Major Disappointment

Rating: 4/10 (5 May 2015)

After watching the Academy Awards last Feb I greatly anticipated watching Selma but man, was I ever so disappointed. I found it trite, full of stereotypes, overacted, and misdirected.
As a child of the 60s, who lived in deep Georgia, I was looking for an accurate historical representation, if not a reasonable hyperbole of the time. I got neither in Selma. It was painful to watch for the first few minutes and proceeded to get worse from there.
David Oyelowo is a fine actor but I think he was done wrong by the director, Ava DuVernay, who is clearly over her head in this film. If I'm not mistaken, this is DuVernay's first time up as director of a major motion picture (if ever) and I get the sense this is a student film. Not only is the directing amateurish but the blocking and shot selection feels forced and from a neophyte.
Its a shame, because I had so much hope and wanted so much more for this story of Dr. MLK, Jr. I guess we'll just have to wait for the next go around, if there is one. Hopefully next time, however, the studio will select a seasoned professional to direct.