Antwone Fisher

Theatrical Release Date: 2003 01 10 (USA)

UPC: 024543077060

Studio: 20th Century Fox

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Violence, Adult Situations, Adult Language, Watch With Your Teen]

Summary: The directorial debut of Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington, Antwone Fisher is an autobiographical drama written by the real-life Antwone Fisher. Played by newcomer Derek Luke, Antwone is a volatile young sailor in the Navy, getting into trouble for his constant fighting. When he gets appointed to see naval psychiatrist Dr. Jerome Davenport (Denzel Washington), he begins to reveal the emotional problems behind his rage. Through an introduction to anger management, Antwone is able to confront some secrets of his past and eventually search out his family for a confrontation. Also starring model-turned-actress Joy Bryant as Antwone's girlfriend, Cheryl, and Salli Richardson as Davenport's wife. Antwone Fisher's memoir, Finding Fish, was released to book stores right before the film's theatrical release. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Top Ten Movie of the Year – American Film Institute Best Original Screenplay – Writers Guild of America Breakthrough Performance - Male – National Board of Review Best Actor – Independent Spirit Awards

Features: ccFull-length audio commentary by director Denzel Washington and producer Todd Black
"Meeting Antwone Fisher" featurette
"The Making of Antwone Fisher" behind-the-scenes featurette
"Hollywood and the Navy" featurette

Antwone Fisher

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 05/20/2003

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DDS Dolby Digital Surround

Runtime: 120 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Antwone's Dream
2. Busted
3. The Psychiatrist
4. Cheryl
5. Nothing to Say
6. From Under a Rock
7. The Titles
8. Jesse
9. Feeling Powerful
10. Slipping Up
11. Meet Me at 1700
12. Dating Advice
13. The First Date
14. The Davenports' Problem
15. Touble in Mexico
16. Nadine
17. Davenport's Guest
18. Being Honest
19. Thanksgiving
20. Who Will Cry
21. Time to Move On
22. Losing Jesse
23. Two Tickets to Cleveland
24. Antwone's Lover
25. I'm Still Standing
26. Looking for My Family
27. Auntie Annette
28. The Elkins
29. Eva
30. Welcome to the Family
31. I Salute You
32. End Titles

Josh Ralske

Based on a true story, with a screenplay written by its protagonist, Denzel Washington's directorial debut, Antwone Fisher is a competent tearjerker and self-composed hagiography that's sure to be overpraised for its subtle near-avoidance of racial issues. Talented neophyte Derek Luke stars in the title role, and he's supported by a strong, attractive cast, including director Washington, stolid as he's ever been, as the shrink who helps Fisher come to terms with his past, and the luminous Joy Bryant as the angel of a woman who improbably throws herself at Fisher's feet. Her apparent beatitude is part of the problem with the film. We see the horrific, if overly familiar, privations of Fisher's early life in flashback, but in later life, as the film begins, things seem to fall a bit too quickly and conveniently into place for the young man as he seeks out and battles his demons. The film also risks misinterpretation by accepting the societal racism responsible for many of Fisher's woes as a given. The film doesn't address race directly as an issue in Antwone's life. Of course, more thoughtful viewers will understand that Antwone's oppressors (who are all black) are themselves the products of an internalized racism, but less-thoughtful white viewers may appreciate feeling like they've been let off the hook in this instance because there are no racist, or even unpleasant, white people depicted in the film. Whether or not it's screenwriter Fisher's and/or director Washington's responsibility to explicate the sociopathology of its black oppressors is an interesting question. The fact remains that the film, with its postcard vistas and overblown score, works as drama on only the most rudimentary level. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Cast and Crew: O.L. Duke  Actor 
Na'tasha Marie Evans  Actor 
Kim Johnson  Actor 
Leo Nepomuceno  Actor 
Lynne Charles  Actor 
Charlie Robinson  Actor 
Jason Dixon  Actor 
Teresa Hoefke  Actor 
Mary Bradley Marable  Actor 
Ruth Stehle  Actor 
Bob Banks  Actor 
Ellis Williams  Actor 
Eddie Baccus  Actor 
Lissy Gulick  Actor 
Brandon Lewis  Actor 
Edward C. Reynolds III  Actor 
De'Angelo Wilson  Actor 
David Fowler  Actor 
Malcolm David Kelley  Actor 
John Pittman Jr.  Actor 
Kang Sung  Actor 
Margaret Ford-Taylor  Actor 
Vernée Watson Johnson  Actor 
Michelle Davison  Actor 
Andreas Patton  Actor 
Brandon Biggins  Actor 
Cory Hodges  Actor 
Rita Pearson  Actor 
Leonard Earl Howze  Actor 
Linda Cevallos  Actor 
Angela Gillespie-Winborn  Actor 
Jada S. Louie  Actor 
Janaya Reynolds  Actor 
Sean'e La'dae  Actor 
Timothy Reddick  Actor 
Jascha Washington  Actor 
Fran Dorsey  Actor 
Doug Jewell  Actor 
Rebecca Morris  Actor 
Cordell Stokes  Actor 
Denzel Washington  Director 
Denzel Washington  Producer 
Todd Black  Producer 
Mychael Danna  Composer (Music Score) 
Randa Haines  Producer 
Nancy Paloian-Breznikar  Executive Producer 
Antwone Quenton Fisher  Screenwriter 
Derek Luke  Actor 
Joy Bryant  Actor 
Denzel Washington  Actor 
Salli Richardson  Actor 
Earl Billings  Actor 
Kevin Connolly  Actor 
Viola Davis  Actor 
Rainoldo Gooding  Actor 
Novella Nelson  Actor 
Yolonda Ross  Actor 
Kente Scott  Actor 
Stephen Snedden  Actor 

Country: USA