- Summary: This intimate documentary follows the 12-year journey of two African-American families as they navigate the ups and downs of educating their sons.
- Director: Joe Brewster
- Genre(s): Documentary
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 2 out of 4
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Mixed: 2 out of 4
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Negative: 0 out of 4
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75The documentary is often fascinating, even as it eschews any kind of traditional narrative.
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Sep 15, 201363The documentary's lack of a cohesive thesis may frustrate at times, but its power lies in its exposition of the mundane.
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60American Promise, shot over a period of 13 years, is by no means a wasted effort. At the same time, though, it’s hard not to wonder whether directors Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson (who are married) wound up with a film that even remotely resembles whatever vague idea they had in mind back in 1999.
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60While Stephenson and Brewster’s big-picture attempt to tackle a sociopolitical issue from the most personal of perspectives lacks the state-of-the-nation impact of that landmark doc, it doesn’t mean you won’t feel the pleasure of these kids’ triumphs, the pain of their tragedies or the pressures of ambition, affecting parents as much as students.
