Robin Givens

  • The Christmas Clapback (2022)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On TV, December 2022) Either I haven’t been paying attention, Canadian rights weren’t available, or BET didn’t churn out as many new BET+ original Christmas movies this year. The only one I saw on the schedule was The Christmas Clapback, and it’s actually not too bad. Of course, it’s a straight-to-TV Christmas movie, so its standards are low. This one forgoes (well, only by two thirds) the overused “girl goes back to hometown” cliché to dwell on family reunification subplots, loosely linked together by three sisters having a baking competition for a visiting influencer. The influencer angle is lame, sure, but the film is on much firmer ground when it comes to the three sisters, their ongoing rivalries and individual subplots. Director Robin Givens’s filmography is shaky so far, but she seems more at ease here than in her previous outings. It helps that the three lead actresses (Nadine Ellis, Porscha Coleman, and Candace Maxwell) look good and do well—the film can’t be good without them being compelling. As The Christmas Clapback develops, it turns out that it’s not that original—the subplots are a blend of clichés that make this a romantic comedy blended with food/family comedy in a Christmas wrapping. Points for the mixture, I guess, even if all the ingredients are very familiar. The dialogue is not that good but not terrible either. By the end, The Christmas Clapback is… fine, I guess. Better than it could have been, not quite good enough to make a strong impression. In the subgenre of made-for-TV Christmas movie, this is called a solid hit.

  • Favourite Son (2021)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On TV, October 2022) Movies broadcast on the BET channel often feature tangential religious content, more from a cultural/performative axis than a truly faith/belief one. It’s easier, less controversial, and arguably more true-to-life to portray characters going to church and paying lip service to scripture than get too deep into questions about God’s direct influence on human affairs. So it is that even if Favourite Son revolves around a megachurch pastor and his two sons, it’s really a film about family politics, generational passing of the torch and other mainstream concerns. One of the brothers sings; the other writes; one of the brothers wants to start a church, the other would rather perform. Both of them have to contend with the shadow of a strict and successful father. Robin Givens’ direction is unobtrusive, and that’s the case for the screenplay as well—if you’re looking for a critique of megachurches, an examination of human egos serving heavenly ideals or even a drama that honestly engages with its subject matter, then step away before you’re disappointed. The script is not interested in anything but platitudes—the central conflict with the father is resolved in a cheap and arbitrary manner in time for the end, and every other dramatic stake seems perfunctory at best. Pacing issues probably stem from a slap-dash adaptation of the source novel. Technical credentials and acting talent are commensurate with the BET-sized budget. The result? Watchable in the broadest sense, but not particularly edifying: Favourite Son clearly aims at an audience just happy that there’s a church-themed drama to watch. Anything else is just a gift from heaven.

  • Antibody (2002)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (In French, On Cable TV, March 2022) There’s no lower limit to the quality of “made for Syfy” movies, so seeing their name at the start of a film is usually a warning. In Antibody’s case, however, it’s a bit of a red herring: while the film can’t possibly be good, it’s far from being as awful as could have expected. (It also dates from a time where it was the “Sci-Fi Channel,” not that it makes much of a difference.)  In this low-budget take on Fantastic Voyage, a team of scientists is miniaturized and injected in a dying terrorist in an attempt to stop a dead man’s switch from levelling a city. Lance Henricken stars, with a luscious Robin Givens in a strong supporting role. Some of the film’s problems are most directly attributable to its low budget: terrible special effects, cheap cinematography, ramshackle sets and slap-dash direction from Christian McIntire will tell you within moments that this isn’t a film that flies particularly high. But the script has more fundamental issues that an inexpensive rewrite could have resolved: a tone that veers from an unconvincing seriousness to a far more effective playfulness, some tangents that go nowhere, many missed opportunities in developing characters, and a plodding forward rhythm. Still, there are a few cute exchanges, effective moments, a sense of atmosphere and CGI sequences that could have worked with some more polish. No, it’s clearly far from being scientifically accurate. Yes, there are much better Science Fiction films out there. But much as “a Sci-Fi Channel” original is usually a sign to go watch something else, it can also lower expectations.

  • Boomerang (1992)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On TV, January 2022) I know that Boomerang has a pretty good reputation in many circles. If you want to be specific about it, it’s one of the few noteworthy black-cast romantic comedies of the early 1990s, and it features not only Eddie Murphy at his most charismatic self, but such notables as Martin Lawrence and Chris Rock—not to mention a scene-stealing turn from Grace Jones, and lovely performances from Halle Berry, Robin Givens and a very sexy Eartha Kitt. It follows the romantic comedy formula of teaching a valuable lesson to its protagonist, as the womanizing protagonist (Murphy) meets his match in an equally-ambitious and promiscuous female executive, and spends the film learning how to appreciate true love beyond appearances and easy conquests. But beyond the bare bones of the plot, much of Boomerang’s best moments are spent in banter between Murphy and his co-leads (although the transphobic snippet hasn’t aged well at all), in Jones’ bravura satire of herself, in Manhattan locations and early-1990s period detail. I should, by all accounts, be pretty happy with the results… except that I can’t shake the impression that the film ends with the wrong romantic coupling, and misses an occasion to match its protagonist with an equal. Let me explain (and never mind the spoilers)—the third act of Boomerang has the protagonist give up his womanizing ways, realize that his female counterpart (Givens) is not the right choice and instead pursue the sweet, humble, authentic character played by Halle Berry. Fairy-tale ending, roll the credits, pick up your coat and walk to the exits. Except that I don’t believe it. I don’t buy into Murphy’s character’s “evolution” into a humbler, artistic down-to-earth monogamous person. Not helped at all by Murphy’s person, the protagonist is still grossly overpowered compared to his romantic partner — “I give them six months,” essentially. I’m bothered by the missed opportunity of engineering both of the insanely ambitious (and bed-hopping) characters to figure out a way of making it work at their matching levels. That would have been a more interesting third act to the film, and something far more credible than the idea of a leopard abruptly changing his spots. Now, I know, I know: romantic comedies are like that. But I still think he ended up with the wrong woman.

  • Haunted Trail (2021)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On TV, January 2022) It’s possible for a film to be unusual without being original, and if Haunted Trail claims its distinction by featuring a nearly-all-black cast in a classic slasher formula, the film itself quickly becomes tedious once you get over the racial distinction. The thin plot has to do with a bunch of college “friends” heading over to a haunted trail, then being ironically killed one by one, as the fake horrors of the trail end up being all too fatal. A too-large ensemble cast is designed for gradual whittling, not helped along by some rather unremarkable acting even from attractive leads. Where the film works is in its effective cinematography on what is reportedly a low budget: even from the first few moments, there are some slick visuals here that help create the foreboding atmosphere that is a strict minimum for such horror films. But watch out, because these images don’t necessarily cohere into a sustained suspense film: hampered by its low budget, Haunted Trail struggles with effective staging or editing, the nice shots seldom coming together into an absorbing whole. Some terrible screenwriting isn’t forgiven by a semi-comedic tone that isn’t sustained by the film’s conclusion or even much of its duration. Suffice to say that even as black comedians will dismiss dumb white characters in slasher movies (as mentioned in the film!), these specific characters don’t do any better. Indeed, by the time one decides to go back because of a missing earring, you either choose to believe it’s a joke… or fume at how stupid this is getting. A conclusion meant to be shocking merely peters out in a lame motive and slap-dash coda that ignores the number of consequences about to fall on the escaping murderer. I wanted Haunted Trail to be fun and entertaining—I have a huge soft spot for low-budget black-cast movies broadcast on BET, wanted to see what director Robin Givens could do with a horror film, and some of the actresses look terrific. But even a truckload of indulgence (and, to be fair, a few laughs) is not enough to save Haunted Trail from its inherent problems. Come on, filmmakers—do better than this.