‘Rustin’ dutifully gives the March on Washington leader an overdue showcase
(CNN) — Giving an unsung hero of the civil-rights movement his overdue moment, “Rustin” shines a flattering if dutiful spotlight on Bayard Rustin – the ally of Martin Luther King Jr. who organized the March on Washington – in a movie biography that isn’t as good as Colman Domingo’s central performance. Despite a glittering pedigree, the result is an earnest film deficient in the inspirational qualities of its subject matter.
The “why” of Rustin’s dismissal by history resided in his status as an openly gay (or as openly as the world would allow) Black man in the 1960s, as well as political jockeying within the movement. The latter included skepticism regarding King (played by Aml Ameen) from congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (Jeffrey Wright), and intense pressure to mount an event that would bring out enough people and celebrities to gain the attention of the Kennedy administration.
Rustin, meanwhile, deals with personal distractions, including his attraction a married pastor (Johnny Ramey) grappling with inconvenient secrets about himself, a detour from the focus on the march that doesn’t add as much to the story as it should.
Domingo (“Fear the Walking Dead”) gets past Rustin’s distinctive mannerisms and voice (as well as makeup reflecting old injuries) to the man underneath, one committed to the cause, stirred by his partnership with King and essentially resigned to occupying a back seat in terms of his public profile because of who he was. Still, he didn’t suffer from self-doubts about his contributions and value, laying them out to naysayers – while his appreciative staff looks on – in one of the film’s better scenes.
As for the pedigree, in addition to acclaimed stage director George C. Wolfe working from a script by Julian Breece and Dustin Lance Black (“Milk”), the producers include Barack and Michelle Obama under their Higher Ground production banner. (Obama posthumously honored Rustin with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.)
Yet if “Rustin” provides its namesake recognition he was largely denied in life, it does so in a somewhat paint-by-numbers package, creating few memorable moments from anyone beyond Domingo despite a supporting cast that also includes Chris Rock, Glynn Turman, Audra McDonald and CCH Pounder in relatively small roles.
Landing on Netflix after the obligatory theatrical run, “Rustin” finally works better as history than it does as drama. While its namesake might have assisted King’s rise to the mountaintop, in cinematic terms, the movie occupies a tier somewhere below it.
“Rustin” premieres November 17 on Netflix. It’s rated PG-13.
The-CNN-Wire
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