Lackawanna Blues (2005)

71% of critics liked it
(7 reviews)
90% of users liked it
(4,369 ratings)

A young boy grows up among a makeshift family of oddballs and dreamers in this adaptation of Ruben Santiago-Hudson's acclaimed one-man show. Ruben Junior (Marcus Carl Franklin) is a young boy who was born in the late '40s into a family that started crumbling not long after he was born. Ruben… More A young boy grows up among a makeshift family of oddballs and dreamers in this adaptation of Ruben Santiago-Hudson's acclaimed one-man show. Ruben Junior (Marcus Carl Franklin) is a young boy who was born in the late '40s into a family that started crumbling not long after he was born. Ruben Junior's parents were from Lackawanna, a city in Upstate New York, and were living in a rooming house run by Nanny Crosby (S. Epatha Merkerson), whose place was a hub for the local African-American community. When Ruben Junior's parents split up, he and his mother return to Lackawanna and Nanny's rooming house; with mother overworked physically and in sad shape emotionally, Nanny takes Ruben Junior under her wing, and offers him the sort of nurturing she gives all her boarders. Nanny's house is full of people struggling for a fresh start in life, ranging from former convicts to recovering drug addicts, and she opens both her doors and her heart to them as they strive to make themselves better people. Ruben Junior finds a loving home amidst the colorful eccentrics in Nanny's circle of friends, but as America changes over the course of the 1950s and '60s, so does the neighborhood where Nanny and her tenants live -- and not for the better. Produced for the premium cable network HBO, Lackawanna Blues features a stellar supporting cast, including Delroy Lindo, Louis Gossett Jr., Rosie Perez, Jimmy Smits, Jeffrey Wright, Mos Def, and Ernie Hudson. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 34 min.
Directed By: George C Wolfe
Genres: Drama, Television, Musical & Performing Arts

In Theaters: Jan 26, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Aug 23, 2005

Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
It's a wonderful lead performance.
Phil Hall, Film Threat
Everyone's efforts were sadly wasted.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
Lackawanna Blues manages to capture not just the feel of an era, but the unbridled and exuberant spirit of a people and place as well.
Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film
Bursting at the seams with talented performers, no one misses a beat, conjuring up an atmosphere so vivid, you can taste it.
Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve
An invigorating movie full of sexual energy.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]"Lackawanna Blues" is based on the autobiographical play by Ruben Santiago-Hudson about his experiences growing up an unorthodox childhood in a rooming house owned and ran by Rachel "Nanny" Crosby(S. Epatha Merkerson) in the fifties and sixties… More
[font=Century Gothic]"Lackawanna Blues" is based on the autobiographical play by Ruben Santiago-Hudson about his experiences growing up an unorthodox childhood in a rooming house owned and ran by Rachel "Nanny" Crosby(S. Epatha Merkerson) in the fifties and sixties in a largely minority neighborhood in Lackawanna, New York. After Ruben's parents are unable to care for him, Nanny takes him in as she has so many other people.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Lackawanna Blues" is an entertaining movie with a great cast including Delroy Lindo, Rosie Perez, Terrence Howard, Jimmy Smits, Louis Gossett, Jr and Jeffrey Wright. The film has a potent sense of time and place but it does seem a bit too nostalgiac towards segregation-era America.(The film points out that Nanny helped out the way the government would have if it worked properly.) [/font]
Sarah P

This movie has a lot of heart and makes me wish I had a "Nanny"!
Remi L

I LOVED this movie!! S. Epatha Merkerson was a great matriarch in this film, loved Macy Gray, loved everyone in this film!!

Cast

            S. Epatha Merkerson as Rachel 'Nanny' Crosby

            Julie Benz as Laura

            Robert A. Bradley as Otis McClanahan

            Thomas Jefferson Byrd as Numb Finger Pete

            Kathleen Chalfant as Mrs. Carmichael

            Carmen Ejogo as Alean

            Marcus Carl Franklin as Ruben Santiago Jr. (as a boy)

            Louis Gossett Jr as Old Lem Taylor

            Macy Gray as Pauline

            Hill Harper as Ruben Santiago Jr. (as adult)

            Barry Shabaka Henley as Shakey Winfield

            Terrence Howard as Bill Crosby

            Ernie Hudson as Dick Barrymore

            Delroy Lindo as Mr. Lucious

            Mos Def as The Bandleader

            Lou Myers as Ol' Po' Carl

            Rosie Perez as Bertha

            Adina Porter as Ricky

            Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Freddie Cobbs

            Liev Schreiber as Ulyses Fold

            Henry Simmons as Jesse

            Jimmy Smits as Ruben Santiago Sr.

            Patricia Wettig as Laura's Mom

            Michael Kenneth Williams as Jimmy Lee

            Saul Williams as Sweet Tooth Sam

            Charlayne Woodard as Miss Jadie

            Jeffrey Wright as Small Paul
See full cast