MovieChat Forums > Fences (2016) Discussion > Just saw it. OK, but I was a little disa...

Just saw it. OK, but I was a little disappointed. (SPOILERS)

posted 8 years ago by bastille-852-731547
8 replies | jump to latest

I expected this to be great because I'm a fan of Denzel Washington, the acting looked excellent from the trailers, and it has gotten a good amount of awards buzz, but honestly I was a little disappointed. It's not a bad film and there are some good things about it, but it is far too long and feels very tedious. The more I think about it, I realize that there was surprisingly little plot for a 139-minute film. The only main event that happened in the first two acts is Troy telling the college football recruiter not to scout out Cory due to fears of racism in football. Everything else is really characters just talking about daily life, with a few arguments as well. There are films I love that don't have that much in the way of plot (e.g. The Tree of Life,) but here, many of these scenes seemed like pointless 'small talk' and nothing really added up to much. Although I will say that the final 15 minutes (when Cory comes home as a Marine and tells Rose that he does not want to go to Troy's funeral) was very powerful and well-done.

Denzel did a good job in the lead role as Troy, but his performance didn't really stand out as especially unique. Viola Davis, however, was excellent, and the actor who played Cory did pretty well.

I would only recommend seeing it in theaters to really big fans of Denzel.

6/10

[–] Pistolpete332010 8 years ago

Interesting. The last scene while a fitting closure felt unneeded. Yes, Denzel's character referred to tussling and waiting to face death and that element of it works, but Denzel was a force and when he was gone I didn't quite care. Voila was tremendous, the most underrated and underappreciated actress in Hollywood. She's black and not the prettiest lady so she doesn't get the roles but she's every bit as good if not better than Meryl Streep.

However that didn't take away how tremendous Denzel was. He seemed to stretch with this role and he really played the larger than life, bitter, egotist who had all the answers well. I've never really seen Denzel play tortured or someone with demons while being this charismatic extrovert. He shows many layers and really got out of autopilot Denzel mode. I always knew I was watching Denzel and you will always will when seeing a star on screen for the zillionth time but he showed me different shades in this character and performance that I've never seen before.

[–] madameduran 8 years ago

This movie is based on a play and has kept its small, intimate, dialogue-dense feel. It doesn't transition into a large, visual-heavy, cinematic experience. On that level, I can understand your disappointment if you came into the movie theatre expecting that transformation. That said, this movie still packs a powerful, emotional punch. Something IS definitely happening on the screen even though the change of scenery is limited (primarily stationed at the front, back and inside the Maxson home).

I compare the film's setting to a long, deep conversation held on someone's porch. The action is not focused on the comings and goings of people or some chaotic event erupting on the streets. Rather, it's embedded in the quiet yet thought-provoking discourse between neighbours. Very little outward movement but plenty of internal drama. If you've never before had such memorable conversations in your life, then perhaps the idea of spending two and a half hours just chatting is seen as "boring". I guess it's a matter of what the subject matter is about and who is doing the talking! I found Troy's interactions with Rose, Cory and Bono to be raw and explosive. In the wrong hands, talky films like "Fences" could deteriorate into either a series of yelling matches or lengthy episodes of blah, blah, blah with no insights. Denzel's direction and all the actors beautifully capture the nuances as well as the boldness of REAL heart-to-heart communication.

"Fences" is an emotionally rich film and I'd tell anyone not to be discouraged by the seemingly action-less plot.

[–] campusqueen57 8 years ago

Yep, feel the same way. After the movie, I felt like I had just wasted a lot of time that I won't get back. So drawn out and boring for me. I didn't see this coming, given the cast.

"You're watching too much Sopranos, when you give your kids their allowance in envelopes"

[–] bastille-852-731547 8 years ago

Personally, I won't go as far as to call it boring, as the dialogue was interesting to take in, but it was a bit tedious and flat.

[–] samf2006 8 years ago

Cool.

Top Ten Of 2016. 1. Fences 2. Nocturnal Animals 3. Neon Demon 4. Ixcanul 5. Moana 6. Allied 7. The Birth of a Nation 8. Morris From America 9. Southside with you 10. KICKS

[–] texasbratt 8 years ago

I was very disappointed. I felt like i was watching one of Denzel's youtube rants for the first half of the movie or more. We nearly walked out due to all the run on ranting. It took forever to get to the meat of the story. The only saving grace was the role of Rose. In the first 15 min Denzel ranted about whites and used the n word over 2 dozen times. This was the worst movie i have seen in years and i watch (or read) foreign language films. I am all for historical accuracy but this was horrible and divisive. Bottom line save your money and watch Denzel Washington rant this way on YouTube and you wont have to listen to n this and n that over and over again.

[–] lisac_2829 8 years ago

If you are for historical accuracy, then you would know for many blacks this movie adapted from a play was extremely realistic.

[–] LiteraryLegend 8 years ago

I was a little disappointed too. It felt like I was watching live theater and not a movie. I like live theater, but I don't expect to feel like I'm watching a play in a movie theater. It seems like they didn't quite adapt it from the theater to the screen properly.

Actors are useless without the power of a good writer's imagination