Where being 'Black and Proud' can take you!

Rating: 7/10 (16 January 2013)

I think anyone who has ever attempted to organize and direct a group to achieve success in any artistic activity can appreciate this film.
The thing I found heart-warming about this story was how a group of white teenagers from Dublin seize upon the idea to study 'Black Soul Music' as their route out of the Irish Ghetto and as a ticket to success. The notion is actually the brainchild of Jimmy Rabbitte, and having directed plays in High School and straight out of Community College, I could easily identify with what he was trying to do. He forms this motley crew of singers and musicians; some of whom can barely stand each other, all of whom can't stand the lead singer Deco Cuffe.
Most stories on film will find Blacks emulating the successful actions of White people in order to achieve success in life. Sometimes they would take this too far and to their chagrin receive the censure of their peers for 'trying to act White'. This film was refreshing because you saw white kids intently studying James Brown and Otis Redding and others in order to analyze the dynamics of what makes Soul Music work. All the while with Jimmy Rabbitte exhorting them to "-say it once and say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud!"
Quite a stretch for teenagers in Dublin and just when you think they've got it down and the flywheel is finally connected to the engine of their emotions and transmitting force; well, you'll see what I mean. I really enjoyed seeing them practice their lyrics while ironing clothes or practicing their moves while hanging the wash on the line. It reminded me of what it is like for working class people to struggle and claw their way up on the path towards a dream. Many of the claustrophobic interior scenes reminded me of places where I visited friends in the Projects and quite frankly, it was a revelation to me that there were White People who lived in Ghetto conditions too. This gave credence to the tagline, 'They started out with nothing, and were ready to risk it all!'. It also explains why they were even ready to grasp at the straw of 'Soul Music' for a leg up if they could get it. This is the burning desire of the poor person to raise him or herself up by any means and comes across as a universal aspiration.
There is also this air of youth blooming into adulthood not quite certain what is out there for them, but ready to explore and try anything. This is the spirit that is the salvation of the Human Race and says, "-let me try this viewpoint on for awhile and see what its value is for me and what I can take from it to create a personal life expression." Between Jimmy Rabbitte's pep talks and his father declaring that Elvis is God and two of the female backup singers berating sexy Imelda Quirke for 'prick-teasing' and Joey 'The Lips' Fagan shagging one of the ladies to Barry White or Isaac Hayes, we're happy to be their running buddies as they stroll the streets and alight from the buses of Dublin into their own version of Soul Music.
I found that moment when it seems as though they have risen above the limitations of conflicting personalities and environmental pressures especially elegiac and poignant. There is that moment in the life of many a youth where it seems as though they have grasped the whole world and taken a glimpse of what is possible for them. There is that moment in this film. What was exciting was to see what each of the characters took as a Life Lesson from this particular adventure into Soul Music once the smoke cleared and the dust settled.
When Jimmy Rabbitte speaks to the interviewer from the future about his inevitable success while in the bathtub or while washing his hands and looking into the Restroom mirror, I was reminded of my own attempts to sign on the dotted line the contract with myself for triumph.
'The Commitments' is a great way to find out what it all means.