Trigger Warning(s): Scenes of Drug Use & Violence against children2013 contained a huge amount of films focusing on Black characters and the amount of diversity was quite good. But, naturally, some fell through the cracks. The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, unfortunately, was one of those films which unless you lived near a major metropolitan area, likely the movie came and went without you knowing. This is despite Jennifer Hudson in the film, with other recognizable names such as Anthony Mackie, Jordin Sparks and Jeffrey Wright.Characters & StoryMister (played by Skylan Brooks) is a Brooklyn native with dreams of going to Beverly Hills and becoming an actor. But, with a drug addicted mom named Gloria (played by Jennifer Hudson) and a tag along named Pete (played by Ethan Dizon) things are stacked against him. But, upon his mom getting arrested, things go from bad to worse as he tries to fend for himself, and Pete, so they don't end up at the local group home which has a horrible reputation.PraiseFor once, I must say Jennifer Hudson did remind me why she has an Oscar. Her playing a crack addict/ prostitute, was believable and not as overdone as some of the other roles she has done in the past. But, while Hudson shows improvement, both Brooks and Dizon continue to prove that not all young talent in Hollywood have white skin. And the only reason I bring up their skin tone up is because, it seems like there is a real lack of investment in young people of color, and while I doubt this film will launch either young mans' career, their performances do justify continued work.Brooks makes Mister into this raw character a little too exposed to his mother's lifestyle and you can see he has already begun the process of a hardened heart due to this environment. As for Dizon as Pete, he represents the innocence and naivety that Mister likely once had, and together they show how a child is before the exposure of a urban environment tears them down, and then their struggle in trying to survive before they give into the environment they grew up in.CriticismAs for criticism, honestly there aren't any major issues with the film. I mean, I found Jordin Sparks' role as Alice sort of strange, if only because we aren't properly informed how she moved out of the projects, unless it was because of her love interest; and also I, again, wasn't sure what Wright's role as Henry was supposed to be, unless he was to further develop the environment by playing a homeless veteran. But, as you can see, there isn't anything majorly wrong, just little things to pick over.Overall: TV ViewingAs a whole, honestly while I liked this film, I can't say it is worth seeing immediately. Though it is a good film, and definitely something which would make a good foundation for Brooks and Dizon's career, it just doesn't create an emotional impact. For while Hudson does better, she is nowhere near Mo'Nique's level in Precious; and while Brooks and Dizon will create sympathy within you, there is something in their performances, or perhaps the story, which makes it so you can get a full on connection. What I mean is, watching the film is sometimes like watching those commercials for starving African children. Yes, you feel bad for the kids, but once the commercial is over that feeling dissipates and you begin to forget all about them. And to me, all involved may have been good, but if you stack them up with other films with similar stories/ themes, they are unfortunately forgettable.

There are films like Tiny Furniture that detail a spoiled and ungrateful demographic that has all they can desire but still has the nerve to complain about trivialities in their lives. Then there are films like The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete that detail a demographic that has nothing but the clothes on their backs, local acquaintances, and the motivation of survival to get them through the day. The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete is a bleak, bleak film with one heartwrenching scene after another that depict a frighteningly inevitable sadness that looms over the characters of the film like a dark storm cloud.The film takes place during a summer in the projects of New York City that has been graced with a miserable heatwave. Where center on thirteen-year-old Mister (Skylan Brooks), who lives with his heroin-addicted mother Gloria (Jennifer Hudson), who prostitutes to get by in her rough neighborhood. Mister's only companion is a nine-year-old Korean boy named Pete (Ethan Dizon), whose mother is always absent and whom looks to Mister as an older brother. After Gloria is taken by police, the two spend their summer trying to evade child protective services and living life cooped up in a small, empty apartment.Through these children, we get an intimate portrait of what it's like not to live in the projects but survive in them. The area is incredibly tumultuous, shady adults and ominous characters lurk on every street corner, and there's almost no hope of ever escaping or rising above this morose landscape. Returning to my opening paragraph, say people outside of the United States, who weren't wholly knowledgeable on the current state of the US poverty conditions, the income inequality, or the economy, saw Tiny Furniture. They'd probably see a large part of the country as affluent and ungrateful degenerates who don't know how good they have it compared to others. Now what if we showed them The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete? If anything, I think we'd break down any preconceived stereotypes that many people in the United States don't live lavish lives of royalty, but instead, day-by-day, struggling to survive, in the self-proclaimed "greatest country in the world." But this is just one of the several reasons why The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete is such a wonderful drama, bursting at the seams with stone-cold honesty and depictions of far-too-common hardships in the working class sector of urban landscapes.At the center of the film is Skylan Brooks, who is the actor the entire film rests on. For a debut performance, Brooks could not have a bigger challenge, but he handles it superbly, painting the picture of a kid who is down but certainly not out. However, Brooks' Mister is undoubtedly vulnerable in this land, no matter the face he puts on. We almost consistently wait for the young kid to crack and breakdown, but he continues to keep on going through trying circumstances. By his side quite frequently is Ethan Dizon, whose performance is mostly wrapped in innocence and tender, young-boy geniality. He is a young boy who wouldn't hurt a fly, and occasionally seems out of the loop. But Dizon knows exactly how to portray this character with effectiveness so as not to make a helpless sidekick.Frequently, the film reminded me of Alex Kotlowitz's There are No Children Here, a novel that meticulously detailed the lives of a family who lived in the Henry Horner Apartments, a former-public housing project in Chicago. The title came from the mother of the two boys the story focused on, and basically meant that because of all the young children have seen in their life - rape, murder, drugs, violence, gangs, among several other things - they were not children. They were practically adults because their innocence was taken at such a tender age they never had that blissful, childlike ignorance that almost all children have.The children of the projects are totally different from the children of the suburbs, obviously, and writer Michael Starrbury makes strong note of that. While suburban children may ask their friends, "want to play at the park?" or even, "what did you think of school today," the characters of The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete ask one another, "is it okay to not love your mom?" and receive a response of, "you can't help but love her, but you can not like her." Some will remark on the film's events as elements of emotional manipulation and desperate attempts by Starrbury and director George Tillman, Jr. to make us teary-eyed. I have seen many emotionally manipulative films in my day, and The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete doesn't classify as one of them because of the fact that it shows the reality of the situation in the projects. It shows what the news reports dare not penetrate. This film tells a story of survival by two kids who keep getting kicked down and tormented by horrid luck and a lackluster surrounding but persist on through thick-and-thin. Starrburry and Tillman, Jr. don't seem to care if you cry; they just care that you watch, listen, and learn.

I'd bet a lot of white people look at this movie at first glance in a 'Blindside' type of way. This isn't a black movie or a white movie or a white guilt type of movie or exploitation type of movie.The Inevitable defeat of Mister and Pete is just a good movie about a young boy with dreams, in a terrible spot. His mother is doped out, he lives in a rough neighborhood and there is no way for things to get better (even though he aspires to become an actor and make a better life for himself).When the police crack down on the drug trade in his neighborhood, his mother is picked up. Mister and Pete (the young boy who was staying at his apartment because his mother was on a binge) spend the summer trying to survive and stay out of riverside orphanage.A hallowing story about life--not black life or the ghetto, a story about life when things are bad and all that matters is surviving, the Inevitable defeat of Mister and Pete takes the viewer into a world they most likely never see.This movie had a great message of survival and perseverance and hope and left me believing, if I just keep living and fighting, everything will work out.The dialogue at times was a little forced, I felt, to convey the situation of helplessness--but I can live with that, as the script on a whole was pretty good. It's hard to convey so much with just dialogue and I thought the writer, Michael Starrbury did a pretty good job.It was well Directed, but George Tillman Jr has proved he is an elite director imo.Skylan Brooks (Mister) probably set himself up to be in countless movies in the future and I'd like to see him in a comedy next.Jennifer Hudson, even though she didn't have that many lines was able to fulfill her role perfectly.This was a good movie and definitely worth the time it took to watch it.

"Is it OK not to love your mom?" Mister (Brooks) is having a tough time at school not only fitting in but with his grades as well. When he leaves the only place he has to go is home, to his drug addicted and basically absent mother Gloria (Hudson). One day he comes home to find Pete, a kid he knows in his room. Gloria informs Mister they will be taking care of him for a few days but no one sees what is coming next. First of all I have to start by saying this is a fantastic movie but hard to watch. I would compare it to Precious in that way. This one deals with how the kids take care of themselves in the only way they know how rather then living with an abusive mother. The movie is emotionally draining but very much worth seeing especially for the kid playing Mister. He was amazing in this and deserves some sort of nomination. He really brings powerful emotions to this and even when he breaks the law in some scenes you are still rooting for him. I can not say enough about this movie and it deserves to be seen by a larger audience then it will get. Overall, emotionally draining but a must see movie. I highly recommend this. I give it an A.