vchimpanzee
First of all, I should mention I'm 49 years old and white and don't care for rap music.But this appeared to be a quality production, with important lessons, positive messages, good writing and good acting. Just don't get too attached to anyone because in this neighborhood, you can't be sure anyone will survive to the end.Cynthia's father was a dedicated teacher at an aging New York City high school in a bad section of the city. When she was young, he gave her Anne Frank's famous diary to read.Now Cynthia is a student at that high school. Her father is deceased and her family is on welfare. They include Cynthia, her mother, her grandmother, her brother Juan, her sister Janet, and Janet's baby. Cynthia's mother is Latina and doesn't look black. I'm not clear on her father's racial background but he had a Spanish-sounding name. Anyway, Cynthia looks black and thinks of herself as black.Several teachers at the school, particularly Michael, believe that at least some of these kids can be reached, despite what the neighborhood is like. Cynthia is one of them, though she has had difficulty since her father's death. But reading about Anne Frank has inspired her and she now writes rap lyrics inspired by Anne. As "Anne B. Real", she raps in front of a mirror. In the same mirror she imagines people she knows criticizing her.Meanwhile, Juan supposedly has had a job, but the only way he seems to make money is by selling lyrics to up-and-coming rapper Deuce. Deuce wants to impress those who can make him a star, so he claims the lyrics are his own. Of course, so does Juan--who, by the way, uses too much of his money to buy drugs, and gets into situations that could put him behind bars.Cynthia's friends include Kitty, who looks very white but is more street in her speech than most of the movie's characters. She could be considered comic relief. There is also Jerome, who has been on his own since age 12, and he has to get by delivering drugs. Darius is a very European-looking Latino who seems to want a romantic relationship with Cynthia.Deuce has a girlfriend who is quite pretty and thinks she is "all that". I didn't catch her name but she adds a lot.The stories of Deuce and Cynthia are interesting, and both characters have a lot of determination, but Cynthia is the strongest character here. She needs to be strong, too, because she will be put through a lot (so will the audience), and JNyce is quite effective. But despite this movie taking me out of my comfort zone, I think it was a worthwhile experience.
lilliansimone
Take a bunch of amateur wanna-be actors and shoots them with Dad's camcorder.Take the resulting "brilliant" footage and slap it together on the home computer and you get Anne B. Real.Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against people getting experience by making a feature-length projectI do have a problem, however, with hyping it as if it were a real movie when in fact it is a painful-to-watch home video that you would only sit still for if it were made by your family.In other words, avoid at all costs.
tenfe1
I could not get this movie out of my head. It's message is so beautiful, and so universal. The tie in with Anne Frank is so original and so great.My 12 year old now wants me to buy her the Diary of Anne Frank. I am so impressed with this effort on the part of first time director Lisa France.
jokeland
"Anne B. Real" is not only a great film, but it has a strong, positive message for kids. And, it has none of the usual racist slang and filthy language that are so often a big part of this type of film. Kids everywhere, especially teens, should see this movie.
