Day 1 at Sundance 2020
The Climb
Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
A male friendship between two longtime buddies is tested through life’s many hurdles in this witty and minimalist comedy. Infidelity and basic truths threaten to tear these men apart.
Rating: B
“The Climb” will open in limited release this March
And Then We Danced
Photo courtesy of Music Box Films
Modern dance is in the spotlight in this energetic tale of forbidden love and following your dreams. When a straight laced dancer is confronted by a new opponent in class, sparks fly (both on and off the stage). A smash film on the festival circuit
Rating: B
“And Then We Danced” will be released on February 7
Bad Hair
Photo courtesy of Endeavor Content
Writer/director Justin Simien (“Dear White People”) returns to Sundance with this satirical look at beauty standards and the intense pressure to meet them. The set up is ripe for exploitation, as it puts forward newcomer Elle Lorraine front and center. She plays Anna, an ambitious workaholic who, to appeal to her male bosses and fit in at work, gets a hair weave. As the narrative progresses, her weave proves to have a mind of its own.
Simien fails to pay off this hilarious concept in the film’s finale. The already long film ends the punchline just fine, but then adds two more additional endings. In the case of “Bad Hair”, less would have been more.
Rating: B-
