Black Nativity (2013)

• Year: 2013
• Released: 27 Nov 2013
• Country: United States
• Adwords: 2 wins & 5 nominations
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1425922/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Black_Nativity
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/black-nativity
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: PG
• Genre: Drama, Family, Music
• Runtime: 93 min
• Writer: Langston Hughes, Kasi Lemmons
• Director: Kasi Lemmons
• Cast: Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson
• Keywords: woman director, christmas, musical, based on play or musical, bible,

	4.6/10
	48/100
	50% – Critics
	51% – Audience

Black Nativity Storyline

In a contemporary adaptation of Langston Hughes’ celebrated play, the holiday musical drama BLACK NATIVITY follows Langston (Jacob Latimore), a street-wise teen from Baltimore raised by a single mother, as he journeys to New York City to spend the Christmas holiday with his estranged relatives Reverend Cornell and Aretha Cobbs (Forest Whitaker and Angela Bassett). Unwilling to live by the imposing Reverend Cobbs’ rules, a frustrated Langston is determined to return home to his mother, Naima (Jennifer Hudson). Langston embarks on a surprising and inspirational journey and along with his new friends, and a little divine intervention, he discovers the true meaning of faith, healing, and family.

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Black Nativity Movie Reviews

MIRACLE ON 125TH STREET

This is the Christmas story of Langston Cobbs (Jacob Latimore). He lives in Baltimore with his mother (Jennifer Hudson) who has fallen on hard times. She sends her son to Harlem to live with her parents, the Rev. Cobb (Forest Whitaker) and his wife (Angela Bassett). Langston is focused on helping his mother save her home. He sees wealth in his grandparents home and his mother who needs so much. There are some family secrets Langston attempts to uncover as why his parents are separated and why his mom doesn’t live at home.

The film is a musical with a range of songs from hip-hop to blues, to gospel. Langston was named for Langston Huges who wrote the original “Black Nativity.” Jacob Latimore unfortunately opens with a voice cutter which I loathe, however Jennifer Hudson can really belt out a tune and hit those high notes. Her singing is worth the price of admission, I just wish they had written more for her. The film ended awkwardly as we learn the family secret which was anti-climatic as compared to Latimore’s dream. Is it too late for a rewrite and produce an alternative ending for the DVD?

An African-American spiritual that is not for everyone.

Cliche after cliche

Feel good movie I reckon – if you are into them and don’t mind the dramatic depth … well you are at the right place. The drama is there, but it really has no quality to it. I don’t even bother to rate the quality of the acting, we know some of the people involved are very capable.

If anything that happens here surprises you … well I almost envy you if this is the case. I don’t think you have to have seen a lot of movies to see the direction this is heading. It’s predictable to a T. I try to stay away from movies like this, but I did watch it to the “bitter” end. No pun intended and definitely no spoiler given there, not that it would matter

An urban tale at Christmas

Black Nativity is an adaptation of a stage play by Langston Hughes which itself is the telling of the nativity with an entire black cast.

This film adaptation updates it as a loose parable. Jacob Latimore is Langston Cobbs sent by his mother from Baltimore to live with his grandparents in New York that he knows little about.

Naima (Jennifer Hudson) is struggling financially with her house at risk of being repossessed. She has no option but to send her son off to her estranged parents just before Christmas. When Jacob arrives in New York he immediately loses his money and is then arrested. His grandfather Reverend Cornell Cobbs (Forest Whitaker) takes him home from the police station where he meets his grandmother Angela Cobbs (Angela Bassett.)

Jacob feels uncomfortable at his grandparents. He knows little about them, he has no idea why his mother has little to do with them, he knows nothing about his father. He finds Reverend Cobbs stern and he also has no time for religion.

During his brief stay he has regular run ins with a man called Tyson (Tyrese Gibson) who buys and sells goods outside a pawnbroker.

Also in the neighbourhood is a poor, homeless young pregnant couple.

Things come to a head when the church puts on their annual nativity and Naima returns and Langston finds out the real reason why she left.

The film is a musical drama about faith, struggle and hope. There are people struggling financially, there are people who want reconciliation and redemption. There are people having a crisis of faith.

The songs that are gospel based are not very good. The songs need a hook and be catchy. They are not and get in the way.

The story is only half developed. The characters tended to be stereotyped and two dimensional. Nothing really fits together even during its short running time.

I found the dramatic finale where everything comes together to be anticlimactic and poorly written.