Guava Island

Kind of hard to evaluate as a film but it's interesting to watch an American musical that feels inspired by Bollywood rather than Hollywood. I certainly enjoyed it. Then again, I'm a sucker for a good socialist, worker solidarity, pro-union film.

Fascinating and dream-like, this is more of an extended music video (with dialogue) than a movie per se, but it is still an invigorating experience, largely singly carried by charismatic work from Glover (Rihanna does the best with what she's given, but it's a shame she wasn't given time to musically shine). Glossy, filmic cinematography is a definite plus and has some sensuous and tactile set pieces.

Simple, but entertaining. Good music, despite maybe not being as whimsical as they had imagined it.

Good but after a solid beginning it could have been better. Part of those expectations also come from Glover, who tends to subvert to some degree... and while this has a nice message, it doesn't do a lot to really stand out. The 4:3 ratio that seems to appear in a couple movies each year now doesn't really add much, coming off more like a gimmick than anything meaningful. Rihanna wasn't used well.

A sweet movie about the power of love entirely resting on the shoulders of Donald Glover's unlimited charisma. His music fits well into the movie but the fact that he did not do a song with Rihanna is a crime against humanity.

Might not reach the height of the container that it's in, but it's fun, light and a cool lens.

Glover's hour-long music video has some great energy and looks gorgeous, but I can't help but think this could have been more. ahem let Rihanna sing ahem.