‘On the Come Up’ TIFF review: Rap gets resonant and risky in YA movie
09.09.2022 - 22:57
/ nypost.com
Toronto International Film Festival.Bri (Jamila C. Gray), a 16-year-old aspiring rapper, rises from late-night rap battles at an underground venue called the Ring in her fictional hometown of Garden Heights to having the most-played song on the radio. Running time: 115 minutes.
Rated PG-13 (strong language, sexual references, thematic elements, some violence and drug material). Out Sept.
23 on Paramount+That basic premise, we’ve seen before.More involving than the tried and true star-is-born storyline, though, are potent questions director Sanaa Lathan’s film poses about music and art in general. Is being a rapper a job just like any other, and is it OK to do whatever it takes to get paid? Should listeners take extreme imagery and lyrics — about guns, murder, drugs — so literally? Can well-meant art cause irreparable harm?For a film aimed at young people, based on Angie Thomas’ (“The Hate U Give”) 2019 novel of the same name, the answers are refreshingly complex and nuanced.
No character can be ascribed as simply bad or good, even the ones we love the most like Bri’s aunt and manager Pooh (Da’Vine Joy Randolph). And, although overlong, Bri’s journey is a satisfying one.The teen goes by the stage name Lil’ Law because her late father was a well-known rapper called Lawless.
Now she lives with her mom Jay (Lathan), who left the family years earlier because she’s a heroin addict. Jay’s conquering her demons, trying to find a job and keep the lights and hot water on, while Bri and Pooh try to make it big at the Ring and get the family out of there for good.In the context of the film, her raps are improvised (they’re written by Rapsody), and as performed by Gray, they really do feel off-the-cuff because of the rich emotion she
.