Kings of the Evening (2007)

80% of critics liked it
(10 reviews)
56% of users liked it
(207 ratings)

This independently produced drama from director Andrew P. Jones travels back to the Great Depression of the 1930s. It tells the sad saga of Homer Hobbs (Tyson Beckford), a young African-American man who wraps up a two-year jail sentence and returns home to his dead-end small town with a complete… More This independently produced drama from director Andrew P. Jones travels back to the Great Depression of the 1930s. It tells the sad saga of Homer Hobbs (Tyson Beckford), a young African-American man who wraps up a two-year jail sentence and returns home to his dead-end small town with a complete lack of prospects. Instinctively, Homer develops a rapport and begins to stick together with four other people roughly in the same boat as he is: Clarence (Glynn Turman), a zero who longs to be someone significant; Gracie (Lynn Whitfield), a down-and-out boarding-house owner who harbors a shocking secret; Benny (Reginald T. Dorsey), a street hustler who plans to relocate to sunny Florida and start afresh; and Lucy (Linara Washington), a woman whose scandalous past threatens to destroy the lives of those around her. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: Andrew P. Jones
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Jun 11, 2010 Limited
On DVD: Nov 1, 2010
Studio: Indican Pictures

Critic Reviews

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Kings of the Evening is a warm, beguiling picture boasting an array of splendid portrayals
Andrew Barker, Variety
Well-meaning, well made and all but allergic to subtlety.
Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader
An intrusive musical score and periodic fades to black, as for commercials, make this feel as if it were made for TV, but otherwise it's exceptional, from script and performances to production design.
Maureen M. Hart, Chicago Tribune
A sweet tale well suited to the holiday season.
Ernest Hardy, L.A. Weekly
It moves briskly but leaves room for the stellar supporting cast to turn stock figures into appealingly shaded characters.
Ed Scheid, Boxoffice Magazine
The film benefits from an impressive cast. Given enough time, word of mouth could build a good-sized audience for this absorbing drama.
S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media
Depression drama has good intentions but doesn't deliver.
Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer
The actors strike home quietly in scene after scene.
Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
An anachronistic rip-off which implies that the idea of male beauty pageants originated with African-Americans in the 1930s, instead of with Zulus in the 1990s. Is the film otherwise worthwhile? Yes, but it still weirded me out.
Kam Williams, Sly Fox
An anachronistic rip-off which implies that the idea of male beauty pageants originated with African-Americans in the 1930s, instead of with Zulus in the 1990s. Is the film otherwise worthwhile? Yes, but it still weirded me out.

Read all 10 critic reviews

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Cast

            Tyson Beckford as Homer Hobbs

            Linara Washington as Lucy Waters

            Glynn E. Turman as Clarence

            Lynn Whitfield as Gracie

            Reginald T. Dorsey as Benny Potter

            James Russo as Ramsey

            Bruce McGill as Wilfred Cheedle

            Steven Williams as Mr. Gamba

            Lou Myers as Counterman

            Clyde Jones as Reginald Crump

            Willard E. Pugh as Henry Nicholson

            Justin Malloy as Franklin Cheedle

            Toby Metcalf as Yard Foreman

            LaRita Shelby as Nurse

            Gayland Williams as Mrs. Cheedle

            Jana Camp as Genya

            Tish Brandt as Mrs. Sadie Bloom

            Everett Sifuentes as Mr. Haymes

            Charles Quiett as Al the Bartender

            Tariq Alexander as Stanley Stutz

            Timothy Starks as Wilson

            Terrence Flack as Johnson

            Tenora Young as Mrs. Hobbs

            Samson Pleasant as Gambler

            David Blackwell as Pawn Broker

            John Hambrick as Quarry Worker

            Lavelle White as Piano Player

            Dale Goebel as Prison Guard

            Sharles Seafous as Prisoner #1

            Ryan Rutledge as Prisoner #2

            Tron Kendrick as Prisoner #3

            Sylvester Stewart as Trustee

            Ada Harden as Woman in House

            Cara Briggs as Woman Spectator

            Cynthia Wood as Female Peddler
See full cast