moonspinner55 Review of Down in the Delta

Down in the Delta (1998)

Woodard is terrific as usual, but film is glossy and shallow...

[5/10 · 14 September 2008]

First-time director Maya Angelou probably didn't plan on making a slick piece of goods about a hard-partying single mom who gains personal strength and direction after a move to Mississippi, but that's what she got. Perhaps too much outside interference watered down Angelou's intentions, leaving the early scenes set in the Chicago ghetto looking pat and Hollywood-ized. I didn't buy a single scene in this movie until Alfre Woodard finally transfers to her new home in the South, and from there the plot (however contrived) gained momentum and focus (much like Woodard's character). The final 30 minutes or so are really worth savoring, but there's a lot of soapy, shallow clichés to wade through first. ** from ****