Starring Beyonce Knowles, Mekhi Phifer, Mos Def (Yasiin Bey), and Rah Digga
Directed by Robert Townsend
Music and Lyrics by various
This is the second time the opera Carmen was made into an all-black musical with an updated setting. Carmen Jones debuted on Broadway in 1943; a film version was released in 1954. Both were surprise hits, thanks to excellent casts singing the music of Bizet and Oscar Hammerstein. This one came out at the height of an explosion of popularity in rap and hip-hop music. The gritty urban sound came off the streets and on the charts the decade before, but it really started to make waves as the millenniums flipped and groups like Destiny's Child mixed hip-hop, pop, and rock sensibilities. Beyonce Knowles, the lead singer of Destiny's Child, was just becoming an international superstar when she made this, her first acting job. How does the tale of a wanna-be actress who leads a cop into tragedy look today? Let's begin on the streets of Philadelphia, as two cops cruise the downtown to keep the citizens on the straight and narrow, to find out...
The Story: Carmen Brown (Knowles) is an aspiring actress who causes trouble wherever she goes, usually between men. She meets police officer Sgt. Derek Hill (Phifer) when he's supposed to take her home after she's in a fight at a local bar. She ends up getting him to her apartment and seducing him into letting her go. He's caught the next day by his cocktail waitress girlfriend Caela (Reagan Gomez-Preston) and corrupt boss Lieutenant Miller (Mos Def).
Hill ends up in jail, but even there, he can't stop thinking about Carmen. She's more interested in getting to Los Angeles and joining her best friends with successful rapper Blaze (Casey Lee). Hill's facing probation after he does get out, but he punches out Miller for insulting Carmen and the two end up running to LA. Carmen can' find work there, but she does find her friends and Blaze. Hill's furious when she dumps him to join Blaze. Miller realizes that Hill knows how corrupt he is and goes after him, too. Carmen only cares about being a star...but her passions will end up being her downfall when Hill confronts her at Blaze's sold-out concert.
The Song and Dance: For a movie based after an opera, I appreciate how unpretentious this is. It's the kind of thing that's low-budget, knows it, and runs with it. The men do mildly better than the ladies, with Phifer a touching Hill when he's not called on to sing and Mos Def excellent as his corrupt partner. You probably can't get much more downtown urban 2001 than this movie, with the ladies all in skimpy t-shirts and huge jeans and the guys in fedoras and t-shirts or plaid.
Favorite Number: "Carmen In Lou's Pub" is her introduction, as she flits from man to man and delights in being the center of attention. "Carmen Seduces Hill" in her lingerie at home, and boy, does it work. "Hill's Prison Song" has his jail bird buddies (Jermaine Dupri and Chad Moss) trying to tell him Carmen's bad news while he continues to obsess over her. "The B.L.A.Z.E Song" introduces Blaze and his own brand of seduction as he sings about how wonderful it is to be powerful. "Girls' California Dreams" takes Hill and Carmen to Los Angeles when they drive across the US in a cheesy montage that makes ample use of back projection, green screen, and early CGI lettering over people's heads. They have an "Argument at the Motel" over Carmen's lack of success in finding acting work. A fortune teller's (Wyclif Jean) cards tell him that this is Carmen's "Death Song," but she's not ready to leave this world yet.
What I Don't Like: Knowles would later become a decent actress in movies like Dreamgirls, but here, she's stiff, has little chemistry with Phifer, and has no idea how to play to the camera. Her friends from Destiny's Child are even less interesting. Phifer's not a bad singer, but he doesn't quite have the pipes she does, and they sound awkward in their duets. The film frequently shows it's a made-for-cable movie from 2001 with its cheesy special effects and simple and dull sets and costumes. It's more like a music video from this time period stretched to feature length. Ironically, for all that, it's also too short to squeeze in all the plot they want to have. It probably should have been at least 20 minutes longer.
Also, keep in mind that, as per the original story, this is not a lighthearted romp. This is very dark, has an extremely depressing ending, and is absolutely not recommended for younger kids.
The Big Finale: I'm going to be thoroughly honest and admit I'm not the biggest fan of rap, so this probably isn't up my alley. If you're more into the singers or the genre than I am or are a huge fan of Beyance or any of the rap stars involved, this is worth checking out at once for some half-way decent numbers alone.
Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming.
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