User reviews

This is an incredibly topical movie that addresses some very important social and racial issues that plague the American society. My problem here is that everything in this movie is so black and white (pun intended) that it loses its connection with the real world and helps perpetuate some stereotypes that aren't helpful for anybody. Now, I don't pretend to have the solution for these issues but I also am not sure that these kind of movies have them either. By making everything so morally easy doesn't help educate people that are faced with much more ambiguous challenges in real life and, for me, if they had made the movie more morally challenging it would make for a much more interesting and nuanced story. For example, my favorite scene in the movie is the short dialogue between Starr and her uncle when he gives her the cops point of view on the whole situation, but even that scene ends with a morally easy way out. I think this story needed more of those kind of scenes, where they would explore the ambiguity of the real world, and then, even if ambiguous, build an ethical point of view to try and do the correct thing and thus spreading your message through much harder scrutiny. On a technical note I think the movie is really well made and Amandla Stenberg was a revelation for me, as they needed someone who could carry the movie and she does a tremendous job, conveying charisma, strength and kindness, a very large emotional range for such a young actress. All in all I do think this is a good movie, even if it's preaching to the choir, that needed a bit more grey in a whole lot of black and white.

I am a Dalit from India. Dalits are blacks of India. The experience of Dalits and Black lives are very similar. Only difference is America has a moral conscience and constantly tries to correct the wrongdoings of history while India is in denial about its wrongdoings and actively suppresses people from unprivileged background.

Here are the experiences of Starr Carter which most of our people find completely relatable 1. The Black Panther movement her father is part of, we have a similar movement. 2. The constantly switching of personality between her own people and white people. Hiding your true self to get accepted. 3. Constantly hearing sly racist comments and yet not able to do anything about it but stay silent while you mind is angry as hell. 4. The character Hailey who pretends to not be racist is constantly making racist remarks and is a racist. I had friends like those, after watching this movie i have decided to not be friends like this people anymore. I have unfriended them on social media and have deleted their numbers. 5. The portrayal in media as stupid and taking the worst elements of the group to portray the entire community as wrong. 6. Police brutality and denial of justice. 7. Black people suppressing other black people.

There are so many moments in the movie where i had tears in my eyes and i could see my people going through the same thing. I was emotional throughout the movie. The articulation of frustration of oppressed people is so real and raw.

Most people who are giving this movie bad reviews are looking it from technical perspective and dont have the lived experience of the people. They dont have the experience of daily frustration of living a life where your community is subjected to discrimination, mockery, injustice everyday and you have to live among same people who do this. Movies like these would never get made here. Thank you very much for making such movie.

First off, the book was way better. It provides way more detail than the movie did, and I feel you should read the book first, gather way more information then the movies gives, and then watch the movie. This was a good movie, but I feel the editing was a little choppy and was quite basic. Amandla Stenberg absolutely slayed the roll though. She did an amazing job, and I haven't watched a movie with her in it that I didn't like. She's incredible. The movie didn't provide as much detail as the book, as I said above, so people did get more of the Black Lives Matter side out of the movie. You hear more from a black and a white cop in the book, so it was well done, giving two sides. All in all, the movie was good, but the book was way better. I highly recommend that you read the book before you watch the movie.

Beautiful, thought-provoking, well-crafted gem-thank you to everyone involved in making this wonderful film. Although this film is a "message movie," it's not one told through narrow-minded tunnel vision; I think the author (Angie Thomas) of the book, that this film is based on, understands the frustrating fact that some of the worst issues that need fixing have no quick and easy solutions, and are complex and take time for the human mind to understand (especially to the minds of those who aren't being affected / victimized, who inevitably take longer to understand). Fortunately this movie provides a narrative that can help one consider the issue of racial bias.

In addition to being a wonderful social commentary, it's also a wonderful film and story in general. Honestly I loved the music, all the scenes, the complexity of the situation the main characters find them in, I loved the ending, and I loved the characters.

When I saw the 5.9 on imdb but higher critic score, I thought this movie simply got good reviews from the critics because the critics liked that it brought up a real-life issue that needed to be delved into and explored, but that it was boring to the audience who might not care about social issues as much, but now after watching it... I wonder if the people who rated it low even watched the film, or they simply thought it was some sort of ignorant propaganda biased on the trailers. I promise you it's not that; it's a complex, thought-provoking fictional world that mirrors issues of the real world in the best way possible.

I'm not black btw, and that's all the more reason why I should be a member in the audience; I've never experienced anything like this first hand. If a God said this film could only be shown to every black person in America or every non-black person, I would say with absolute certainty that every non-black would be the ones who need to see it. But it's a really good film for everyone, regardless of race. Even if you're not too interested in social issues, it's just a good story in general to get absorbed in for a couple hours.

So good... 9/10 from me, but the 5.9 makes me give it a bit of extra credit, so I gave it a 10.

Because I'm from the city of St. Louis where we have our share of race issues, particularly issues that involve police, I really connected with the subject matter. It's a story worth telling, though I felt it was a bit over-written and more complex than it needed to be. But my biggest problem was that the presentation was too heavy-handed. Even though this movie unbiasedly explored the perspectives of everyone involved, it left no room for the viewers to form their own opinions. We were spoon fed, and at times it had the feel of an after school special. From the writing, to the performances, to the music, everything was very literal. There was no subtext or anything to read into. Maybe the filmmakers accomplished exactly what they were going for. The overall style was consistent throughout and it seemed that the artists behind this mostly hit their mark. For my money, however, I prefer an approach that is more challenging. But 6 out of 10 is still a passing grade. This is a subject that needed to be acknowledged on screen and I do feel that it was handled with respect and fairness.

Wow. Where do I start? I watch movie's of any type and genre If I think I will enjoy it and although (surprisingly) I had never heard of this film, it looked like one I might like. It had been on my planner for a couple of weeks and when I finally saw it I was blown away. I am a white male from a poor but not impoverished back ground, I have not experienced any of the events in the film nor do I know anyone who has, but I felt as though I was living the life of the main protagonist. The themes of unity and the situation of feeling like no one listens hit hard and the film worked wonderfully to illustrate how people at the bottom of the pile feel. Whether that be black, white or anything else. This film is not about one particular race over another it is purely about inequality in the structures around us.. I advise you give this film a watch and make up your own mind on what side of the fence you sit.

As a white guy who's spent all of his life in England, it's hard for me to relate to most of the issues raised in this movie. However I feel the actors did a fantastic job of helping me see from the characters perspective, in what is undoubtedly tricky subject matter.

I found Russell Hornsby's portrayal of a father who's lead a colourful life, leaving it behind to concentrate on raising his children in what he sees as the right way, particularly compelling.

Amandla Stenberg was fantastic in the lead role. A teenager struggling to deal with the loss of a friend, and the injustice that follows. The feeling of barely contained rage was palpable in some scenes.

There is strong theme of societal injustice throughout the movie. The blame isn't placed squarely at the door of "white America" as some have suggested. The film doesn't shy away from gang & drug problems that plague communities across America & the wider world.

I feel like its a shame, that one of the few scenes that detract from my overall enjoyment of this movie, was the films most pivotal scene. I felt no real sense of injustice attached to this. If I was pulled over by a cop in the US, I'm doing exactly what he/she tells me. Instead the character Khalil (Algee Smith) decides it's the right time to have some fun with his friend Starr (Stenberg). This leads to his death, and while racial profiling certainly had a part to play in the incident, the actions of Khalil ultimately were what lead to his demise. Perhaps the way I view this scene says more about my place in society, or society as a whole, but it's hard for me to see it any other way. It's interesting that later in the film, a scene between Starr & her uncle Carlos (portrayed by Common) gives us some insight into what would have been going through the cops head as he carried out the traffic stop.

Overall I thought it was a good movie with some emotional & tense scenes, acted very well & is definitely one to watch.

I believe this film creates an opportunity to open the eyes of someone not privy to our perspective. Sometimes they have to see these issues play out in front of them. A story or speech may not reach deep enough to connect you to the heart of people who have suffered loss and live in a near impossible situation. If you just see it as a I HATE WHITES movie, you've missed the point. Dig deeper.

Do I have some criticisms, of course. Some scenarios are obvious slaves to plot progression. One argument could be that only 1-2 characters had a complete arc and that some questions were left unanswered. Well, I agree. That's art imitating life.

I believe the dialogue regarding the title of the film was clever and introspective that I haven't been able to get it out of my head. It also asks me to form MY OWN opinion of the phrase's meaning. So: Mission Accomplished.

I'd say the acting was pretty good. Not the biggest fan of the language but unfortunately I know I'm in the minority there. Every character performed. It was exciting to see Anthony Mackie in this role. I think he sold it. Seven's actor stole his scenes. I believe that Common was allowed him to play himself, because a farther reach may not be believable. Amandla is something special. She is such a star and I can't wait to see what's in store for her.

Im proud to have seen it and it has the opportunity to open the eyes of some so blinded by their own privilege 8.5/10

It was promising, but halfway it got lost into many messages it wanted to send. The performances were really strong, though.

This is the saddest excuse for a movie I have ever seen in my life. It pisses me off in more ways than I can list here. To be honest the only character who has any kind of sense is named Hailey because she points out the issues facing our society at that time and seems to still be prevalent today. This movie I feel is made to convince you to riot and break the law which is just sad. When the main character threatens another character at school she is allowed to just walk away when she should have been suspended or something. Reason why Hailey is the only character that makes any sense is she points out the issues within the BLM movement and the double standard they have. Don't watch this movie unless you want to be absolutely disgusted and angry at this poor excuse for a film.

Poor Amandla Stenberg. She's a great actress who consistently appears in bad movies. Columbiana, The Hunger Games, Rio 2, Everything Everything...At least The Darkest Minds was entertainingly awful. She's been the best thing in every movie she's appeared in and it's been beyond frustrating to see her waste her time in terrible movies that aren't worthy of her talents as an actress. The Hate U Give remedies that problem. Not only is it a good film, it's one of the best films of the year; as a Diablo Cody-esque Young Adult comedy, it works. As a commentary on race relations, it works. As a character study about mourning and teenage self identity, it works. And as a platform to showcase Stenberg's considerable skills as an actress, it works with flying colors.

The acting, as predicted, is phenomenal. Stenberg gives one of the best performances of the year as Starr Carter, a bright and shy private school student going through a massive change of heart following the murder of her close friend and crush, Khalil. Her delivery and facial acting have such an incredible conviction and energy to them and she more than delivers in the more emotional and powerful scenes of the film. Whether she's crying at the coffin of a loved one, unleashing her righteous fury on a racist former friend or rallying the masses with a moving speech, Stenberg tears up the screen. Both emotionally vulnerable and relatable while carrying an exceptional amount of charisma and heroism in her performance, Stenberg's portrayal of Starr makes for a heroine who is impossible not to be inspired and moved by.

I haven't seen Russell Hornsby in any film or TV show prior to The Hate U Give, but his acting here makes me morbidly curious to check out his other work. If Stenberg's acting wasn't as spectacular as it was, Hornsby easily stolen the show as Maverick Carter, Starr's idealistic and passionate father. Hornsby is funny, rousing, powerful and deeply human, sometimes all at once. This is an Academy Award worthy performance, no question, and this is an actor who desperately needs more work

I had very mixed feelings towards KJ Apa as an actor from Riverdale, but his performance as Chris has completely redeemed him in my eyes. He's sympathetic, nuanced and affably dorky. Apparently, Stenberg isn't the only great actor burdened with an unfortunate filmography.

It definitely helps this underdog cast that they're playing much more interesting, relatable and likable characters than they're usually given. Starr's character development is among the finest I've seen in a coming-of-age film, right up there with Jim Stark in Rebel Without A Cause and Sam Monroe in the criminally underrated Life as a House. You can really feel her increasing insecurity, paranoia and inner torment as societal pressures from both the black world and the white world increasingly come down on her. Watching her grow from a diplomatic bystander into an uncontrollable, impassioned and furious force of righteous change and racial retribution is incredibly satisfying, especially given the emotional roller coaster this film took me down with her character. I cried with Starr, I laughed with Starr and I even found myself silently wishing I could cheer and shout with Starr as she raises up the people around her and brutally silences her critics. Marverick Carter's arc is handled beautifully as well, beginning the film as an old school "Black Panther" type, growing into a more over-protective and sheltering father and finally returning back to threshold as the incredible hero whom he always desired to be (And who his children saw him as) in the 3rd act of the film.

One of my favorite aspects about The Hate U Give is how it seamlessly balances so many different genres. The witty, creative use of teenage slang and perfect comedic timing give it weight as a Young Adult comedy, the nuanced, unpredictable and original way that it tackles race and race relations (I was beyond impressed by how little narrative cliches this movie uses) give it weight as a racial commentary and Stenberg's harrowing and heartbreaking journey of grief and self reflection give it weight as a character study. None of these genres overpowers the other tonally or thematically, it's a seamless blending and it works beautifully. The film is cohesive and consistent in its tone, which is a rare compliment for a modern Hollywood theatrical release.

Praise must also be given to the directing of this film, which I feel may get overlooked with everything else the film does right. George Tillman Jr. does a rather brilliant job lingering on symbolic iconography associated with Civil Rights movements more and more over the course of the film; hoodies, hairbrushes, megaphones, e.t.c. However, these images go by quickly and at an odd angle, so the effect is subliminal rather than clumsy and manipulative. This is visual symbolism at its finest and it just goes to show that, like the best filmmakers, Tillman Jr. has an unquestionable understanding for the importance of visuals over dialogue in the medium of film (Not that the dialogue isn't, as previously described, often witty, funny and clever.)

The Hate U Give is an amazing film and you need to see it right now. So many films these days based on race come across as exploitative, cliched and generic, but this one delivers in all of the ways those films don't. It's sincere, it's original, it's unpredictable and it has genuine heart behind it. And it's the first good movie in Amandla Stenberg's filmography! How about that?

Watched the movie with my 14 year old daughter. The movie was engaging from the start. Amazing story and strong performances, deliver a topical and important message. Bring tissues.

The Hate U Give (2018) is a movie my fiancé and I watched while on vacation. The storyline follows a young lady on her way home with her best friend when he gets gunned down by police officers. Everyone around her seems to have an opinion on how she should handle the situation until her voice gets drowned out. Can the young lady find her forum to get her message out the way she feels most comfortable? This movie is directed by George Tillman Jr. (Men of Honor) and stars Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games), Regina Hall (Scary Movie), Common (Wanted), Issa Rae (Insecure) and Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker). The storyline for this is very well told and paced. The cast is well selected and delivers their characters well. The chemistry within the family and its dynamics are very apparent. The delivery of the main character was key to the films success and she was solid (not outstanding). Overall the movie is a bit predictable but has a good message and unfolds well. I'd score this a 7.5/10.

I watched this film at a Cineworld secret Unlimited screening on 8 October. I would like to say it was superb. But bearing in mind the subject matter, though it is an excellently made film, Powerful is more apt.

Without giving too much away, it highlights the divide and different attitudes from both sides of American colour.

I didn't know what to expect with this film, not even knowing the title. Well worth the time investment seeing it.

I'm a white person. 30 years old. Born in Chicago. And some of the comments on here are disgraceful. This has nothing to do with black or white people. Law enforcement officers should be held to the same standard civilians should.

I was expecting this movie to be extremely biased and that it would spend the entire time shoving its agenda down my throat. Rather than being a one-dimensional rant on how cops should stop shooting black people, it was instead an interesting examination of one teenage girl and what she goes through after witnessing her friend get shot.

The shooting scene itself was actually a lot less biased than I was expecting. The cop wasn't overtly racist, and his mistake was presuming that the black man he stopped was holding a gun rather than a hairbrush. And when he realised what he had done he acknowledged that he made a mistake. It was more of a subconscious, institutional prejudice rather than him just being a racist.

The black man who was pulled over was also not presented as a flawless, totally innocent man. We know he is a drug dealer. We see him refuse to cooperate at least three times. When the cop tells him to stay with his hands on the car, he instead decides (stupidly) to reach into the car and grab a hairbrush. Because this is totally the time and place to brush your hair.

So to summarise on that point, rather than simply having an innocent teenager being murdered by a racist cop, as so many other films would do, we actually see the teenager get shot due to his own lack of cooperation and idiocy. This I think is a far more realistic and less biased way to present something like this. A black cop explains this explicitly in a later scene, that if the victim had cooperated then this would have been avoided. The same black cop also states that he would have done the same in the same situation, adding that he would not have fired his weapon if the victim had been white. The film cleverly doesn't praise or condemn this, it just is what it is.

There were black cops that were just as bad as the white cops. There were also both black and white cops that were presented as just doing their jobs. Starr's white boyfriend Chris explains why when he sees black people he doesn't see their colour, whereas Starr's father immediately sees Chris as a "white boy". A black cop explains why he would have done the same as the white cop when he shot the black teenager. The film kept catching me out with how it was willing to do the opposite of what I expected. And it made the film infinitely better by presenting multiple sides to a complicated issue, instead of treating its audience like idiots and preaching to the choir.

__________

Now, my problems with the film:

The film literally opens with a black man telling his family how to behave when a cop inevitably pulls them over for no reason. Thankfully, the rest of the film wasn't quite this blunt.

The soundtrack, at least for the first 40 minutes or so, was very distracting. Maybe it is beacuse I don't like or listen to "trap-hop" (if that is the correct name) but I also think it was excessive to have such a huge number of songs in such a short amount of time. Every minute or two they blast another song at you. As I enjoyed most of the rest of the film this is really a nitpick and probably is more down to my music taste than anything.

The subplot with the gangsters was totally unnecessary. The main source of conflict in the second hour could have easily been avoided. Additionally, the gangsters didn't seem to want to kill Starr so much as mildly inconvenience her.

There are some silly arguments between Starr and her white friend that were pretty pointless, especially given how good the other discussions in the film were.

The ending was also very silly and didn't suit the rest of the movie. When dealing with a subject like this, having a happy ending rarely works. This is part of what made American History X so incredibly powerful. In The Hate U Give, the ending felt very artificial, almost like they changed their minds and reshot the last five minutes. __________

And a couple of other things to note:

I found it interesting and, again, unexpected that the film showed how a peaceful protest can easily become violent.

I found it quite brave and, again, unexpected for the film to show Starr being sickened by seeing white teenagers holding Black Lives Matter banners in a protest.

I found it very amusing how the characters get held up in traffic due to a protest.

The characters are consistent. Rather than existing to project the films agenda to the audience, they usually exist to present a certain viewpoint. The film does a very good job of exploring this.

Overall, 7/10.

An uncomfortable, thought-provoking story about a black family living in present-day America that explores racism, identify, and relationships.

Probably not something I would have seen otherwise but a very thought provoking pretty well made film. At times it comes over as anti police and sometimes even anti whites but it does make a point even if you don't necessarily want to hear it about how easy it is to be led down the wrong path, and at a very young age, and sometimes it's hard to do the "wrong thing". Has some funny moments & some poignant moments and worth a watch, if you have a spare couple of hours, but for me not something I'd rush to see again.

...It would be this movie. Overall, it's okay. It's technically fine, the acting is fine, the topicality is fine. Young adult fiction at it's most fine.

It lacks nuance, it defines it's characters as very broad caricatures, and has a surprisingly low amount of empathy for any character that doesn't fit neatly in the "good" box.

This is the first recent movie that I noticed how heavy handed direction can actually turn into audience manipulation rather than narrative enhancement. For instance, all of the scenes with white characters are shot in cold, sterile filters whereas all scenes with minority characters (even Common playing the "bad" cop uncle) are shot with warm tones and soft lighting. It seems there is a not so subtle agenda being pursued there by the director that falls well outside the main character's story arc.

What it does well is show the confusion of being trapped between two worlds. Being two people in one body, two parts of the same whole. Ultimately it's about how when those parts come into conflict, how do we decide what makes us who we are versus who we're expected to be. That's about as high concept as YA fiction gets so that's as high as our expectations should be set.

All fine.

I can't believe anyone could give this film a low rating for the right reasons. It deals with very intense issues yet it is gentle and nuanced where it is possible to be so and describes a teenager divided between two worlds, two communities, and most importantly, two separate identities. These divides leave her feeling helpless and uncertain.

The growth of the main character through difficult events (and the growth or stagnation of those around her) allow her to transcend this confusion and find her voice.

This movie also portrays the power of community to broker change when all members stop being afraid and pull together for the common good.

All these are very worthy themes for ourselves and our children to consider. Myself, it took me back to when I was pregnant with my third child in Los Angeles and I did a wonderful dance class. Trouble was, about every second week the class was late starting because he was randomly pulled over and interrogated under racial profiling policies. We were all disgusted and annoyed that our teacher who was gentle and creative was treated in this fashion yet we did nothing...... Shame on us......

I Just saw a secret screening of this movie , I didn't know it was going to be this film , so I had no expectations and went in with a clear mind. All I can say is wow, you will be taken on a ride on all different emotions and come out the cinema feeling touched. This movie is not a huge blockbuster and not alot people will know how about it but people should know about it and it's a movie everyone should see!

For such a strong theme, the movie didn't manage to leave an impact. It chose to present Starr's story, but failed to portray her as well. The story is dealing with an issue that is currently finding its way to the global spotlight and shocked the world. However, the movie only present things and doesn't dig deeper. Other than that, and the many plot holes, like Starr's past, the movie had some great performances and the pace was fast.