Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
I missed “The Reading” when it premiered earlier this year on BET+.
Don’t come for me.
Who besides Tyler Perry devotees has a subscription to BET+? My mom might have one because she loves TP’s bad-movie-making behind. On second thought, she doesn’t have one because she doesn’t know how to work the internet.
In fact, I only saw the film because I was sent a screener. (One of those things production companies send critics to get us to watch movies they have coming out).
And let me tell you, I’m happy I viewed that screener.
She is problematic. She is full of herself. And I didn’t love her most recent comedy special on Netflix, but I’d forgotten how good Mo’Nique can be when you let her cook.
The film is good, but don’t expect great cinema.
It is a nail-biting, dread-inducing horror tale with a dark sense of humor. In many ways, it reminds me of Ari Aster’s “Hereditary” and “Midsommar.” The direction is passable (not awe-inspiring). And the lighting in more than a few scenes is a bit dark for my taste.
This would be a wholly immemorable film if it were not for one thing: Mo’Nique is acting her butt off.
The story is convoluted, but Mo’Nique’s role is simple: She plays a character named Emma Leeden, who has written a book to help her cope with the fact that her husband and two children were killed in a home invasion. She agrees to have a staged reading by a character named Sky Brown (Chasity Sereal) to promote the book, and all hell breaks loose. The supernatural shenanigans that ensue strain credulity, but none of that matters. Sure, it’s fun if you’re into horror movies, but this would be a wholly forgettable film if it were not for Mrs. Mo’Nique Angela Imes Hicks.
But it is not forgettable….
Read the full article here
