Word: benjy
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...tells the story of a black 13-year-old growing up in a Los Angeles ghetto. While the story explores the various intricacies of this environment (the roof-tops, the asphalt basketball courts and the classrooms), it is primarily a study of the relationship that builds between the boy, Benji (played by Larry Scott) and his stepfather, Butler (Paul Winfield...
...Benji's real father abandons his family at some point previous to the opening of the narrative, leaving his wife, Sweets (Cicely Tyson), to fend for herself. Sweets meets Butler, who soon becomes the bread-winner for the family. Benji refuses to accept Butler as a father despite the latter's conciliatory advances. If this relationship provides the framework for comprehending the machinations of Benji's character, then the other individuals furnish the embellishment necessary to reach that understanding...
...Benji displays an unusual sensitivity for an adolescent. He is encouraged by his teachers at certain points in the movie to give his personal beliefs or thoughts. His responses are profound and shocking in that they reveal a deep-seated irony that ultimately reflects a deep awareness of his Blackness. At one point, for example, after Benji has presented a masterful essay to his English class, his teacher (the only white administrator outside the principal in the school) approaches him and says, "You know, Benji, that was very good. I think you would make a good writer. You could become...
...attempt to escape his loneliness and frustration, Benji turns to drugs. His habit gets progressively worse and little by little his world falls apart: first he starts stealing from his own family, then a friend dies of an overdose and finally, in a moment of abject despair, he attempts suicide...
...light of these previous successes, Winfield's appearance in Hero is somewhat disappointing. As Butler, Winfield's behavior oscillates between tenderness and violence, and his relationship with Benji throughout the movie is uneasy...