The Least Among You (2009/Lionsgate DVD)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C+     Extras: C     Feature: C-

 

 

Yet another entry in a cycle of “faith films” that do more to destroy one’s faith in filmmaking, storytelling and everything else, The Least Among You (2009) is yet the same old story about faith saving someone on the oversimplest of levels, but this one is tied to a young man (Cedric Sanders) who is arrested and must serve time at an all-white seminary after participating in the Watts Riots.

 

Bypassing anything important about the Civil Rights Movement and anything historical and historically important, this at least has the dignity to say it is “inspired by a true story” and not “based on”, which in 99% of cases today means a dumb production.  Richard (Sanders) then takes a journey dealing with the head of the school (William Devane) and his white nationalist tendencies, but turns to Kate (Lauren Holly) only to be turned away until the gardener (Louis Gossett, Jr.) steps in and tries to help him.

 

I did not believe 99% of the 97 minutes of this and though this was not as condescending as so many such productions lately, it is flat, boring and never believable.  It is not the least among this cycle of formula storytelling, but is close to it.

 

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 High Definition image was shot in HD video of some kind, is soft throughout and is very hard to watch for ling periods of time due to the poor picture reproduction, making this look like a cheap TV movie, while the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is stretching out the low budget simple stereo and the combination is as second tier as anything else here.  Extras include Deleted Scenes, two making of featurettes and interviews piece.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo