Movie Review - Fruitvale Station

Fruitvale Station (2013)

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, and Ariana Neal

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Fruitvale Station isn't the most innovative or original film of 2013, but in its simplistic telling of a basic (though quite sad) story, first time feature director and screenwriter Ryan Coogler successfully encapsulates the true story of a tragic day in the life of California Bay Area resident Oscar Grant who was wrongly gunned down by a police officer on New Years Eve 2008.  While the movie could've easily turned into a "black story" (a term shunned by star Octavia Spencer in an interview regarding the film), Coogler and his performers instead make this a story about love -- a mother's love for her son, a father's love for his daughter, and a family's love for one another -- which makes the horrific ending to Oscar's tale all the more depressing.

Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan) wasn't a perfect guy.  On New Years Eve in 2007, he was in jail, but now a year later, he's trying to right his wrongs despite the difficulty that brings.  Having been fired from his job at a supermarket, Oscar's shifted towards selling weed, but it doesn't make him happy as he wants to provide a better life for his girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz) and his daughter Tatiana (Ariana Neal).  His mother Wanda (Octavia Spencer), though perhaps slightly overbearing, wants him to straighten himself up and Oscar desperately desires to make a better man out of himself.  After spending the day preparing for his mother's birthday party, Oscar and Sophina take the subway to San Francisco to ring in the New Year, but through a series of unfortunate events, Oscar finds himself in trouble with the law and things don't end well for him.

The unfortunate thing about Fruitvale Station is that knowing what happens at the end of the film -- the first scene "gives away" the ending and the rest of the film is essentially told in flashback -- makes us more anticipatory for the movie to get to that pivotal moment.  While it's all good to see Oscar's flaws and struggle to get better (the latter of which does come off as slightly "corny" as opposed to "inspirational"), we're waiting for the payoff and this makes the first half of the film a little draggy.  The second half of the movie, though, works and it actually makes the film's first half with its small moments focused on the mundane aspects of daily life really resonate more than I expected.

Although there was a lot of buzz around Michael B. Jordan's performance -- which is definitely good, though not particularly original or mindblowing -- the ladies in Fruitvale Station are where I found the story's heart.  Melanie Diaz takes a small, seemingly throwaway-type role as the beleaguered girlfriend and gives us a well-rounded picture of a young woman who sees potential in Oscar, but also feels the tiniest bit trapped because of the fact that she has a daughter with him.  She loves him and she loves his family, but she struggles with the fact that he's not living up to his best potential.  The same could be said for Oscar's mother, portrayed by Octavia Spencer.  Spencer absolutely mellows it down here from her Oscar-winning role in The Help and it's welcomed.  While her role is perhaps written a tiny bit too "saint-like," her interactions with Oscar and Sophina feel as natural as you can get.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+