An eloquent, impoverished, black homosexual street hustler
(Will Smith), claiming to be the son of Sidney Poitier, insinuates himself into
the lives of a snobbish Upper Eastside couple (Donald Sutherland and Stockard
Channing) who are at first charmed, then repelled when his ruse is made
apparent, and again delighted to have the experience as an anecdote for social
gatherings. John Guare’s adaptation of his own class comedy stageplay takes an
irritating comic tone which shifts into more serious fare and gives the film
weight. Fred Schepisi overdirects in the hopes of opening the material up for
the screen, although the film does featuring some outstanding exterior visuals
of the city. Sutherland and Channing (an Oscar nominee) are irritating and
off-putting, probably by design, and Smith is surprisingly quite good in this
odd early career acting choice.
** 1/2 out of ****
