Yes No Maybe So: "Harriet"
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at 5:40PM by Nathaniel R
Good grief but a lot of trailers have been premiering in the past few days. It's getting very difficult to keep up but we'll keep trying. Today we need to discuss the forthcoming biopic of American icon Harriet Tubman, Harriet, which hits movie theaters on November 1st and is clearly hoping for a successful Oscar bound run...
YES
• Harriet Tubman has deserved a biopic forever so the fact that she finally has one is an automatic and triumphant yes.
• Cynthia Erivo immediately proved she had screen presence following her well-deserved Tony win with well-received turns in Bad Times at the El Royale and Widows. This is a quick leap to headlining a major movie, but we suspect she can more than carry that burden.
• Tubman's story is extraordinary so they shouldn't have plot trouble in making this exciting. Although... (see 'Maybe So' for more details)
• John Toll has won two Oscars for cinematography so we can't wait to see these images on the bigscreen
• Kasi Lemmons is underappreciated as a director so we hope she nails this.
• Despite short filmographies both Janelle Monae and Joe Alwyn have already proven themselves to be exciting screen actors so we're expecting strong performances.
• We're always thrilled when department heads who haven't been Oscar nominated get plum gigs like this in which they're more likely to be noticed. The Production Design is by Warren Alan Young (Emmy nominated for Fargo) and the Costumes -- which look strong in this short glimpse, note how worn and weathered and stained Harriet's escape clothing is constrasted with the finery in the North -- are by Emmy winner Paul Tazewell (The Wiz Live, Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert). Tazewell is a major talent to watch. He's worked in television until this point but 2019/2020 will be major breakthrough in movies with both Harriet and West Side Story arriving.
NO
• None that we can think of immediately, though that guns to guns standoff looks so much like a traditional action movie beat that we worry a wee bit. Actually there are quite a few shots of guns pointing at the camera which... well, American movies do this all too much but that's a discussion for another time.
MAYBE SO
• Currently agnostic on Leslie Odom Jr (and yes I did see him in Hamilton but loved his co-stars so much more and didn't fully understand the Tony win) who has a large role here. Very willing to be impressed, though, because whenever people get lots of work (he's in demand) it's best for one's own enjoyment to be converted into a fan!
• Here's the thing... biopics, however worthy their subjects, have inherent problems unless the script and filmmaking and acting are all carefully calibrated. As a lifelong side-eyer of the biopic genre here at the three most common trouble spots of the genre that we've observed over and over again in our years on earth devouring movies:
- Trying to cover too much ground. A two hour movie then becomes like "greatest hits" and none have much impact because there's no satisfying arc but just a lot of this-this-this-this-and-then-this!
- Becoming a hagiography where the subject is no longer human but superhuman without flaws and thus, hardly three dimensional. We should not that #2 is not a problem for a lot of moviegoers but it's a problem for us because it's hard to find perfect people inspirational since none of us are perfect.
- Reducing complex human psychology down to a backstory of one childhood or teenage incident -- "this one event (or one parental action) made the person this way!"
In the specific case of this movie we're most worried about #1 because how on earth can you reduce a life this eventful and influential into just two hours? You could fill a multi-season TV series (or a movie trilogy) with it so hopefully they've restricted the story to a tight time period within her life.
Reader Comments (29)
No, thanks.
It's a "Yes" for me. I'm a bit worried about "how many years will the movie cover?" factor.
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And since we're talking about this week's trailers: liked A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD (Hanks looks fantastic!) and got so many good vibes from Taika Waititi's JOJO RABBIT!
i think the movie will end up being better than this trailer, which is...not good. looks like a much-more-beautifully-shot TV movie from the 70s?
It seems to be a lot broader than I expected. But isn't that what the Academy is going for ?
This looks like Oscar bait and I agree with @EricB
I want this to be good, but I'm not sold. At the very least, I had expected it to be visually sumptuous/interesting and I'm not even getting that. The acting also seems a bit too earnest and maybe even too modern? It's depressing me to not be excited about this, so I'll stop here and hope its just a case of a bad trailer.
Ultimately, I'm still a "Yes" because of the talent involved and the story that's being told.
Harriet Tubman is quite unknown in Europe so I'm interested.
I'm also an Odom Jr agnostic.
A lot of people are saying that Erivo is going to win the Oscar for this role but I don't see it that clear considering Viola needed 2 Tonys, 1 Emmy, 420 critics awards and a category fraud.
@ Peggy Sue- Do you think Davis would have won lead that year? It was certainly a stronger performance than The Help. Plus there was more prestige behind the picture and she already had a lot of momentum.
I once wrote a screenplay about Harriet Tubman, so I have greater feelings about this trailer than I usually do. First off, I am so glad this story is finally coming to the big screen, but I feel nervous about some of the dialog and some of the liberties taken with the facts. This movie is spanning at least 20 years of her life, but I can't help but wonder how focused it will be.
But I'm a yes.
Also not sold for Leslie Odom. I don't get it.
As for the gun bits, well, Harriet Tubman was an armed spy. She didn't just move about in the dark of night through the Underground Railroad. I suspect quite a lot will be given to the armed raid she led on the Combahee River.
I think your #3 will also be included to some extent. She was accidentally struck in the head as a child, which led to seizures (among other things) for the rest of her life.
I'll just wait for the reviews though I do like the few films of Kasi Lemmons that I've seen so far as she is incredibly underrated.
Tom G. - No, I don't think so. I think she would have lost to Emma.
Paul Tazewell might be a "talent to watch" in the film world, but he's been one of Broadway's top costume designers for years now. His most famous credit, for which he won the Tony, is a little musical called Hamilton...
Odom Jr. impressed me a lot in ONLY at Tribeca, so hopefully he'll be good here. And I'm all for anyone from the cast of the wildly underrated WIDOWS succeeding in great follow-up roles like this.
...and the Best Actress Oscar goes to....
The trailer def looks like a "greatest hits" approach but I was sold many months ago by the names Cynthia Erivo and Kasi Lemmons. Eve's Bayou has earned Lemmons a near-infinite benefit of the doubt. And Erivo is simply fabulous.
Will the "rival" Harriet Tubman biopic starring Viola Davis be canceled?
This looks good as far as biopics go, although it's driving me a little bonkers to have Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr. and Janelle Monae in a movie where they don't sing! We already know from 'Widows' that Erivo can be compelling onscreen; Monae the same for her 1-2 of 'Moonlight' and 'Hidden Figures'; and Odom seems like he's translating well to film.
I think it looks amazing. And Lemmons regularly brings incredible energy to her projects, so I'm really hopeful. I'd love to see her snag a Director nod.
odom was quite appealing onscreen in smash
i'm a yes as i'm too lazy to research tubman's story
Eve’s Bayou has earned Kasi Lemmons the benefit of the doubt from me, as has Cynthia Erivo. Also, John Toll is one of the greatest d.p.’s of the last 30 years, so I’m looking forward to his lens focusing on this story.
I'm a more tentative yes than I thought I'd be because, despite the talent of all involved and the riveting subject matter, the trailer looks a smidge paint by numbers and biopic by and large have become exhausting to me.
Also, count me among the number who remain unmoved by Leslie Odom, Jr., as I've yet to see him read as anything other than bland in everything I've seen him in. Hopefully, he'll surprise in this film.
Cynthia Erivo lost all my respect when she got involved in the Great Comet Broadway drama. She is so arrogant and entitled and will be insufferable if she winds up sweeping the season. Ugh.
With all that said, I hope the movie is good, because like Nathaniel said, it’s a great story that should have been told by now.
I will definitely see it, but given her impressive performances in Widows and Bad Times, I expected more from Erivo in this trailer. She seems rather blank. That said, I may be reacting to the trailer (which, as others said, seems to be presenting a paint-by-numbers approach to the story) rather than the performance.
Wait for this to be even more cliche and pedestrian than a film like Green Book, but because of the talent involved and the politics thereof, it will be universally embraced.
Gosh, Harriet Tubman was such a great woman and inspiration, sure I will go see this. There should've been a biopic about her years ago.
The trailer left me less than enthusiastic, but hopefully that's just the trailer's fault. I'm wondering what the movie will show us that we don't already know about her story. And I was hoping for more of a mood piece than an actioner. But I am holding out hope for the director of the brilliant Eve's Bayou to search more deeply than this trailer suggests.
Also, Odom Jr was my favorite vocalist in Hamilton so I'm looking forward to his work here, though he likely isn't singing.
Looks excellent. Can't wait!
I like this movie. It tells the story of one of the most prominent personalities in our history. Recently, I've prepared a report for my class about Harriet Tubman. And I must say that I've read the full info here about this incredible woman who played an essential role in history. In general, I admire the courage of such people because it is challenging to go against society and fight for the right to equality. I think that this film is worth watching.