Mickey Hardaway (Rashad Hunter) is still plagued by the violent memories from his past. His abusive father, his inability to achieve his dreams, and a world that seems to hate him have manifested themselves in his thoughts, screwing up his life and forcing him into therapy. However, the therapy is causing him to spiral even more than before–and his future looks bleak.
Mickey is incredibly familiar, and yet he’s unique–existing somewhere outside of the norm. Him being familiar allows viewers access to the character, to his story, and to the film as a whole. We’ve seen him before, we understand his story–and Mickey Hardaway is able to thrive as a result of this. However, what the film and the character needs is balance–and Writer-Director Marcellus Cox does a brilliant job of creating a multidimensional character that keeps things fresh.
There are times when the audio is off, and it’s sometimes difficult to hear the dialogue. With that being said, however, it sort of plays into Mickey’s story, strengthening the idea that he often feels unheard. I honestly feel that this is just a mistake with no deeper meaning–but the fact that it plays into the narrative, strengthens the idea that Mickey feels unheard, is quite impressive. With all of that being said, however, I am sort of conflicted regarding this aspect of Mickey Hardaway. On one hand it works very well, but on the other it seems to be an oversight, a mistake. When all is said and done, though, it manages to help the film–so I think I land on the side of appreciation rather than frustration.
I found the dialogue incredibly interesting. The reality is that dialogue, if not paid close attention to, can become cheesy and ineffective. Cox clearly took the time to develop the dialogue in a way that felt honest, accessible, and real–at least through the first act of Mickey Hardaway. Once Mickey’s story transitions outside of his home life, the dialogue and the validity of the things being said shift along with it. I was once enveloped in the fantastic dialogue–but then things changed–and the luster that once existed in the film, at least in this regard, disappeared.
There are some really interesting decisions that Cox makes throughout the course of Mickey Hardaway–and not all of them work, but one that does is the decision to film in black and white. More than anything else, this decision strengthens the tone of the film, develops the characters, and ultimately becomes the main reason why the film works. I was pulled into the film on numerous occasions as a result of this; this just may have been the most important decision that Cox made during the development of this film, the thing that ultimately sells viewers on the film.
Much like the decision to film in black and white, Cox makes a unique and bold decision to often not use a score. Sure, there are times when viewers hear something subtle in the background, something that works with the tone of the film and the story–but the majority of the time the background remains silent. Again, in similar fashion to the lack of color, the lack of score intensifies the film and allows the characters to stand out, be more powerful, and more effectively reach viewers. Mickey Hardaway is uniquely artistic–and those artistic decisions work wonders for the film.
Mickey Hardaway is a series of peaks and valleys, ebbs and flows–and there are moments when the highs are so brilliant that I can feel myself falling in love with the film. Then there are the lows, lows that sometimes fall so far that they feel like they might tear the film apart. I’m not sure that equilibrium is ever achieved, that the highs and lows ever work to balance one another–but they sort of counteract one another, allowing viewers, when the time comes, to revel in the beauty that Cox has constructed. Mickey Hardaway is honest, it’s real, it’s a trip down the darkest of alleys–and I’m sure that it will resonate with viewers.
Written & Directed by Marcellus Cox.
Starring Rashad Hunter, Ashley Parchment, Stephen Cofield Jr., David Chattam, Dennis LA White, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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