Charm City Kings

> "*Life happens at the crossroads*."
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> ― The film's tagline.
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**Charm City Kings** is a 2020 American drama film directed by Angel Manuel Soto, from a screenplay by Sherman Payne, and a story by Kirk Sullivan, Chris Boyd, and Barry Jenkins. It is a film adaptation of the documentary, "12 O'Clock Boys" by Lotfy Nathan.

The film stars Jahi Di'Allo Winston, Meek Mill, Will Catlett, Teyonah Parris, Donielle Tremaine Hansley, and Kezii Curtis.

*Charm City Kings* had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2020. It is scheduled to be released on October 8, 2020, by HBO Max.

## **Synopsis**

Fourteen-year-old Mouse desperately wants to join the Midnight Clique, an infamous group of Baltimore dirt-bike riders who rule the summertime streets.

## **Official 'HBO Max' Description**

> "*In this stirring coming-of-age drama, 14-year-old Mouse and his best friends Lamont and Sweartagawd desperately want to join The Midnight Clique, an infamous group of dirt bikers who rule West Baltimore’s summertime streets. Following the tragic death of his older brother Stro, a legendary Midnight rider, Mouse is determined to win the respect of the neighborhood, help provide for his family, and above all, be a man. As his mom Teri and mentor Detective Rivers work overtime to help the bright, charismatic teen reach his full potential, Midnight’s leader, Blax, takes Mouse under his wing – an act of kindness that inadvertently leads Mouse down a road paved with fast money and violence*."
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## **Cast**

* Jahi Di'Allo Winston as Mouse
* Meek Mill as Blax
* Will Catlett as Detective Rivers
* Teyonah Parris as Terri
* Donielle Tremaine Hansley as Lamont
* Kezii Curtis as Sweartagawdyhh
* Charles D. Clark as Trap House King Pin
* Marvin Raheem as Derrick

## **Production**

In September 2018, it was announced Jahi Di'Allo Winston, Will Catlett, and Teyonah Parris had joined the cast of the film, with Angel Manuel Soto directing from a screenplay by Sherman Payne and a story by Kirk Sullivan, Chris Boyd, and Barry Jenkins. Overbrook Entertainment will produce the film, with Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith serving as executive producers and Sony Pictures Classics distributing, with the film being an adaptation of the documentary 12 O'Clock Boys. In October 2018, Meek Mill joined the cast of the film.

### Filming

Principal photography began in October 2018.

### Release

It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2020. It was also scheduled to screen at South by Southwest on March 15, 2020, but the festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was scheduled to be released on April 10, 2020, by Sony Pictures Classics, but was rescheduled to August 14, 2020, due to the pandemic. In May 2020, it was announced HBO Max had acquired distribution rights to the film. It is scheduled to be released on October 8, 2020.

## **Reception**

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 88% based on reviews from 17 critics, with an average rating of 7.62/10. At Metacritic, the film received a weighted average score of 63 out of 100 based on 5 reviews from mainstream critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com reviewed the film from its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, and called it "an incredible triumph from a slew of fresh talent."