Loving
I’ve always been quite partial to movies based on true stories. They allow us to fully submerge into a story that a summer blockbuster can lack at times. Loving should be a movie that fills us with warmth and pride in the human spirit, especially in 2016. After all, the premise is one that screams Oscar nomination and demands to be discussed in our homes and in the streets. Sadly, however, Loving fails to live up to the standards it probably thought it was living up to.
Loving tells us the story of Mildred Jeter, played by Ruth Negga (Preacher), and Richard Loving, played by Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby). The two are involved in a controversial interracial relationship that garners side glances from many who see them together. While their relationship is met with disapproval by some it is not until they are married that the story truly begins. After traveling to Washington, DC to be married (DC being the only place at the time which would allow interracial marriages), the couple’s home is invaded by police officers who drag them out to jail. The two are told that their marriage is unlawful and are exiled to Washington where they begin a journey to have their marriage recognized by the law.
Admittedly, I have always been interested in the Loving V. Virginia case, and was very interested in seeing this movie. However, Loving does not do too good of a job grabbing the audiences attention. Unlike previous period pieces about race such as Remember the Titans, The Help and Selma, Loving fails to raise the stakes for the viewer. Except for the home invasion at the beginning of the movie, I never felt nervous for the safety or Ruth, Richard or their children. In fact, it never really feels like they are in that much danger or that people truly disapprove of their relationship. These moments are undercut before any real tension starts to emerge either because of the script or the director, Jeff Nichols. Because of this, there were several times when I was just bored of this film which promised to be a type of intense romance/court drama.
As far as acting goes, Joel Edgerton’s Richard is a complete transformation from the last role I saw him in as Tom Buchannon in The Great Gatsby. He is soft spoken and seems to care about Mildred in a way that is believable, but because of the lack of a constant threat he more often than not comes across as very paranoid. Ruth Negga is definitely an actor on my watch list and I am waiting for that moment when she truly puts on a stunning performance. It is not, however, in Loving. Ruth’s Mildred seems to be stuck in neutral for most of the movie. It is clear that she is supposed to be conflicted with the amount of press their case receives and the uncomfortability of husband with said press coverage. In spite of that, the most we get out of her is a mild outburst about how important their case is before she goes back to being interviewed by a magazine. It’s supposed to be a dramatic moment, but it is one of several moments that undercut itself before it really starts to become interesting.
All in all, Loving is a movie with a wonderful premise and if you are interested in seeing a movie about this historic event, then I highly recommend it. I especially recommend it if you are looking for a movie about race that is not quite as intense as some of the movies I mentioned earlier. Personally, however, I would have much rather have waited for this film to come out on Redbox or Netflix, the latter being a much better market for this particular movie.
