The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete – A Look into the Actors

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

The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete – Striking Sound

This first clip provides qualifying examples of music and dialogue.

This next clip gives decent examples of sound effects.

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

Sound:

Sound is one of the most important tools in film making; without it we would still be in the silent era. We live in a time when sound effects and music are highly considered when determining the rating of a movie. So for this particular Drama movie, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, I tried to pick a clip that gives good example of the three basic categories of sound – music, dialogue, and sound effects.

In the first clip posted above, we see Mister and Pete walking to the store with almost like a pep in their step. The background music that is playing is upbeat and has a quick tempo that the boys are almost in rhythm with as they walk, which sort of signals to the viewers that just might be up to something. They are in a rough situation, and it’s expected of them to take drastic measures to survive, so it’s no surprise when Mister goes into the store and steals something to eat and runs out. We hear the music playing as Pete waits out front confused, and he stays frozen when Mister books it out of the store but starts to run too, when he sees the store clerk with the bat. Without the background music, this scene would have seemed sad, because no one wants to see two starving children stealing food. The music really keeps the mood up, and even though we know the situation in the back of our minds, with that type of beat playing it almost makes Mister and Pete’s actions kind of funny.

On top of the score in the first clip, we also hear the dialogue, although it may be short in this scene. Mister is laying down the law for Pete, he needs to know that they have to lay low or else housing authority will snatch them up. Pete asks Mister if it was true that two kids were killed in Riverview, the children’s home, and he let him know that the number was bigger than that. Then, Mister runs inside the convenient store, and tells Pete to wait out front. Now we hear the store clerk yelling to Mister trying to figure out what he is doing, as we know he is banned. We are watching Pete out front, but we hear the clerk getting louder and louder as he realizes Mister is not listening to him, and is in fact, stealing from the store. The dialogue ended when Mister walked in the store, but the role of the clerk was to inform the audience what’s going on inside since we can’t see. By his yelling at Mister, we know he must be angry at him for stealing. Then Mister and Pete run away, ending the scene.

The final component of sound, and as equally vital as the other two, is sound effects. It would be funny to watch someone slam a door in the movie, and not hear anything, right? In the second clip I posted above, the first thing we hear is music from Alice’s car playing and the skateboard that Mister is riding on. The next effect we hear is the car horn when Alice pulls up on Mister, and they begin another dialogue. During their talking, we hear all sorts of background noises like birds chirping and cars driving by. All of these sounds, allows the audience to be present in the film, as if they were there with the characters. There are always background noises going on in real life, whether it’s a pen falling or a car crashing – it all contributes to the moment. And the semi silence that is going on in this scene, lets us feel Alice and her sincerity and Mister with his stubbornness. All keys to making a great film.

References

CODEBLACK OnDemand. (2014). The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete CLIP – “Can’t

            Tell Anyone”. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtkfucB83Xc

CODEBLACK OnDemand. (2014). The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete CLIP – “Riding

            with Alice”. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT0Rg5g3LOI

The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete – The Effectiveness of Lighting

Example of natural low-key lighting in intense dramatic scene where Mister tries to get Gloria to find a job.

Example of brighter lighting during happier scene where the boys decide to stick together.

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

Lighting:

            In this intense drama, there are many scenes with low-key lighting to enhance the emotion in the moment. When Mister walks in on his mom getting high in her bedroom, is an example of a dark scene with a lot of shadowing. The low lighting is on Gloria, and Mister, but the rest of the room is relatively dark. This, I believe, allows the audience to be drawn to the actors in the scene, instead of focusing on their surroundings. There is a lot of outdoors action going on in this film, the boys are running around from place to place a lot so the lighting is natural. I think this adds to the realness of the entire plot, because we know that what this family experiences can really happen. When they are outdoors, you can really see their frailty, and overall weakness. They aren’t groomed, their clothes are over-sized and filthy, and they just look miserable. When they are inside, hiding out, the low lighting throughout the entire movie, creates more dramatization to the situation.

This type of drama film almost requires low-key lighting. But there are some scenes that sort of brighten up the theme of the movie, like when Alice comes around things start to look better for the boys, until the scene before disappears. At the end, when the boys are in Riverview and Gloria comes for Mister, the lighting seems to change to a three point lighting technique. Gloria is cleaned up, and the emotional aspect of the scene is really captured by the bright lighting. We are able to see, truly, how the boys feel about each other and how Gloria feels about herself and her son. If the creators of this film decided to use different lighting, for example, three point lighting during darker scenes or low-key lighting during happier scenes, it just wouldn’t make sense. I feel like it would actually confuse the audience, and creating confusion causes people to stop watching before it’s over. So, I wouldn’t change it all, because I think the lighting throughout this movie is on point.

References

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 – Newspaper. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKFWVh_8zrE

Ngcobo, S. (2013). Best Scene from The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete. [VideoFile]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iggHmtKiTqo

The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete – A Blog Summary

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

Story:

The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete is a 2013 film about two young boys, Mister and Pete, who go against all odds one summer when their mothers were both arrested for drugs and prostitution. Mister and Pete, hide from child services for an entire summer, in attempts to wait for their mothers’ homecoming. Two intelligent boys, who are only victims of circumstance, are met with many obstacles when they try to run away from the law, only to learn that the law is, in fact, looking out for their better interest.

Plot:

The movie starts with our main character, Mister, 14, in his school bathroom crying about a rude remark made about his mother on the wall. We learn that he is doing poorly in school, lives in a bad neighborhood in New York City, is surrounded by crime, his mother, Gloria, is a drug addict and he’s neglected by her due to her addiction. We meet Pete, 9, who is always around because his mother is an addict too, so Mister is forced to babysit him. We witness Mister’s mother’s drug use and prostitution, and willingness to do both in front of Mister and Pete early on, as well as other crimes from other community members. Mister comes off as rude and disrespectful to other people, but he is clearly troubled and ultimately just wants to pursue his acting dreams.

Mister tries to get his mother in the right direction, he wants so badly for her to be his mother. Gloria seems hopeless, she’s tired and run down. But, then we meet Alice, Mister’s love interest who seems to really care about him and his well-being. She is dating an older man, and this really bothers Mister because he is in love with her.

The main “pimp” in the areas name is Kris, and both Mister and Pete’s mothers work for him as prostitutes and buy drugs off of him as addicts. The police raid the projects they live in, arresting anyone and everyone who is connected to Kris, which means placing a lot of children into child services. Mister and Pete manage to hide from the police for a while, and taking care of themselves proves to be a difficult and impossible task. It’s summer, they don’t have air conditioning, they’re low on food, and have no money. Mister tries to take Pete home, and almost leaves him with a pedophiliac neighbor woman, but quickly changes his mind. Pete decides to break into his mom’s apartment to get a few things, since Mister now promises to stay with him.

Mister’s house is broken into, and he finds everything of value he ever had, gone. They fall asleep while the turkey they got from Pete’s house is cooking, and burn their last food source to a crisp. Desperate, hungry, and in hopes Mister’s mom will be home soon, they hit the streets to try and beg for money and end up arguing with Henry, a homeless veteran. Mister even steals from the store he is banned from, but promises to pay the store back when he has the money. Mister and Pete realize Gloria has been gone too long, so they call the jail and find out she has been released for a week already. On top of that, Sergeant Pike is on the lookout for these two so they are ducking and running from police everywhere they turn. They get the idea to break into an apartment form the two thieves that broke into theirs and their neighbors, and did it themselves. Mister finds a brand new benefit card and takes it instead of stealing all of the food.

The boys are connecting and trying to make light of a bad situation. They go food shopping with the benefit card, only to learn the card doesn’t work. Mister uses his acting abilities to trick the cashier into giving them the groceries for free. Mister passes Henry sleeping in the street and gives him some fruit, even though they argue. When they get home, they see the robbers again but this time recognize them to be B-Ball, a mentally challenged kid from the building and Dipstick, a hoodlum from the complex. The next morning, power is cut off and the food starts to go bad so again they are out of luck.

Mister gets into an argument with Dipstick in the courtyard, where Dipstick beats him up and Alice comes to Mister’s rescue. Even though Mister makes her feel bad for helping him, she tries to help him anyway. But, when she promises to come back with some things for them, she never shows up again. Mister, desperate to find his mom, starts running around asking everyone if they have seen his mother. He learns that Henry isn’t so bad after all, and that Kris is even worse than he thought, but neither of them could help him. Mister yells at poor B-Ball for breaking into apartments with Dipstick, and steals his money. Dipstick screams and alerts Sergeant Pike, who chases Mister into his apartment with Pete. They get away for the moment, but Pete is sad because his hamster, Sarah, died.

Now, Pete is sick from malnourishment and getting worse by the hour. The acting auditions are finally here, and both boys troop it to the studio, but couldn’t be seen because they didn’t have a parent with them. With Pete’s health diminishing, Mister tries to go get help from Alice only to learn she moved out of her apartment. When he gets back to the complex, he finds Pete running away from a couple of officers trying to apprehend him. They catch him because he is too sick to keep running, while Dipstick, on the sidelines laughing, points out to the officers that Mister was right there too. But, they decide not to chase him and thank Dipstick for the tip. Kris and his friends see this, and since they don’t appreciate a “snitch” they decide to take care of the situation.

Mister is broken, he begs Kris for a job but doesn’t understand what he’s asking for. Kris throws him some money and walks away from the situation. The cashier from the convenient store sees Mister and attacks him, but Sergeant Pike is there to save him. The cashier is arrested, and Mister is finally apprehended and taken to Riverview where he finds a healthier Pete who was being bullied. Gloria shows up at the children’s home, and signs Mister out. Gloria finds out that Mister wasn’t at Riverview since she was arrested, and was only there for two weeks. Mister promises to come back for Pete, and reminds him not to let anyone bully him again. Gloria breaks down to her son, and apologizes to him for everything that’s happened to him because of her.

Last scene is Mister in school with his teacher instructing the class to write a story about their summers. Mister hands in his paper title, “The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete”.

Chronology:

This movie was told in chronological order from beginning to end. The problem seemed to keep building and building, until the climactic point where Mister was finally caught by Sergeant Pike. This created a lot of emotion and suspense throughout the film, which helped me to connect with it more because I really felt sorry for those boys. When the happy ending came for Mister and Pete, I was happy for them because for a moment there it didn’t look like they were going to make it out of their situation alive.

Being that this film was in chronological order, it allowed me to learn and understand our main characters, Mister and Pete. At first, Mister comes off as rude and doesn’t speak well to others, but by his taking care of Pete I now know that he really cares. Pete seems needy and lost, but once I was introduced to his entire situation, I could understand why he needed Mister so badly. Gloria, had a difficult personality for me to like at first, but at the end when she came for Mister, I saw in her face that she regretted everything she ever did wrong to her son.

If this film was presented non-linearly, I think it would have been a little difficult to understand because there is a lot going on. If I knew Gloria was going to go to rehab after jail, I think it would have been a little difficult feeling sympathy for the struggling boys, because I would have known they had made a bad choice. Chronologically, I believe Mister when he says his mom always comes back after being locked up for a few days. So when she doesn’t show up, I thought she either abandoned him or died. I know it would be a better option for him to go into child services, but I was led to believe, by Mister, that Riverview is a bad place. If I knew Gloria was alive and getting healthy, I don’t think I would have enjoyed the whole point of the movie.

Resources:

Film Festivals and Indie Films. (2013). The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete Official Trailer 1 – Jennifer Hudson Movie. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUBnTs3z5jI

Cohen, R. & Edelbaum, J., Teitel, R., Tillman Jr., G. (Producers). Tillman Jr., G. (Director). (2013). The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete. [Motion Picture]. United States: Codeblack Films & Lionsgate.