Levity | | Cast : | Billy Bob Thornton, Morgan Freeman, Holly Hunter, Kirsten Dunst | | Director : | Ed Solomon | | Studio : | Columbia Tristar Hom | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | January 01, 2003 | | DVD Released Date : | March 16, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 29, 2005 | | Summary | The Car Analogy | Content
 | It felt like I had been driving in a car for hours. No rest stops, but there's no pressure because I don't have to go the bathroom. It never quite seemed we would reach our destination and so I screamed, but no one was around to hear it. That's what LEVITY felt like.
More writer-than-director Ed Solomon's entry into the sweetly populated area of 100 minute films having to do with crime and its reprecussions is nothing more than a walkway into one character -though it's formatted like a small ensemble piece. Sure, we get to spend time with the other characters but their fates are anti-climactic and by the middle of the film, we could care less about them because they're poorly developed. Morgan Freeman, for instance...
Morgan Freeman's preacher character is the most enjoyable thing outside of the juvenile hellraisers he's responsible for. He plays a preacher that makes clubgoers sit through a 15 minute sermon in exchange for parking their cars in his garage in a gritty urban neighborhood, i.e. bad. Freeman shines in this role, straying from his usual idealistic undertones his past characters have taken. He's gruff, fast, and tough. And his humour is directly on point everytime. Yet, his storyline fizzles out too quickly and we never reach the conclusion we want with him because Ed Solomon's more concerned about other things at present.
Holly Hunter (one of the most amazing actresses our time) is completely wasted as the sister of the man Thornton shot. She's wallpaper, and her resolution with Thornton is creative, but again, feels like a false-start that we're watching just die, writing wise. She's too easy and Holly is never that easy in her films. No depth.
Billy Bob is great in the role, but what else is new. His expertise at playing standoffish yet accessible men is always refreshing but it seems Solomon couldn't make up his mind about whether the character was the victim of optimism or pessimism. His storyline is the only one treated to a fair shake and his chemistry with every one else is well crafted, though it seems he never reaches the inner pinnacle of his performance as he's done in other films. He's very one note, then he's not. He's very sorry, then he's not so very sorry, but still weepy. Fans of Thornton will want to rip their hair out over this performance, I'm sure. Though like I said, we reach a justified end with him.
Roger Deakins' cinematography can't be beat and stands as the second great benchmark of this film (1 of 2). With Deakins you can't go south. He'll always seem to make your film glow, even when it doesn't earn it. He's the patron saint of beautiful images. Solomon must've begged him.
All in all, LEVITY makes you want to watch it. Are you happier or better afterwards? I don't know, I'm still thinking about it 12 hours later but I'm thinking about why I'm thinking so hard about it. Freeman is the reason to watch this film. Period.
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| Rating | | | Date | May 25, 2005 | | Summary | Suprisingly good indie film | Content
| Genre: Drama
Genre Grade: B
Final Grade: A-
This was a suprisingly excellent film from the screenwriter of Men in Black and Charlie's Angels. I have been holding off on watching this movie for a long time simply because Billy Bob Thornton's long hair on the cover box kind of turned me off from the movie. After watching it (and finding out his long hair is due to 21 years in prison, probably not too many haircuts during that time) I was suprised how much I enjoyed it. The acting from Morgan Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, Holly Hunter, and even Kirsten Dunst was great, and this strong story about redemption will leave you pondering how you might react in such a situation.
This movie didn't get a lot of good reviews (I don't know why), but I still enjoyed it and I think most audiences might too. It is a tad slow but the story is strong and there is some good humor in it to keep it moving. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed 21 Grams, American History X (although this movie could have been a LOT more controversial) or if you just enjoy the actors in the film. |
| Rating | | | Date | October 11, 2004 | | Summary | Good Thought Provoking Themes Well Done | Content
| Although some people might not like the melancholic feel of this movie, it a well done piece exploring the theme of personal redemption and forgiveness. People don't always approach these topics in the same way and this movie doesn't try to spin a single, simple answer. The notable cast works well creating a compelling tale. A great movie to talk about after viewing. Highly recommend. |
| Rating | | | Date | September 24, 2004 | | Summary | Tonight's lesson: trying to make amends when you cannot | Content
| Manual Jordan (Billy Bob Thornton) has been sitting in a prison cell for 23 years, where the only decoration is a newspaper photograph of the teenager he killed in a convenience store robbery. In voice over he tells us about a book written in the 11th century that argues there are five steps necessary to make amends: acknowledge what you did, feel remorse, make right what you did wrong, then make it right with God, and then you can be redeemed. But Jordan knows he cannot bring back Abner Easley and does not believe "in some God that's gonna open His arms to me even if I did." That takes care of steps three and four, and since we can never be in the same place twice, Jordan knows he will never be redeemed. So he has accepted his place in prison and is surprised when his sentence is commuted to time served and he is thrown back in the world. Even though he knows it is hopeless, Jordan wants to atone for his horrible crime.
"Levity" is about a man who wants to be forgiven although he will never be able to forgive himself. We want to feel compassion for Jordan, but we know that he is probably right and that he is never going to be able to attain redemption. But writer-director Ed Solomon, who has his own cross to bear as the co-writer of "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" does not really return Jordan to the real world. Instead the ex-con finds himself in strange almost dreamlike world where answering a pay phone in the middle of the night gets you a job and a place to stay at a mission that operates across the street from a nightclub. The place is run by Miles Evans (Morgan Freeman), an eccentric preacher, who allows kids to park for free at his lot if they come in and sit for 15 minutes while he preaches at them. Jordan's job is to stand out in the cold and get the kids to sign in with their names and time of arrival.
Of all the faceless kids who wander through each night one stands out, young Sofia Mellinger (Kirsten Dunst). She seems like a drug loving party girl, but Jordan sees somebody who is trying pretty hard to kill herself. However, Sofia is not his primary concern. That would be trying to get Adele Easley (Holly Hunter) to let him help her take her bags home. She, of course, is the sister of the boy he killed, who knows has a son named Abner who is essentially the same age as his namesake was 23 years earlier. Jordan is persistent enough without being too pushy, and his formal way of speaking and strange manner catches Adele's interest, although she is quick to point out that her standards have slipped over the years. However, Jordan is not looking for romance and that is only way of the things that he cannot tell Adele.
Evans has a pretty good idea of what Jordan is up to, especially after Adele calls the mission looking for somebody whose name she does not know. While the preacher agrees with Jordan that redemption is impossible, he also supports the idea that trying is not the worst of all possible fates. Besides, if he cannot save himself there is the possibility that Jordan might be able to save young Abner or Sofia. Beyond that there is the question of what will happen when Adele finds out Jordan's true identity, because you know that moment is going to come at a pivotal point in the story.
The performances in "Levity" are the most compelling part of the film, which is hardly surprising given you have Thornton, Freeman and Hunter in the three key roles. Dunst is a bit outclassed but then her character is not written at the same level; her strong point is the way she can hold her own in verbal sparing with the juvenile delinquents who are sent to the mission to hear first Evans and then Jordan talk to them. Mostly this movie is a series of scenes between Jordan and the other three characters, as well as with young Abner (Geoffrey Wigdor). Thornton, who is always looking or different ways to play every one of his characters, is going for a level of subtlety here that is a shade short of complete inertia. Yet, for the most part, it works.
Most certainly there will be those who will find "Levity" to be too preachy and that the ending might be too contrived. But this is a film that has an appropriately subdued notion of what should constitute a happy ending under these tragic circumstances. Ultimately, its biggest problem could well be that the point is made early on in the film. Jordan has accepted his fate as being well deserved and despite the fact that he cannot change anything or find peace, he tries to do something anyway. By that standard how well he succeeds does not matter because that would not be the point of the lesson. If you understand that, then you may well find most of this 2003 drama to be superfluous.
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| Rating | | | Date | July 06, 2004 | | Summary | Beauty in strange packages | Content
| I wish I could fill my library with movies exactly like this. When I first saw this movie, I sort of watched it in shock. Stories of this quality are so rare! First and foremost, this is about forgiveness. Each character in our story feels that they have failed in some way, and they're not sure how to simply make it right. To make peace. Large mistakes, little mistakes, these little devils tend to stay with us, sowing the seeds is discontent.
Manual Jordan (Billy Bob Thorton) is released from jail after 20 years and embarks on a mission to find redemption, although he doesn't really expect to find it. Perhaps it is the journey that is more important to him. He finds a preacher (Morgan Freeman) who is trying to reach a bunch of teenagers and steer them away from the destructive lifestyles they're leading. He runs a makeshift church/soup kitchen across the street from a local dance club.
Manual also comes in to the life of a woman (Holly Hunter) who is trying to steer her son away from the gang street life he is falling in to. By far my favorite piece of this story is played by the beautiful Kirsten Dunst. She is the emotional heart of the story as the confused party girl who dreams of a better life, but has no idea how to get there. Suffering from low self-esteem and an angry alcoholic mother, she drifts closer to harms way each night.
What is story has to offer is emotions in raw form. What would any of us do in extreme circumstances? Most of us will never know. These people do. Most of their lives have been impacted by one form of violence or another. These are decent people inside. People that made bad choices. The road to hell is paved with good intentions they say and little tiny mistakes. Pretty soon these little mistakes feed on themselves and before you know it, you start having BIG lapses in good judgment. How did this happen? How did I get here? ---by many little mistakes.
What was most important to me in this story was the insight in to the fragility and strength of the human spirit. These people are not perfect. But each of them is hoping for something better, something more meaningful. A purpose, and maybe a little emotional justice. You can think of them all as wounded animals, trapped in a box. Most of them don't know how they got in there. They want out. They don't know how to get out, and they're growing increasingly desperate. It is in this dark place that they find their true characters. By looking their little devils in the face and choosing another path, they begin to find peace within themselves.
I know that this is not always a pretty picture. But sometimes you need to look at the ugliness of humanity in order to see the beauty. Beauty is there, whether we see it or not. And that's what I think this movie is, beautiful. |
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