Nickel Boys (2024)
6.5 /10
119 Reviews
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Chronicles the powerful friendship between two young Black teenagers navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida.
Videos & Photos
cast
... Elwood
... Turner
... Hattie
... Spencer
... Blakeley
User reviews
The artistic choices a director makes while working on a film often contribute much to the success or failure of the finished project. When these decisions aptly suit the nature of the production, they can transform a commendable picture into a cinematic masterpiece. But, when they fail at this, they can unduly get in the way, and such is the case with this debut narrative feature from writer-director RaMell Ross. Based on the 2020 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, the film tells the story of two young Black men, Ellwood (Ethan Herisse) and Turner (Brandon Wilson), who reside at the Nickel Academy, a fictional Florida reform school based on the infamous Dozier School for Boys, an institution known for its notoriously abusive treatment. Set in the 1960s against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement, “Nickel Boys” depicts the horrendous atrocities inflicted upon the two friends and other “academy” residents, brutality that included acts of physical and sexual abuse, as well as the mysterious “disappearances” of those who fail to abide by the facility’s strict rules. This is obviously an important and troubling story, one that desperately needs to be told. But, despite the picture’s fictional treatment of a fact-based tale, the impact of the story is severely diluted in this anemic screen adaptation, primarily due to the filmmaker’s attempt at wrongheadedly trying to turn it into some kind of cinematic art project. Much like the director’s inexplicably Oscar-nominated documentary feature “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” (2018), this release is seriously burdened by an array of unsuitable cinematography choices, some of which are employed unevenly, some of which add nothing particularly meaningful and others that are just plain odd. When combined with the picture’s poorly penned screenplay – one rife with redundant, predictable sequences and tediously dull dialogue that tries to pass itself off as more profound than it genuinely is – viewers are left with an overlong, lackluster narrative that significantly waters down the relevance of the events being chronicled here and that could have easily pruned about 30 minutes from its excessive 2:20:00 runtime. In fact, were it not for the fine performance of Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Ellwood’s loving grandmother, there’s not much else worth watching in this exercise of style over substance. Indeed, how this offering has managed to capture the attention of the critics’ community is truly beyond me. An incensing tale like this deserves much better than what’s on offer in this disappointing slog, yet another of 2024’s disappointing celluloid failures.
Director:
Genres:
Release Date:
2024-12-13
Run Time:
140 min
MMPA Rating:
PG-13
Reviews of
Nickel Boys
The artistic choices a director makes while working on a film often contribute much to the success or failure of the finished project. When these decisions aptly suit the nature of the production, they can transform a commendable picture into a cinematic masterpiece. But, when they fail at this, they can unduly get in the way, and such is the case with this debut narrative feature from writer-director RaMell Ross. Based on the 2020 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, the film tells the story of two young Black men, Ellwood (Ethan Herisse) and Turner (Brandon Wilson), who reside at the Nickel Academy, a fictional Florida reform school based on the infamous Dozier School for Boys, an institution known for its notoriously abusive treatment. Set in the 1960s against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement, “Nickel Boys” depicts the horrendous atrocities inflicted upon the two friends and other “academy” residents, brutality that included acts of physical and sexual abuse, as well as the mysterious “disappearances” of those who fail to abide by the facility’s strict rules. This is obviously an important and troubling story, one that desperately needs to be told. But, despite the picture’s fictional treatment of a fact-based tale, the impact of the story is severely diluted in this anemic screen adaptation, primarily due to the filmmaker’s attempt at wrongheadedly trying to turn it into some kind of cinematic art project. Much like the director’s inexplicably Oscar-nominated documentary feature “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” (2018), this release is seriously burdened by an array of unsuitable cinematography choices, some of which are employed unevenly, some of which add nothing particularly meaningful and others that are just plain odd. When combined with the picture’s poorly penned screenplay – one rife with redundant, predictable sequences and tediously dull dialogue that tries to pass itself off as more profound than it genuinely is – viewers are left with an overlong, lackluster narrative that significantly waters down the relevance of the events being chronicled here and that could have easily pruned about 30 minutes from its excessive 2:20:00 runtime. In fact, were it not for the fine performance of Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Ellwood’s loving grandmother, there’s not much else worth watching in this exercise of style over substance. Indeed, how this offering has managed to capture the attention of the critics’ community is truly beyond me. An incensing tale like this deserves much better than what’s on offer in this disappointing slog, yet another of 2024’s disappointing celluloid failures.
There are two really engaging performances on offer here as Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson deliver a powerful indictment of a Florida school for boys. Induced there with promises of innovative educational practices and no exorbitant fees, these lads arrive to discover that what they are attending is little better than a prison. Governed by brutality, starvation and violence, the boys have to conform to the demands of their boss “Spencer” (Hamish Linklater) or else life won’t be for the living. It’s worth pointing out that this isn’t just a school for black kids, all shapes and sizes are used and abused here and even if the authorities do decide to make a rudimentary visit, nobody ever dares to step out of line. It’s told using a combination of timelines, so there’s not so much actual jeopardy for the two characters, but what we do see is just how each struggled to come to terms with their predicament in different ways, yet always managing to provide support for the other. As we build to the conclusion, the true extent of the horrors inflicted on these students becomes more appreciable and the production starts to mingle the drama with real-life photography, statistics and more abstract imagery that proves intangibly effective at illustrating just how messed up people could be after a childhood/youth spent in fear. It takes it’s time which at times can prove frustrating, but in the end I reckon RaMell Ross manages to pick his way through this emotional minefield carefully and poignantly and it’s a tough, but worthwhile, watch.
Cast & Crew of
Nickel Boys
Cast
... Elwood
... Turner
... Hattie
... Spencer
... Blakeley
... Harper
... Mr. Hill
... Griff
... Jaime
... Young Elwood
... Adult Elwood
... Percy
... Evelyn
... Boy at Playground
... Girl at Playground
... Lincoln High School
... Elwood's Girlfriend
... Mr. Marconi
... Old Man with Cane
... Older Guy (Protest)
... Rodney
... White Boy
... White Boy
... White Boy
... Corey
... Desmond
... Chickie Pete
... Mr. Goodall
... Earl
... Young Boy at Dining Hall
... Black Mike
... Butcher
... Citrus Grove Stilt Boss
... Nurse Scarlet
... Dr. Cooke
... Mrs. Hardee
... Denise
... Adult Chickie Pete
... Millie
... Larry (uncredited)
... Boy at Playground
Crew
... Director
... Screenplay
... Screenplay
... Producer
... Executive Producer
... Director of Photography
... Producer
... Producer
... Producer
... Set Decoration
... Art Direction
... Editor
... Costume Design
... Production Design
... Production Supervisor
... Extras Casting
... Location Coordinator
... Executive Producer
... Rigging Gaffer
... Hair Department Head
... Makeup Artist
... Original Music Composer
... Original Music Composer
... Second Assistant Camera
... Executive Producer
... Co-Producer
... Additional Second Assistant Director
... Executive Producer
... Digital Intermediate Producer
... Makeup Department Head
... Costumer
... Set Costumer
... Assistant Editor
... Colorist
... Location Manager
... Unit Production Manager
... First Assistant Director
... Key Makeup Artist
... Costumer
... Costumer
... Casting
... Key Grip
... Set Costumer
... Post Production Coordinator
... Location Assistant
... Executive Producer
... Executive Producer
... Key Hair Stylist
... Grip
... Camera Operator
... Casting Associate
... Script Supervisor
... Costume Supervisor
... Assistant Location Manager
... Second Assistant Director
... Additional Second Assistant Director
... Second Assistant "B" Camera
... Location Casting
... Music Coordinator
... Key Makeup Artist
... Location Scout
... Executive Producer
... First Assistant "B" Camera
... Book
... Title Designer
... Hairstylist
... Makeup Artist
... Second Second Assistant Director
... Rigging Gaffer
... Chief Lighting Technician
... Best Boy Electric
... "A" Camera Operator
... Epk Camera Operator
... Still Photographer
... Lighting Technician
... Underwater Camera
... Key Rigging Grip
... Grip
... Digital Imaging Technician
... Best Boy Grip
... Casting Associate
... Score Engineer
... Music Supervisor
... Music Editor
... Executive Music Producer
... Music Editor
... Score Engineer
... Music Coordinator
... Production Assistant
... Assistant Accountant
... Production Assistant
... Payroll Accountant
... Visual Effects Producer
... Props
... Set Decorating Coordinator
... Assistant Art Director
... Construction Buyer
... Set Dresser
... Set Dresser
... Leadman
... Set Painter
... Storyboard Artist
... Set Designer
... Set Decoration Buyer
... Construction Coordinator
... Graphic Designer
... Assistant Property Master
... Property Master
... ADR Editor
... Foley Artist
... Foley Artist
... Foley Mixer
... ADR Mixer
... ADR Mixer
... Mix Technician
... Foley Artist
... Production Sound Mixer
... Foley Mixer
... Dialogue Editor
... Dialogue Editor
... Utility Sound
... Assistant Sound Editor
... Sound Engineer
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Supervising Sound Editor
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Supervising Sound Editor
... Special Effects Technician
... Special Effects Technician
... Special Effects Technician
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Visual Effects Coordinator
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... VFX Artist
... VFX Artist
... Stunt Coordinator
... Stunt Driver
... Stunt Coordinator
... Stunt Coordinator
... Costumer
... Co-Producer
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