While countless coming-of-age indies have followed the standard mold of following a new teen boy's first awkward steps ahead, writer/director Chad Hartigan's compassionate mix of charm, heartache and hip-hop ramps up this version handsomely.
Morris from America
Nothing rhymes with Germany
2016 · 1h 29m · R
Drama, Romance
Directed by
Chad Hartigan
Overview
13-year-old Morris Gentry has just relocated with his single father, Curtis to Heidelberg, Germany. Morris, who fancies himself the next Notorious B.I.G., is a complete fish-out-of-water—a budding hip-hop star in an EDM world. To complicate matters further, Morris quickly falls hard for his cool, rebellious, 15-year-old classmate Katrin. Morris sets out against all odds to take the hip-hop world by storm and win the girl of his dreams.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
While "Morris From America" trundles along familiar tracks, Hartigan's eye for detail and individuality yields enough dividends to keep the film moving tartly and congenially along.
"Morris from America" feels thin at times. But at its best, its themes of growing up, culture gaps and the power of music take the specific and make them universal.
The truehearted insights in Chad Hartigan's Sundance award-winner - about adolescence, about alienation, about parenting, about race - make it a must-see.
Morris [is] played by marvelous newcomer Markees Christmas in a breakout performance.
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