#i bet his already inflated ego is SO much more as a nerd. like

[stxrysnow]

i may or may not. have envisioned something that will completely fuck up my schedule. but i shall work on it anyways. :D

[dariarblac]

For the Culture: The New Edition Story

Jay-Z once said something along the lines of not being able to fully review an album after one listen. The same applies to movies so I watched this one 4 times.

The first time I heard about the New Edition biopic was when I caught Bryshere Gray aka Boyfriend on set via SnapChat last summer. I didn't realize what he was filming until a few weeks later when the first trailer appeared during the BET Awards. I was skeptical but also excited. I am the ultimate boyband fan so I was eager to check it out. So eager that when I realized with wasn't coming out until this year I was a tad bit angry but it was so worth the wait.

The New Edition Story was a three night experience which broke down the rise, the fall, and rise again of R&Bs bad boys. Starting with Bobby's failed talent show ending with an emotional reunion.

The casting was absolutely phenomenal and each actor completely embodied the members in which they were playing down to their mannerisms and accents. You could tell all 11 boys did their homework. It was almost too good. I did some research and found out that New Edition had a heavy hand in the production, the story, and the training. This is what made all the difference. This seems to be the difference between a terrible bio and an excellent one. Truthfully, I've never seen an "okay" biopic; they're either really bad (Aaliyah) or really good (TLC).  

 Either way I commend NE for their raw, gritty honesty. Everything from Ralph's cockiness, Mike's greed, to Ricky and Bobby's drug issues were mapped out for the world to see.

Night one we are introduced to what I call, Baby Edition. Ricky, Bobby, and Mike who are clearly playground buddies agree that they want to enter a talent show.  As they're practicing, Ricky's sister suggests they get a manger and that's when the seed is planted.  They zero in on the infamous Brooke Payne while he's trying to get some ass and they manage to impress him. Wanting to model them after the legendary Jackson 5, Payne adds his nephew Ronnie into the mix. The chemistry is undeniable, thus New Edition was born.

After cutting their first single, these young, vulnerable boys get a taste of how ugly the industry is early.  The boys, with the permission of their mothers, signed an unread contract with the promise of $500 and some Trident Layers. The young boys slaved while keeping their grades up only to be left with nothing.  A story we've heard time and time again; biopic after biopic (seriously, why do y'all keep signing record deals?).

As a film nerd, I can't help but geek over the brilliance of the age progression. During a performance of Is This the End, Baby Edition morphs into a group of horny ass teenagers who are, unfortunately, still broke.  

After a vote amongst Mom Edition, we end up firing Ronnie's uncle for a suit by the name of Gary Evans which was the worse possible thing they could have done. At this point they sign a new deal that they still did not read.

This is where the drama comes in.

Night two starts off lit. The Bobby and Mike come to blows (and spit) as Mike is clearly tired of everyone's shit. But they make up quickly, per usual and kept the show going even with their new snakey manager trying to boot Mike out.

This is also where we're introduced to Bobby Brown's promiscuity, arrogance, and substance abuse (which is funny because I could have sworn "Whitney introduce him to coke" but I digress).  He shows his ass in the middle of the concert with unnecessary black church lady vocals and a speech about leaving NE, neither of which anyone asked for. After he announced he was leaving, the rest of the boys voted him out. I was left a little confused about this and clearly so was Bob, as he was oddly bitter about it (similar to how Camila said she was leaving 5h and when the group said "hey Camila's leaving", she got upset).

After that disaster of a concert Mike becomes curious about the business side of the industry aka where all the sneaky stuff happens. It's then he discovers that Gary The Scammer had been lying to them.

At this point there are many bugs in the boys ears trying to sway them off task and unfortunately, it sort of works, creating even more tension between the remaining four. But all is well when Mike introduces Johnny Gill into the group. This was one of the out standing points of the series for everyone. The moment the opening drums to "Can You Stand The Rain" began, I could feel the melodies of my ancestors and all of black twitter capture my spirit and for 4 minutes and 12 seconds… we were all one.  

I absolutely have to mention that when we got to the point where Mike (Boyfriend) said "come on baby. lets go get wet" I said "yes sir". Like, out loud.

Night three is a complete mess. Truly. However, this is when my jam comes in. Whereas CYSTR was everyone else's defining moment, mine was "If It Isn't Love".

I cried actual tears.

I was moved for many reasons. First reason being Algee (Ralph), Boyfriend (Mike), Keith (Ron), Luke  (Johnny) and Elijah (Ricky) DID THAT. Second being that it's simply one of my favorite songs in the world. Lastly, I just love watching talented black boys be great. Everything from the flamboyance of the routine to the random Asian woman pressing the play button was on point. And I have to give a special shout out to Keith Powers (Ronnie) who was the last person casted, had the least amount of rehearsal time, struggled with the dancing, and STILL pulled through.

My only beef with this whole piece was the fact that they didn't get Quincy Brown to play his father. The actor they got to play Al B Sure favored him well but Al clearly spit Q out and it would have been more iconic than it already was. 

Part three brought fourth everyone's solo/trio endeavors. (Here's where I learned something new. Before this film I had no idea who/what BBD was. I thought Poison, Do Me, ect was by NE).  This is where you really see how fantastic the casting was.

However their success apart was short lived, so much that they almost had to reunite so they could eat. But inflated egos got in the way of the art and money, proving that it's not just girl groups who are super messy and emotional. And once again everyone is forced to do their own thing. 

I won't give away the ending just know I cried again.

Over all this was not only one of the best bio's I've ever seen, but one of the best movies I've ever seen. If you know me, you know I can't really sit still for movies but I truly did not want this one to end. It was one of those things that brought black people together, like a common denominator, that for once wasn't in tragedy. BET honestly did that (take notes Lifetime) and I can't see what other projects they have under their belt.

A big thank you to these boys for squeezing a 30 year legacy into 3 weeks and giving us this. 

♡