The Photograph (Review)
The Photograph Really Should Have Checked Its Focus.
Given that it’s Valentine’s Day weekend, it was expected that there would be a romantic movie released to shamelessly soak up the dollars from those who lake creativity when it comes to planning dates. The year, we got The Photograph. The film is surprisingly a black romance which something you don’t see too often out of Hollywood but is, fortunately, becoming more common. The problem with the romance-genre is that a lot of the movies in it aren’t especially good. They simply hit the same old cliches as they follow the same paint by numbers directions every film in the genre does. Honestly, there are few truly great romantic movies out there and The Photograph definitely isn’t one of them.
The Photograph follows the same old formula we’ve seen time and time again: boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, an obstacle to boy and girls love arrises, boy and girl have a heartfelt reunion and declare their love for one another. It follows Michael (LaKeith Stanfield) and Mae (Issa Rae) who are brought together after the sudden death of her mother, Christina Eames (Chanté Adams). Michael finds himself working on a story that relates to Christina and seeks out Mae to interview her. It’s love at first sight, but both Mae and Michael have plenty of issues that threaten to torpedo their blossoming relationship despite their powerful attraction. When Mae discovers a letter left to her by her late mother, there’s hope that she might learn an important lesson about what it means to be a woman in love.
I am a big fan of both LaKeith Stanfield and Issa Rae individually. Together though, they never manage to quite click. Stanfield has a certain aloof charm that makes it always seem like he has somewhere better to be but is perfectly happy right where he is. It’s the sort of endearing quality that you might find in a loveable stoner character. Rae, on the other hand, has a wide-eyed energy to her and an infectious smile. She’s incredible when it comes to comedy and it’s hard not to love her in those roles. There’s definitely tension between the two of them, but not the kind that you want in a romance. Stanfield seems almost lackadaisical in the way he pitches woo. It’s like his heart is in it, but he just doesn’t have the energy for a relationship. Rae seems strangely uncomfortable during many of her scenes. It’s as though she’s constantly waiting to react rather than staying in the moment. She seems nervous and creates the feeling that the role is far outside of her comfort zone. Rae’s discomfort proves to be just as infectious as her smile by the end.
Just as uncomfortable as the two leads is the lurching story structure of the film. The transitions between scenes are jarring at the best of times, especially since part of The Photograph takes place in the past, while the rest takes place in the present. The scenes seem cobbled together with no rhyme or reason, and it was legitimately confusing at first when it would jump between them. That’s probably because it spreads its focus too thin between the two stories. Is it a movie about a woman coming to terms with the lack of love and affection she received from her work-obsessed mother or is it a movie about two people learning to love each other even if it isn’t the most practical decision? Individually, these stories would be pretty good, but they’re combined in such a way that it’s hard to determine what the real message is at the end of the film. As much as The Photograph wants to tie everything together with a big fancy bow at the end, it never manages to find a way that offers the kind of catharsis and hope that it needs.
The Photograph is more frustrating than bad. It falls back on the misconceived notion that miscommunication is an acceptable plot device. That might be true with comedy movies, where misunderstandings often lead to hilarious antics. Here though it’s just infuriating watching the characters being complete idiots. It’s used multiple times to create problems and “tension” between characters both in the past and the present. In fact, most of the obstacles facing the two leads in the film stem from their poor communication skills, which is strange considering Stanfield’s character is supposed to be a writer. It’s an obnoxious and lazy storytelling tool that always annoys me to no end when I see it in films and movies. If a problem arises because characters simply don’t want to talk about things or share something important, that’s probably a good sign that this will not be a healthy relationship. It’s a pet peeve of mine, but I guess other people must eat it up since Hollywood still constantly uses it.
Is The Photograph a good date movie? Sure. I won’t deny that there are plenty of moments that create just the right atmosphere for couples looking to get out of the house and spend a few hours cuddled up together in a dark theater. As I said earlier, it hits all the boxes necessary for a romance and that means it gets the job done by the end. However, I didn’t find myself falling in love with the movie. The chaotic pacing, disjointed story structure, and awkward nature of the two leads kept me at arm’s length the entire time. Of course, seeing it all by my lonesome probably didn’t help, since I didn’t have a special someone to keep me just the right amount of distracted. I applaud the effort of The Photograph, but it felt a little unfocused to make itself memorable.
