QUEEN
& SLIM (2019)
Starring
Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine, Chloe Sevigny,
Flea, Benito Martinez, Indya Moore, Sturgill Simpson. Directed by
Melina Matsoukas. (132 min)
ON
BLU-RAY FROM UNIVERSAL
Review
by Stinky the Destroyer😸
If
you think you’ve had bad first dates, Queen & Slim
will refine the term for you.
Like everyone, I’ve
had a few dates that didn’t go quite as planned. Either these ladies
weren’t impressed by my inherent charm or fewer women enjoy an
evening of Natty Ice & skeet shooting than I once assumed. But at
least none of those dates ended with the two of us on-the-lam after
shooting a cop.
Queen
(Jodie Turner-Smith) and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) aren’t really
hitting-it-off, either. They clearly have nothing in common and don’t
appear too impressed with each other. But that’s okay, since we
like them anyway. During the drive home, they are pulled over by an
overzealous cop. The situation escalates and Slim ends up grabbing
the cop’s gun and killing him in self defense. Slim wants to call
the police, but Queen, a defense attorney with first-hand experience in social injustice, insists they flee the scene.
All
this happens before the title even flashes on the screen. Queen &
Slim masterfully establishes its plot, setting and lead
characters with more efficiency than any film I’ve seen in recent
memory.
Now
fugitives, the two head south without a solid plan beyond their
next move. Subjects of a massive manhunt, not only do Queen and Slim
become a media sensation, but reluctant folk heroes. Some are willing
to assist them in trying to flee the country, while many others rise
in protest of their treatment...sometimes violently. One of those who
assists them is Queen’s uncle, Earl (Bokeem Woodbine), a sleazy
pimp who’s already indebted to her (the reason why is just one of
the film’s many narrative surprises).
 |
| "You got the tires, baby. Now all you need is a car." |
The
film becomes a road trip that unfolds much like Thelma &
Louise, albeit with a
lot of relevant
commentary on today’s
tumultuous social climate. The real journey is the
one taken by the titular characters as they reassess themselves,
increasingly aware
that their entire future
has
boiled down to the next few days and the most
important thing left in their lives is each other.
Though
the film is sometimes shamelessly manipulative, it’s difficult not to get swept
along. Queen and Slim are not-only complex
characters, but extraordinarily likable and their transformation is compelling. As media scrutiny and public
protests intensify, so does their relationship, best
exemplified when Queen and Slim consummate their relationship by the
roadside while
a young boy they met the day
before – inspired by their
fame – intentionally shoots
a cop during a riot. It’s
at this moment we suspect things are
going to end all lot worse than any of my dates at the shooting
range.
Queen
& Slim ultimately becomes a
sweeping journey of
discovery, an engaging,
poignant story
bolstered by sympathetic
performances from
Kaluuya and
Turner-Smith. Confidently
directed by Melina Matsoukas (her
first film), we’ve
seen this type of movie before, but in the right hands, it’s still
a trip worth taking.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
FEATURETTES
- “A Deeper Meaning”; “Melina & Lena” (interview with
the director and screenwriter); “Off the Script” (keys scenes
along with text from the screenplay); “On the Run with Queen &
Slim”
AUDIO
COMMENTARY – by director Melina Matsoukas & screenwriter
Lena Waithe
DVD
& DIGITAL COPIES
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS.
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