‘On the Come Up’ Evaluation: Sanaa Lathan Shines in Her Directorial Debut

There was no scarcity of hip-hop star-is-born narratives hitting screens in recent times, however very like hip-hop itself for many of its historical past, there hasn’t at all times been a complete lot of house for girls. Sanaa Lathan’s “On the Come Up,” which tracks a teenage woman’s sophisticated rise by means of the battle rap circuit to the much more sophisticated heights of viral stardom, gives a welcome exception to this rule, however fortuitously it has much more going for it than simply that. As frank and tough-minded and as it’s heat and candy, “On the Come Up” is a vastly promising debut from the actor-turned-director.

Sixteen-year-old Bri (Jamila C. Grey) is already a gifted rapper after we first meet her in her fictitious neighborhood of Backyard Heights, and she or he’s already been by means of a complete lifetime’s price of upheaval. Her father was a legendary native MC named Lawless, who was murdered simply as his profession was starting to take off. She spent a part of her childhood away from her mom (Lathan) whereas she battled drug habit, and although she’s now clear, their mother-daughter bond has but to completely mend. And what’s extra, as a part of the small contingent of Black college students at her faculty, she’s pressured to cope with unsympathetic directors and suspicious campus cops, certainly one of whom body-slams her to the bottom after he spots her promoting Skittles to a classmate.

But there’s nothing tragic or self-pitying about Bri, who has some massive ambitions of her personal to fret about. She needs to comply with in her father’s footsteps underneath the rap identify Lil Regulation, and as managed by her boisterous, drug-dealing Aunt Pooh (an amazing Da’Vine Pleasure Randolph), she first units her sights on Backyard Heights’ cutthroat newbie scene. After just a few false begins, her rhymes be a focus for her father’s outdated supervisor, a now-wealthy impresario named Supreme (Cliff “Methodology Man” Smith), who lately scored a significant document deal for one more neighborhood up-and-comer (Lil Yachty, clearly having fun with himself). Towards Aunt Pooh’s strongly-worded recommendation, Bri decides to listen to him out.

In the meantime, Bri navigates the remaining horrors of highschool along with her childhood good friend Malik (Michael Cooper Jr.), who’s brutally sincere about all the things aside from the truth that he clearly has a crush on her. And when her mom’s precarious employment state of affairs begins to result in “ultimate discover” utility payments, Bri’s rap battle winnings make her the household’s momentary breadwinner, introducing yet one more uncomfortable dose of stress into their already tenuous relationship.

Tailored from “The Hate U Give” writer Angie Thomas’ second novel, the screenplay typically struggles to maintain all of its numerous threads woven collectively – Bri’s battles along with her faculty district are likely to recede from view for lengthy stretches, solely to shock you after they reemerge with pressure – however Lathan imbues the movie with a sure looseness that offers these ebbs and flows the sensation of actual life. Subtler moments are given house to breathe, characters are allowed to make errors with out these errors defining their characters, and Lathan’s emphasis on the gray shades inside the movie’s broader conflicts helps elevate the story above its extra formulaic parts. As typically occurs in these kinds of narratives, Bri is ultimately pressured to choose between careerism and inventive integrity, however even right here the movie is properly attuned to how positive the road might be between promoting out and enjoying the sport, and the way unpredictable the results of both choice might be.

However what actually ties “On the Come Up” collectively is Bri, who at all times seems like a fully-fleshed character at the same time as she braves these acquainted narrative hurdles. She’s neither an uber-confident force-of-nature, nor a “who, me?” wallflower. At occasions she’s grounded and smart past her years, at others she’s naïve and even inconsiderate. In different phrases, she’s positively 16 years outdated, and the movie is sensible in regards to the ways in which precocious expertise and age-appropriate immaturity can simply coexist. Newcomer Grey does splendidly within the position, retaining the character’s prickly edges and underlying vulnerability in delicate steadiness all through, whereas tackling the efficiency scenes like a professional. (Cult hip-hop artist Rapsody penned the movie’s rhymes, and she or he offers us loads of rewind-worthy traces to digest.)

The appearing is impressed throughout, from Cooper’s shy, marble-mouthed allure, to Methodology Man’s surprisingly nuanced tackle a music trade hustler – he could also be cynical and untrustworthy, however he permits you to see precisely the place his chilly calculation comes from. And but Lathan saves one of many movie’s trickiest roles for herself, bringing each flintiness and sensitivity to a personality pressured to stroll a tightrope between asserting parental authority over her daughter, and profitable again her affection after numerous errors. Lathan has assembled an admirable physique of labor within the 20 years since her breakout in “Love & Basketball,” however between her twin roles right here and her current first Emmy nomination for “Succession,” it seems like the broader trade may lastly be beginning to acknowledge the complete scope of her abilities. In that case, it’s lengthy overdue.