I saw "Fruitvale Station", starring Michael B. Jordan-No, not the basketball player, notice the B. in the middle of his name? This one was in Red Tails, Friday Night Lights-t.v.; Melonie Diaz-Be Kind Rewind, Lords of Dogtown; Octavia Spencer-The Help, Drag Me to Hell and Chad Michael Murray-One Tree Hill-t.v., Dawson's Creek-t.v..
This is based on a true story about an incident in 2008 that happened in the Bay Area in California. Fruitvale Station, a mass transit train station, is where it happened, and actual video footage is shown at the beginning and end of the film. Michael plays a 22 year old African/American that has a 4 year old daughter with his Hispanic girlfriend, Melonie. Michael has been in trouble with both Melonie and his job. He has been late to work so much, that they fired him. He got into selling drugs and messing around on Melonie with other women and went to prison-for the drugs not the messing around part. Octavia plays Michael's mother, who has her birthday on New Year's Eve. After Michael gets out of jail, he decides to turn his life around-no more drugs, no more messing around and being a better father to his daughter. On New Year's Eve 2008, Michael and Melonie go to his mother's birthday party to celebrate. Afterwards, he and his wife and a few friends take the train to go see fireworks. A confrontation on the train with someone from Michael's more reckless past leads to a police involvement by Chad and some other police officers that gets out of hand. It is a moving and emotional story that has similarities to a recent story that was in the news. It's rated "R" for violence, language and drug use and has a running time of 1 hour & 30 minutes. It is not one that I would buy on DVD-once was enough- but it would be a good rental.
This is based on a true story about an incident in 2008 that happened in the Bay Area in California. Fruitvale Station, a mass transit train station, is where it happened, and actual video footage is shown at the beginning and end of the film. Michael plays a 22 year old African/American that has a 4 year old daughter with his Hispanic girlfriend, Melonie. Michael has been in trouble with both Melonie and his job. He has been late to work so much, that they fired him. He got into selling drugs and messing around on Melonie with other women and went to prison-for the drugs not the messing around part. Octavia plays Michael's mother, who has her birthday on New Year's Eve. After Michael gets out of jail, he decides to turn his life around-no more drugs, no more messing around and being a better father to his daughter. On New Year's Eve 2008, Michael and Melonie go to his mother's birthday party to celebrate. Afterwards, he and his wife and a few friends take the train to go see fireworks. A confrontation on the train with someone from Michael's more reckless past leads to a police involvement by Chad and some other police officers that gets out of hand. It is a moving and emotional story that has similarities to a recent story that was in the news. It's rated "R" for violence, language and drug use and has a running time of 1 hour & 30 minutes. It is not one that I would buy on DVD-once was enough- but it would be a good rental.