Urban Music Reviews

GRADE: A

This week, ABC premiered its surprisingly relatable and entertaining remake of A Raisin in the Sun. Before you write off this 2008 remake as a Puff Daddy star vehicle,you may be interested to know that it was the first made-for-TV movie in history to be accepted into the Sundance Film Festival.

In case you never took high school English: A Raisin in the Sun is story about a poor black family in the 1950s that receives a $10,000 life insurance check that nearly tears them apart. It was the first play written by an African American (Lorraine Hansberry) to be presented on Broadway. Ok, now that that’s out of the way…

This is the third time that the classic play has been adapted for the screen. The first adaptation featured Academy Award winner Sidney Poitier in the role of frustrated father and husband Walter Lee Younger. The second remake found a young Danny Glover taking over the reigns. Now, in 2008, music mogul Sean Combs is a surprising choice to fill those shoes. Whats even more surprising than his casting…is his stellar performance.

Most viewers will recognize Combs as the flashy, stylish and cocky man behind Bad Boy Records, Sean John Clothing, Ciroc Vodka, Justin’s Restaurants, MTV’s Making The Band and about a thousand other multinational brands. In this respect, it seemed unlikely that he could be convincing as the depressed, emotional and browbeaten Walter Lee. But while Combs may not have put Poitier to shame, but he certainly did him justice. Actually, the entire cast was nothing short of incredible.

The REAL show stealer was Phylicia Rashad (sorry Puff). Within the first 20 minutes of the 3 hour presentation it become very clear why she received a Tony Award for this role. Every time Rashad comes on the screen, the other characters seem to fade into the background. Though her role as the family matriarch is pivitol, her magnetic performance is what really makes her the star of this picture.
The script of A Raisin in the Sun is written in a classic (yet dated) manner that just begs for overacting. In fact, a big part of the charm of the original theatrical version was its over the top intensity. The fact that ABC’s adaptation maintains the same level of heart without becoming preachy and obnoxious is nothing short of a miracle. Still, younger viewers may be a bit turned off the story’s slow moving plot and dialog over visuals format.

When all is said and done, this remake of A Raisin in the Sun won’t rewrite history, but it is certainly one of the best made-for-TV movies in recent memory.