I was a little surprised to see there hadn’t been a thread started about this already since it had made its way into some of the awards discussions. Has anyone else seen it?
I just got around to watching it last night. I enjoyed it tremendously, but I also realize I grew up with the music AND in the locales from the film , so I felt quite a connection to it all. It’s hard for me to figure out how interesting the movie would seem to people without that connection. It felt a bit to me like the movie was a chronology of events without diving too deeply into any particular story. But again, my perspective may be flawed.
Anyone else who has seen it care to share their thoughts?
I’ve kept an eye on it but not sought it out - will catch it on VOD or Netflix.
My biggest issue is the involvement of the key players - it is great to have their input but glosses over a lot of issues. I get the impression this is the Us vs. The Man story, and N.W.A. were a lot messier than that.
Sorry - not meaning to threadshit at all. I care about movies like this and was glad to see it got box office, if only to create the opportunity for more movies like this.
ETA: I felt this way about the recent James Brown films. I saw Get on Up and enjoyed it, but the documentary Mr. Dynamite was so much better and got at JB’s complexity more effectively, to me.
Shouldn’t matter if you did not grow up in the same area or if you listened to the music. I’m a world removed from Goodfellas but it’s still an interesting story.
I enjoyed it. I’m from Alabama and not much of a rap fan but I though it was pretty well done.
OT: The best cover of an N.W.A. song.
Nina Gordon-“Straight Outta Compton” NSFW
I liked it, though I am not all that familiar with NWA’s songs. I think the guy who played Ice Cube was spot on. It did a good job of showing the artistry of rap.
Yeah she was but to have her husband portrayed like a punk also made me wonder if all she cared about was making money. I mean, the movie sure shined highly on Dre and Ice Cube. I read an interview by Master P, he said… Eazy E would be rolling over in his grave if he saw how they portrayed him.
The movie really didn’t go deep enough either. Dr Dre was a sadistic fuck, who beat women, That whole riot in Detroit was greatly exageratted, and they should have touched more on the outrage of parents across the country, who wanted them banned. I enjoyed the movie, but it wasn’t anything great.
This is interesting. I saw it last night (rented it), liked it immensely, feel Straight Outta Compton was slighted in not getting a Best Picture nomination. It was certainly more complex, a greater achievement and, to me, way more satisfying than Room. (I didn’t see Brooklyn.) Certainly it had cheesy moments that felt like they were lifted from a Movie of the Week biography, but I’m not saying it was the perfect movie.
And I thought Jason Mitchell, the actor portraying Eazy-E, was worthy of receiving a Best Supporting nomination (although a case could be made that Eazy-E was the central character and would be in the running for Best Actor). It was a performance that showed a ton of gravitas and a wide range of emotions done terrifically. Having just seen Creed, the notion that Sylvester Stallone got nominated was a joke. (Yeah, yeah, Lifetime Achievement thing. Whatever.)
Worth noting: I am not a rap fan at all and don’t know how honest the story was in comparison to the real thing, nor how honestly Eazy-E was portrayed. That said, all historical dramas are fictionalized to some point – Argo, anyone? – and that to me should not be reasoning for the movie being slighted. I didn’t give much credence to the Lack of Diversity movement at this year’s Oscars, but I feel differently about that now.
I’m glad to see this thread revived, as I’m still trying to convince folks to see it.
As an aside, I was just at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last week and saw N.W.A.‘s new induction exhibit. I’ve read about Gene Simmons’ opposition to their induction, basically saying that rap music without a guitar doesn’t belong in the Hall. I’m curious as to whether folks think the group deserved to get in.
I thought it was a great movie and criminally underrated by the Academy. It was probably the best of last year’s films that I’ve seen so far. I loved Spotlight, but I thought this was a better film in every way. I don’t look for historically-based films to have the accuracy of documentaries. I just like it when they tell captivating stories without going too far astray on the facts. I would’ve cared if they made the riot in Detroit up out of whole cloth but I don’t care if it was exaggerated a bit for the sake of storytelling. The backstories, their experiences with cops defining their music, their internal struggles…this was great drama told captivatingly on screen.
I thought Sylvester Stallone gave a solid performance in Creed. Sure, it was a lifetime achievement nomination but this was also a performance tailor made for the Academy. It showed a hero in his declining years, much like a lot of Academy voters themselves. I wouldn’t have minded if he’d won. I think Creed should have made more out of the fact that Rocky bore some responsibility for Creed’s father’s death. Maybe that scene would have sold the Academy on a best supporting actor trophy for Stallone and a best actor nomination for Michael B. Jordan.
