific skills in both method and realistic acting, which helped this particular film be as great of a success as it was.
Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education,
Inc.
Film Festivals and Indie Films. (2013). The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete Movie Clip: Cheeseburger. [Video File].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DToKUOl2III
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