Fences (2016)
An African-American father struggles with race relations in the United States while trying to raise his family in the 1950s and coming to terms with the events of his life. (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Denzel Washington
Written By: August Wilson
Starring: Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Mykelti Williamson, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Russell Hornsby, Jovan Adepo, Saniyya Sidney
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
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Fences belongs to 25 collections
1. Academy Award - Oscar - Best Picture and Nominees (collaborative: moderated by smviper00 - 46 stars)
2. AAA: Empire's five star movies (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 25 stars)
3. Academy Award - Oscar - ALL Best Picture, Directing, Acting & Screenplay Nominees (collaborative - 22 stars)
4. Adapted from a play/based on a play (collaborative: moderated by djross - 14 stars)
5. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 12 stars)
6. 1950s period film (collaborative: moderated by djross - 6 stars)
7. Director/star combination (collaborative: moderated by djross - 6 stars)
8. Best by different standards (public: sesito71 - 6 stars)
9. Top 3000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 5 stars)
10. American racial politics (collaborative: moderated by djross - 4 stars)
11. African-American protagonist (collaborative: moderated by Moribunny - 3 stars)
12. Oscar: Best Actress In A Supporting Role (collaborative: moderated by doganay - 2 stars)
13. 89th Academy Awards Nominees (collaborative: moderated by SpeedlimiT - 2 stars)
14. 89th Academy Awards: Nominees (public: okayfrog - 2 stars)
15. Top 2000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 2 stars)
16. 74th Golden Globe Nominees - 2016 (collaborative: moderated by BeeDub - 1 star)
17. 89th Academy Reminder List (2016) (collaborative: moderated by cowfrappe - 1 star)
18. 2016 Films to Watch (public: kendell - 1 star)
19. NAACP Image Award Nominees and Winners (collaborative: moderated by Roman_Herbom)
20. African American Cinema (collaborative: moderated by PerryStroika)
21. Audio (collaborative: moderated by davidysteph)
22. Curzon Ripon (public: mandy)
23. seen in 2017 (public: sproost)
24. Black Men Can't Jump in Hollywood Podcast (public: TychoCelchuu)
25. Streaming List (public: xreleased)
Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 6 |  |
BillyShears | 70 53rd |
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oh great the neighbours are dialouging again
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| 4 |  |
KasperL | 70 65th |
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Great work by Washington and Davis, but, disappointingly, the acts of this stage play adaptation grow increasingly less effective. (the first two are excellent, and the final one was a struggle). Also, I could have done without the baseball metaphors.
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| 4 |  |
fra paolo | 28 19th |
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Too close to the theatrical script for a film. Great performances, bad cinema. Would have been better if they had just filmed a stage showing, or literally re-written the whole thing transforming words into images.
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| 3 |  |
Filligan | 64 14th |
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This is not a film. This is a filmed play. Washington and Davis are phenomenal, massive props to their work here, but from the get-go this is a barrage of quick dialogue that feels so unnatural, I almost completely tuned out until -- thank God -- the pace took a moment to breathe. Plays and films are different mediums for reasons. You can't take one, plop it in the other, and expect it to work. Washington has virtually no cinematic eye as a director here. Disappointing.
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| 3 |  |
natebarrios | 60 31st |
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Fences doesn't find its footing as a "movie" until maybe halfway through, and it doesn't last up till the end either. The acting and dialogue seem lifted out of the stage on shot with cameras on location, but there's a lot of talent and control at the same time. Its dense, and a lot of it could/should have been cut, but as it stands, it is what it is.
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| 2 |  |
cowfrappe | 67 50th |
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Stellar performances all around but average filmmaking that does not seem to justify the adaptation from stage to screen.
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| 2 |  |
bakcheia | 40 33rd |
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It reads as recorded documentation of theater, and suffers greatly due to the overwhelming presence of its staginess. The performances are above average, as to be expected, but the framing and distanced camerawork all invoke the theater incessantly, much to the film's detriment. This raises the question: why make this a movie if you're going to make it a by-the-book reproduction, staging and all, of a play? If I wanted to watch Denzel play with himself, I would have asked... years ago...
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| 2 |  |
LookJabba... | 7 57th |
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Fences undoubtedly features some of the standout performances of 2016. But with the greatest respect and admiration for the talent involved, I'm not too sure if the transition from stage show to feature film translates effectively. I can imagine that visually this look and feels like a seamless adaption. Yet I don't feel like I have experienced Fences in it's truest and rawest form. Denzel Washington is superb but Viola Davis gives a masterclass. The whole cast in fact is stellar throughout.
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| 1 |  |
TheDiceman | 80 95th |
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Excellent performances all round.
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| 1 | bizort | 60 38th |
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Seems more like a play than a film
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| 1 |  |
msprague | 65 46th |
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A hard tale of an angry sad man and the people around him. Excellent performances by all concerned.
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| 1 |  |
Dean Franz | 58 52nd |
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First off: Davis and Washington act their asses off like their lives depended on it. Like, goldy-fuckity-marathon-acting type shit, if that wasn't something I just made up. Second up: Rest of the actors are kinda... okay, but meh by comparisson. Like, the entire movie is skewed to show just how good the leads are and the story, the pl.. no, I'm not gonna go into specifics- EVERYTHING suffers because of it. But congrats, Denzel, you made an actors showcase and Davis still came out better. Douche.
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| 1 |  |
Zealot185 | 34 12th |
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The melodramatic acting simply does not work here as well as it probably does on the stage.
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| 1 |  |
VinegarBob | 75 68th |
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Frequently engrossing character study of a self delusional scumbag that's a little long, and a bit stagey. Quite grounded though (apart from the last few minutes - the film's worst misstep), and worth it for the performances, with Denzel Washington giving a career best and Viola Davis ably supporting, on the back of sterling work by writer August Wilson.
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| 1 |  |
AAAutin | 52 52nd |
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But do I like it? Ehhh, you could say I'm on the...line.
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| 1 |  |
stuie299 | 70 32nd |
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Probably a great play, but made for a very boring movie. Yes the performances from Washington and Davis are good, but they can only do so much to distract the audience from the very static play like nature of the film. Also I feel like I wasn't old enough to fully appreciate the sentiments being expressed here. I seemed to lack the correct cultural context.
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| 1 |  |
MontyCircus | 40 38th |
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Moral of the story: "Tough love isn't love at all." The unreliable narrator angle was interesting, as the hero is slowly revealed as the villain, so to speak. Viola Davis gave a perfect "breakdown" scene so I'd say she deserves the awards that will follow. Wouldn't recommend it, but it's another "acclaimed film" to cross off my to-see list.
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| 1 | damil | 55 34th |
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It becomes very apparent very quickly in this movie that it was based on a play. The whole thing just looks like they filmed a play, actually. And that's its major downfall - the direction is really flat and everything feels kinda superficial. I don't know if it could've been done better, but I sort of wish I'd just seen the stage version. Washington and Davis are both good, and I suppose it works as showcases for them. Parts of the screenplay were good, and other parts annoyed me.
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| 1 |  |
mattorama12 | 67 53rd |
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Paints a really interesting portrait of the main set of characters and lives up the acting accolades is has received. Unfortunately it doesn't feel like it needed to be made into a film--it definitely belongs on the stage.
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| 1 |  |
Groovy_Souls | 80 73rd |
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Absolutely carried by its amazing performances. Denzel Washington and Viola Davis are clearly Oscar front-runners, and honestly I could see either taking it home. The movie itself can fall into dry spells, here and there, but nothing it doesnt pick back up from. With a few shockers (especially as someone who hasn't read or seen the play), it captivates you at critical points. Great film, and one to remember.
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| 1 | ptravers2 | 7 81st |
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The film adaptation looks like a play, not a movie; the temptation to open it up and crowd it with camera tricks never occurs to Washington. Some may grumble about that - I say amen. Washington carves Fences out of his own heart and soul, in tribute to Wilson - who died in 2005 at 60 and receives sole screenplay credit - and in honor of a great, searing drama that stubbornly resists being sliced into small pieces and served to short attention spans.
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| Average Percentile 50.52% from 994 Ratings |  |