2004 Mini Reviews

Stevie (2003)

Stevie
Directed by Steve James
Running Time: 140 minutes

Stevie is the story of a life destroyed by the circumstances surrounding it. A hyperactive boy, subject to various abuses while growing up, turns out troubled. The film is told from the perspective of Steve James, who had participated in the Big Brother program and had mentored Stevie 10 years prior to the film. During those 10 years they had no contact. This film was a reunion of the director and the subject, but it also came at the most crucial time in Stevie's life, when he had been charged and arrested for a sexual crime.

Stevie is a gripping and moving film, containing every emotion on the spectrum, but most of all regret and fear. As the film progresses and Stevie gets ever closer to his D-day, he seems to become more emotionally in tune with the world, and with his loved ones. While the film is painful to watch due to Stevie's bad temper and boastful manner, it is also pleasant to watch his true self come to the surface revealing an interesting and even magnetic personality.

The only significant problem with the film is that it runs a little long for a feature film, and there were some many scenes that could have been cut, even if they revealed something about Stevie's character. They should have been placed on the DVD as optional extra scenes, but didn't really belong in the feature film.

Score: 7/10

 


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