The Projector #96: "Morris from America" at Five: An Anniversary Mini-Appreciation (Patreon)

by Keith Phipps

I started out planning to write this week’s newsletter about August, traditionally a month of winning misfits, by singling out out a film celebrating the 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, or 25th anniversary of a late-August release, but couldn’t find an appropriate subject. I don’t think I’m off in my thinking. August 2018, for instance, brought us both The Meg and The Happytime Murders. Even that month’s Disney film, Christopher Robin, was kind of a misfit. (It’s pretty good, though.) But going back through the last 25 years, I didn’t find any great examples that embodied it. (Though, 15 years ago, August 2006 did offer both Step Up and Snakes on a Plane.)

One release did catch my eye, however. Released five years ago, Morris from America is a gem of a movie that got a little attention at the time, but I’m not sure it’s particularly well remembered, so consider this a kind of extended “Your Next Picture Show” segment inspired by having my memory jogged while consulting the-numbers.com. Directed by Chad Hartigan, it premiered at Sundance in 2016 where it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Its August release wasn’t the first time non-Sundance viewers got to see it, however. It rolled out on DirecTV Cinema — which still exists, though I had to do a quick search to confirm this — before reaching cinemas in August. But, despite good reviews, it never played more than a handful of theaters during a short release.

All this is kind of irrelevant now. Morris from America has now moved onto the streaming afterlife where all movies go, an even but crowded playing field in which Fast Five and Claire's Knee are both just a click away. (Morris can be found for free on a couple of services). What matters is the film, an insightful character study in which the eponymous 13-year-old Morris (nicely played by Markees Christmas) has to adjust to a new life in Germany where his widowed father Curtis (Craig Robinson) has moved to work as a soccer coach. Morris is marked as an outsider by his nationality, his skin color, his love of hip-hop, and an adolescent awkwardness that knows no boundaries. Carla Juri (Wetlands) co-stars as his tutor. And that’s… kind of it, which might explain why the film was a tough sell. There are dramatic incidents and a final act that involves a little bit of peril, sort of, but it’s mostly a thoughtful, funny character study driven by the performances of Christmas and Robinson, who brings a lot of nuance and tenderness to the role. It’s tempting to say Robinson’s never been better, but that’s not exactly fair. He’s a comedy all-star — nobody does what he does better — but it would be nice if his future included more opportunities like this.

In conclusion: Morris from America, good movie. Give it a chance.

Also a good movie (and an A24 release): The Green Knight. We’re just starting to get your thoughts and feelings, but keep them coming (or share them in the comments below). And if you want more to read, though not necessarily about The Green Knight, may we recommend the following?

• White Lotus? Ever hear of it? Do you have problems with it? Creator Mike White has heard them and that’s okay, he says in a Vulture interview.

• Also at Vulture, David Dastmalchian talks about life as a character actor and his adorably costumed cat.

• Adam Sandler: underground basketball star? Mel has an oral history of the phenomenon.