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| Two boys in an urban landscape with looming, oversized adults hovering around make up this poster for George Tillman Jr.'s The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete |
Mister has to take the 8th grade again, but he gets a larger problem this summer, when his mother, who is a heroin-addicted prostitute, is removed from his life, and he does his best to survive, along with his friend from the hood, Pete.
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete is written by Michael Starrbury (When They See Us (2019, miniseries)) and co-produced and directed by Wisconsinite master filmmaker George Tillman Jr. (Scenes for the Soul (1995)), whose 6th feature it is.
The film is a kind of modern Oliver Twist, though without a Fagin (the Dickens' novel's iconic villain.) Instead the fault for the childhood misery laid out here, - at least as grueling as in that 19th century, London-set novel, - is shared by many characters and a society at large, which despite incredible wealth allows itself to abandon children in dire circumstances. Another obvious comparison would be to Lee Daniels' Precious (2009), but unlike that great drama, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete has no escapist insert montages but rather remains at all times in the present predicament of its two boy protagonists. When they meet hunger, addiction and rows of disappointments, it could have made the film unbearable, - and it is completely engulfing to be sure, - but the charisma and drive of the Mister character, and the way he manages so bravely keep himself above water ultimately makes the journey bearable and ultimately deeply moving. Skylan Brooks (Empire (2018-20)) is tremendous in the role, while the precocious Ethan Dizon (Avengers: Infinity War (2018)) as Pete gives one of those kinds of child performances, which is in no way faultless or seamless but is nevertheless priceless, because Dizon puts all of his wonderful being so forcefully into the work. The two are supported by Jennifer Hudson (Sing (2016)), outstanding as Mister's mother, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Wetlands (2017)) as the tough cop, who shares the film's golden nugget lines in a teary scene, and The Wire's Julito McCullum (Will You Marry Me (2024)) as a mean kid from the block.
This is an angry film about the failures of the projects, - both internally and as they relate to the surrounding urban centers and the country. The score (by Mark Isham (Blacklight (2022)) and Alicia Keys (The Secret Life of Bees (2008, actress))) is engaged and well-made, and the direction is a role-model. The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete is a humbling film.
Related posts:
George Tillman Jr.: 2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
Faster (2010) - Tillman Jr., the Gayton brothers and Johnson sculpt a fantastic action movie
Watch a trailer for the film here
Cost: Reportedly 3 mil. $
Box office: 506k $
= Box office disaster (returned 0.16 times its cost)
[The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete premiered 25 January (Sundance Film Festival) and runs 108 minutes. Shooting took place from July - August 2012 in New York. The film opened #24 to a 254k $ first weekend in 147 theaters in North America, its peak in the market, where it grossed 496k $ (98 % of the total gross). Its only other recorded market was South Africa. The-Numbers.com estimates that the film also made 330k $ on the domestic home video market. It was nominated for an Independent Spirit award. Tillman Jr. returned with The Longest Ride (2015). Brooks returned in Oliver, Stoned. (2014); Dizon in Sullivan & Son (2013, TV-series) and theatrically in Bad Words (2013). The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete is fresh at 84 % with a 6.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
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