1997 Directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall
After a friend overdoses, Spoon and Stretch decide to kick their drug habits and attempt to enroll in a government detox program. Their efforts are hampered by seemingly endless red tape, as they are shuffled from one office to another while being chased by drug dealers and the police.
The type of film I love; an anarchic, irreverent blackly comic indictment of the system and its failings told from the 24 hour perspective of two struggling musicians trying to kick their drug habit and enter into rehab.
Both Tim Roth and Tupac Shakur give charisma loaded performances as Stretch and Spoon. Roth has one of his finest and funniest roles whilst Tupac is a revelation. On paper the duo perhaps oughtn't work, but they really do. I can't say Tupac's music was ever really my thing, but he impressed me here as an actor and watching it now one cannot shake the sorrow at seeing someone so talented, young and beautiful shine on screen with the knowledge that he had less than a year to live. Both are supported with a nice turn from Thandie Newton as their English poet flatmate and mutual lover.
That scene where tim roth and tupac are waiting on a bench for hours trying to get food stamps and they have a lil quick cut timelapse sequence and tim roth is sleeping and lays his head on tupac's lap! aah.
This is my Casablanca.
why gridlock’d is sexist: when the male characters piss onscreen, it is very loud. when the female character pisses onscreen, it’s silent. something to think about
Now here is a highly appreciated and little seen gem that showcases the acting talent of the late Tupac Shakur. I can't say anything about his music, but on the screen, he sizzles. His intensity greatly matches with Tim Roth's, and the two are a dynamic duo trying to overcome their drug addiction.
It's funny, fresh, and spunky. Then-newcomer Thandie Newton leaves a tasteful impression.
This hilarious and poignant buddy flick needs more love. Elizabeth Peña and Tupac Shakur left us too soon. Relevant in its depiction of addiction and the treatment of the fallen on the thankless streets of Detroit. I'd forgotten Thandie Newton was in this, and she's always a welcomed sight. Stylish effort by actor/director Vondie Curtis Hall before a maligned Mariah Carey vehicle stymied his feature filmmaking potential. 7.7/10
I'm seeing a ton of praise for this one. While it is one of the better made movies starring Tupac, it seems to be the most pointless. The government doesn't care about us, the systems are ridiculous, we know all that. This was a very long way around to tell us that. It has some great scenes but I'm having a hard time loving this.
64/100
Tupac improved somewhat in the 5 years between these two films as far as acting goes (err, between filming; he died before it was released, unfortunately, and I do not intend to imply that as an improvement in anyway). This also has an unfortunate transphobic joke in it, and it's less than sensitive on a number of topics. But overall, the film is a critical if darkly comedic look at the social services and health systems in regards to drug addiction. It's not at all nuanced, but it does give a few moments to both sides of the equation.
While I approve of the effort, the film doesn't really succeed. While the unending bureaucracy and disorganization seems fairly realistic, everything…
