MORRIS FROM AMERICA REVIEWED
“Morris from America” is another one of the teen movies I loved last year. Playing at the young end of 13, you get the extra mix of a kid being sent to another country. Underrated actor Craig Robinson makes the most of the soccer coach dad who is trying to make a better life in Germany. However, his son isn’t quite on the same page. The local kids are kinda racist about the chubby little kid that wants to be the next big rapper.
Morris meets an older girl who screws with his emotions, but he honestly feels he has a shot at dating. Watching Morris lose all sense of self and come to hate being different is quite hard. It’s the material of melodrama and TV stock material. However, the sheer bitterness of the older girl’s actions feels so terrible. Robinson gets to support most of the film, as a dad who cares and keeps up with his son. But, even he admits that he can’t understand the culture shock for his 13 year old son.
The two men grow together, as this little family is a tiny lifeboat in a seat of disconcerting temperament. While the film was a big Sundance 2016 hit, this feels like the A24 release that went ignored during the summer. The film hit Blu and DVD during November, so you should be able to pick it up rather cheap. You could do worse in January.
FILM STATS
- 1 hr and 31 mins
- R
- Lionsgate/A24
