Overall, I would say Chi-Raq was a good film. There were definitely some interesting choices made. Like the first few minutes of the film being a black screen with red lyrics fading in and out to Nick Cannon's song "Pray 4 My City." There's also a scene where Chi-Raq (Nick Cannon) and Lysistrata (Teyonah Parris) are making love and request the lights be turned out, and we hear them continue and eventually almost climax all while sitting in a dark theater looking at a black screen. There's also Dolmedes (Samuel L. Jackson). He never really interacts with the cast. He's more of a narrator, nay...more like someone who adds additional context to the film by using his Zach Morris powers (aka, he can pause time to speak directly to the audience). There are several scenes reminiscent of "School Dayz"...the singing and dance numbers (no it's not a musical), the group of people having an audible reaction in unison, the proclamation to "WAKE UP," and even a scene where the men are kind of sneaking into a building. If you've watched School Daze as much as I have, you'll know the moments when you see them.
I was also thrown off when I realized much of the film would be done in rhyme. When Chi-Raq and Lysistrata's lines began rhyming for the first time it was honestly hard for me to enjoy. For one thing, I wasn't expecting it. And secondly, Nick Cannon just didn't deliver well when his lines rhymed. Something was off, but he did a wonderful job when his lines weren't rhyming. And in the next scene with rhyming lines, between Lysistrata and Miss Helen (Angela Bassett), I felt relieved. Bassett did it perfectly, and then I knew I would be able to survive the rhyming lines (though I still found it hard to bear at times when Nick Cannon's lines rhymed). I'm going to assume the rhyming may be related to the fact that the film is a modern-day adaptation of the Ancient Greek comedy, Lysistrata (I know some of you were hating on her name not knowing it is a real name of a character from an Ancient Greek comedy).
The only thing that made me cringe more than when Nick Cannon had lines that rhymed, were the scenes with Cyclops (Wesley Snipes)! Can someone fill me in on what Spike Lee was going for with Cyclops? I mean, Snipes knows how to be a gangster. #NinoBrown But Cyclops was giving us Superfly one minute, a weak Nino another minute, a dash of Mike Tyson, and I don't know what else. It was as if they were trying to make him give some partial comic relief, but it read as corny to me. Furthermore, there was no need for his character to give us comic relief in the way he did, because 1) it was more corny than funny and 2) the movie had plenty of comic relief (though some fell flat to me). And the funniest part about it is that he was in the only scene Dave Chappelle was in as the character Morris. And Snipes was the corniest in this scene, which was even more evident when he's talking to Chappelle. Chappelle is funny in the scene, but not "Chappelle Show" funny (you know how the show would be almost-crossing into corniness but so perfectly done it doesn't cross the corny line and is just funny as heck). So while Chappelle is funny, but not corny, the cornball factor of Snipes attempt at comedy in the scene is even more exacerbated because the camera keeps cutting to Chappelle and so you match up Snipes character with your memories of "The Chappelle Show." But again, Snipes played Nino Brown. So I can only guess this cornball factor is a result of poor or confusing direction.
Speaking of Snipes and Chappelle, who isn't in this film?! I mean even Big Mama is in the film! That's right, Irma P. Hall who played Mother Joe in "Soul Food" is in it. As is Steve Harris ("The Practice," "Diary of a Mad Black Woman"), La La Anthony ("Think Like a Man," "Think Like a Man Too"), Roger Guenveur Smith ("He Got Game," "Do the Right Thing," "Eve's Bayou"), Isiah Whitlock Jr. ("The Wire"...and yes, he hit us with one of his longest "Shiiiiiiiiid" I've seen), and Harry Lennix.
John Cusack was Father Mike Corridan, and he did a fantastic job! As a White pastor of an all Black congregation on the Southside of Chicago, I was waiting on Spike to reveal some crooked reason for his choice to be over an all Black congregation. And even after he took me to church (well in the way he preached and in speaking the truth of the Black struggle, not actually preaching the Word), I still awaited the revelation of his secret crooked ways. But the revelation never came. It seems he truly wanted to be there for good reasons, or as he tells Chi-Raq, because Jesus was with the poor and suffering.
Bassett and Parris also did a great job! In typical Bassett fashion, she delivered a strong performance. Parris carried the lead role perfectly. But another actress stole the show, in my opinion. She brought me to tears in her first scene early in the film and in her final scene towards the end of the film. JENNIFER HUDSON!! It was more than the scene and plot, because she was not the only one to endure pain in the film or cry during the film. Her emotion was so real and moving. I cried not for what she lost in the scene, but I cried because of the pain I was seeing come through her!!! Amazing job JHud!!
Overall, it was a an enjoyable film that managed to give you laughter in the midst of giving you a serious and much needed message. And it is most definitely a Spike Lee Joint. But more importantly, it is a movie that speaks great truths, shares some history, shares some pain, and moves you to want to help make change happen!