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Movies / On DVD / Constellation
Constellation

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Constellation (2007)

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Reviews Counted:20

Fresh:0

Rotten:20

Average Rating:3.3/10

Consensus: Though earnestly directed, Constellation lacks dramatic fireworks and eventually falls into TV-movie sentimentality.

Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Gabrielle Union (BRING IT ON, MOESHA) stars in CONSTELLATION as Carmel Boxer, a woman who loved the wrong man at the wrong time--a white man (David Clennon) in pre-civil rights Alabama.  After he... Gabrielle Union (BRING IT ON, MOESHA) stars in CONSTELLATION as Carmel Boxer, a woman who loved the wrong man at the wrong time--a white man (David Clennon) in pre-civil rights Alabama.  After he breaks her heart by succumbing to societal pressure, she spends a lifetime yearning for the love that could never be, while providing unconditional love for those all around her. Her death brings her loved ones back to Alabama to honor her and mend their own hearts after decades of dysfunction and mismanaged relationships. Carmel's younger, troubled artist brother, Helms (Billy Dee Williams), has lived in self-exile in Paris, neglecting his two daughters, Lucy (Melissa DeSousa) and Rosa (Zoe Saldana), and leaving behind an ex-wife (Lesley Ann Warren) and ex-lover (Rae Dawn Chong). It's the affection and respect everyone has for Carmel that brings them together, but now that she is gone, will her legacy offer enough motivation to heal damaged hearts? CONSTELLATION writer and director Jordan Walker-Pearlman brings together an outstanding ensemble cast who give strong performances against the stunning backdrop of Huntsville, Alabama. However, the essence of the story--the struggle of biracial relationships woven over decades through the hardships of broken families--is compelling, and the idea of being connected like a constellation of stars is heartwarming. [More]

Starring: Gabrielle Union, Lesley Ann Warren, Zoe Saldana, Billy Dee Williams

Starring: Gabrielle Union, Lesley Ann Warren, Zoe Saldana, Billy Dee Williams, Hill Harper, David Clennon, Rae Dawn Chong, Alex Newman

Director: Jordan Walker Pearlman

Director: Jordan Walker Pearlman
Producer: Shannon Murphy
Composer: Michael Bearden
Studio: Freestyle Releasing

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Constellation

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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The flashbacks are almost as smoothly subtle as the title of one of the paintings showcased by Billy Dee Williams’s character: Portrait of a Journey.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
02/10/07
Melissa Anderson
Melissa Anderson
Time Out New York

This overplotted, emotional dump plods along as if the characters are stuck in the cinematic equivalent of quicksand, never generating any traction because no matter how much everybody vents, nothing of consequence ever transpires.

Full Review Source: EURWeb | comment Comment
02/08/07
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
EURWeb

Neither the camera nor the script can focus.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
02/07/07
Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Entertainment Weekly

I'm nodding off just thinking about the long, static close-ups and endless scenes of people walking and sitting and doing nothing.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
02/06/07
Frank Lovece
Frank Lovece
Film Journal International

... the biggest problem is that the insights ... are strictly Hallmark TV movie stuff, an association reinforced by the mawkish visual style and score.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
02/05/07
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

The stage is set for emotional pyrotechnics that never quite materialize, because for all their squabbles, grudges and grievances, they all basically love each other.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
02/02/07
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

There are too many characters too sketchily defined, and some of the relationships are pure contrivances.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
02/02/07
Stephen Whitty
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger

Scenes in which little or nothing happens pass by slowly, and the only point of suspense is whether the number of tearful hugs at the end will reach double digits.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
02/02/07
Kyle Smith
Kyle Smith
New York Post

A movie whose abundant smarts are fatally compromised by its writer-director Jordan Walker-Pearlman's rudimentary filmmaking skills.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
02/02/07
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

Loosely edited scenes juxtaposed in the most vexing ways and completely disparate motifs blurs Constellation into an image that the Hubble Space Telescope could not sharpen.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
02/02/07
Tim Cogshell
Tim Cogshell
Boxoffice Magazine

If earnestness equaled skill, Constellation would be a classic.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
02/02/07
Matt Zoller Seitz
Matt Zoller Seitz
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Featuring a stalwart cast (many of whom appeared in Walker-Pearlman's 2000 drama, The Visit) and some delicately wrought moments, the film is unable to overcome its soap opera scenario and clunky pacing.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
02/01/07
Kevin Crust
Kevin Crust
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Although the performers -- including Lesley Ann Warren, David Clennon and Rae Dawn Chong -- are pleasing to watch with their semi-improvised encounters, their scenes don't add up to the accumulative glow the filmmaker had in mind.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
02/01/07
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

An accomplished cast that includes Billy Dee Williams, Lesley Ann Warren and Rae Dawn Chong struggles to elevate material that rarely gets deeper than a daytime soap, though it tries mightily.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
02/01/07
Sheri Linden
Sheri Linden
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The narration, intrusive and often unneeded, is interrupted by long sequences without dialogue.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
02/01/07
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic

Moody pictures, swollen music and portentous dialogue are all great, but they need to have a narrative propping them up.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
02/01/07
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday

Constellation positions itself as a sweeping, multigenerational tearjerker in the style of The Notebook, complete with endless shots of two characters staring meaningfully at one another while gloppy music wells on the soundtrack.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
02/01/07
Scott Foundas
Scott Foundas
L.A. Weekly

Lacks focus with its plethora of family entanglements.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
01/28/07
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

There are no revelations here, no real reconciliations, as nobody really hates each other.

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
01/27/07
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

It's tempting to simply dismiss Constellation as a TV movie-quality feature, but such a description nonetheless probably sells TV movies short.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
01/20/07
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Slant Magazine
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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