Gimme the Loot won the Grand Jury Best Narrative Feature at last year’s SXSW Festival, and writer/director Adam Leon won the “Someone to Watch” Award at the Independent Spirit Awards earlier this year based on his work on this movie. With that sort of buzz I wanted to see if Gimme the Loot was really as good as the accolades said it was. I am happy to say I wasn’t disappointed at all.
Sofia (Tashiana Washington) and Malcolm (Ty Hickson) are young Bronx graffiti artists who find that their recent art has been painted over by a group of Mets-loving Queens graffiti artists. To get back at them, Sofia and Malcolm come up with a plan to tag their names on Citi Field’s “Big Apple” — a huge apple that pops up whenever a Mets player hits a home run. The movie follows their attempts to swindle, cheat, and steal their way to the $500 they need to pay off a guy Malcolm knows who is a security guard at Citi Field. Along the way they cross paths with various unsavory characters, including Champion (Meeko), an experienced thief.
However, the movie is also about the friendship between Sofia and Malcolm and their support for each other. While Sofia is doubling her efforts to raise cash, Malcolm meets Ginnie (Zoë Lescaze), a society girl who Malcolm can’t help but be allured by with a “Nantucket money” mother. Though he soon is smitten, he learns a harsh lesson from her which makes him reevaluate his friendship with Sofia. It also introduces an interesting dynamic between the haves and have-nots of New York City.
One of the great aspects of the film is that while what Malcolm and Sofia do is illegal, their characters are not portrayed to be criminals. They’re kids with a goal to become famous graffiti artists, and while that might not be the most wholesome goal it’s more than you can say for the aimless, troubled teenagers that are in most films. In fact, the attitude they have for their “mission” reminded me a lot of the never-say-die attitude of the kids in Stand By Me (part of that might have to do with Gimme the Loot‘s wonderful mostly-retro soundtrack, which certainly doesn’t reflect the film’s culture but makes an excellent fit). As a diehard New York Mets fan I would hate to see the team’s stadium defaced, but I couldn’t help but root for Malcolm and Sofia to succeed.
Gimme the Loot is highlighted by three great performances, and each actor is a relative newcomer to acting. This is the first starring role for both Washington and Hickson, and it certainly won’t be the last for either of them. Hickson’s Malcolm is hysterical in his rapid-fire delivery of Leon’s dialogue. Malcolm is quick-witted, but at the same time a naive optimist, and Hickson demonstrates that not only through his delivery but his body language. Washington is also wonderful as the tomboyish Sofia (something she is subtly self-conscious about), and is one of the toughest characters of either gender I’ve ever seen in a movie — and far more level-headed than Malcolm. The third great performance comes from Meeko as Champion, who is hysterical in his first movie role. Meeko brings a gruff yet endearing authenticity to his role that I haven’t seen since Danny Trejo started acting (and though I wish Meeko a great career, I hope he doesn’t take every role he’s offered like Trejo!) Though they’re working from a clever script, these actors make the movie a fun experience — and it is a far more enjoyable look at street subcultures of New York African American youth than Spike Lee‘s sour Red Hook Summer.
I might be as far as one can get from the graffiti culture of Malcolm and Sofia’s lives, but Gimme the Loot is so far the most enjoyable movie I’ve seen this year. I hope audiences all over will have the chance to experience it.
Rating: A very funny and endearing comedy with excellent performances from the three leads (8.5/10).
Gimme the Loot will have a limited release starting March 22 and will be available on VOD starting March 29.
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