The concept and the ridiculously mawkish trailer had me a bit worried going in, but thankfully this is for the most part a James Gray film - sensitive, mature, and reasonably intelligent in its approach to the story. Does it ever fully justify its exploration of race beyond the simplest observations? Not really, namely because it never fully develops our lead's friend Johnny into a full fledged character - he sort of just hangs around the edge of the frame for most of the film until they realize they need to cram in some backstory and motivations. Thankfully, though, that's not as massive of a drag on the film as you'd think, because Gray's family story at the center is genuinely moving and feels lived in, with solid performances all around. Hopkins once again is the scene stealer and imbues the whole thing with the simultaneous gravitas and playfulness that it truly needs.

GRADE: B