Fences (***)

FENCES is an okay movie that masquerades with the bragging rights of having been based on a Pulitzer-Prize winning play. I can think of many cinematic instances of  a movie-adaptation failing to meet expectations (most recently I recall 'August: Osage County') and here is no change. What was once fine source material falls into a rut of theatrics and an artificial feel.

The story is a close-knit family in an urban Pittsburgh setting. Troy (Denzel Washington) and his wife Rose (Viola Davis) struggle to make ends meet. Troy is a garbage collector with a son aiming at becoming a pro-footballer. His son shoots for the stars, and time again Troy works to keep him level-headed on the ground. Like the great characters we remember from Denzel's filmography, this is not a man we come to like or even begin to understand. He's the anti-hero. Rose, his caring and sociable wife, works to counteract her husband's stubbornness while never overstepping.

The film seems to be a faithful adaptation to the play (the likes of which I have not seen), and here is the root of the problem. What I think filmmakers fail to realize is that although theater and movies run a similar vein, they are not interchangable. Washington, who also directs the movie, lets his camera linger in wide shots while characters recite their lines as though memorized. They shift blocking periodically to create more interest in the frame, and then the dialogue continues. Think back to 'Doubt,' which was also an adaptation of a Pulitzer-prize winner. That movie used visuals and framing to help develop the story beyond words, and trust me that movie had a lot of words. Think of the snowy setting, the wind, the canted framing in the cinematography... It's not enough to just let an actor read dialogue. On film, audiences need to be wowed.

I did find myself wowed only 2 times, and that was with the leading performances of both Washington and Davis, Oscar-caliber in every regard and such shining examples of why these two are some of the best. Denzel always has a control over his scenes, an eerie focus on his presentation, and even when we know that the film is falling flat, it is he that continues to wow scene after scene. Same with Viola, twice an Oscar-nominee (Doubt & The Help) and perhaps this year's winner, she doesn't so much surprise as demonstrate her fiery focus to her craft. I remember her major debut in Doubt and few minutes of screen time she had. It was an electric moment, acting like we have never seen... Viola's performance is not better or worse than those brief scenes, but it's hard not to get chills when you see a woman performing at the top of her craft.

While I would give the movie a so-so rating, the acting is surely the only reason I could recommend seeing this movie. It's not often that a great play can be adapted into a great movie, but you have to commend the filmmakers for trying. If I had to be completely honest, the movie overall is a bore.