On D List of Movie Reviews
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Disappearing Acts (2000)
Rate:
7
Viewed:
2/20
2/20:
Disappearing Acts is a big step down for Wesley Snipes who made a career out of starring in high profile pictures
with A-list stars.
That being said, it's easy to see how too good he is in this made-for-TV flick. It mostly works, and Wesley Snipes has nice
chemistry with Sanaa Lathan. They both do a good job of getting through many scenes. Sanaa Lathan is
better, more refined, and less corny than she was in Love & Basketball.
Disappearing Acts reminds me of How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
Unsurprisingly, both books were authored by
Terry McMillan. The latter is about age difference while the former is about education difference which can be
income as well. I can't help but wonder if it's a damning indictment against black men. In other words, it's all
about black women paying for everything while not minding their shortcomings.
In my opinion, the number one reason for the high rate of divorce/breakups is not knowing each other well enough. Another factor
is the tolerance level of individual's negatives. If it's low, the marriage/relationship won't work out. One or both will
end up having a short fuse. The third is financial which is the heart of this film.
Appearing overly buff, Wesley Snipes is a good-looking guy, so it's easy to see why Zora fell for his character. At
first, it's about looks and probably sex. Once they're past them, the reality of the relationship begins to
sink in. That's what Disappearing Acts is about.
I struggled the most with what rating to give: '6' or '7'. It's because I didn't like Franklin because of his selfishness,
and I thought Zora could do better than him. Yet he didn't physically beat her or abandon his sons from first marriage and
encouraged Zora to take responsibility for the baby. So, I give him credit.
However, having seen how their time together ended, I highly doubt Franklin will change. Sometimes, he was moping about not getting
attention from Zora, and whenever problems occurred, he would resort to drinking and be boorish and violent as
a result. Franklin did cover up a lot of his problems from the outset before confessing them to Zora when it got deeper which
tells me he knew what he was doing and therefore laid a trap on her.
All in all, Disappearing Acts is a tough movie to watch but is realistic when it comes to relationships.