''All Things Fall Apart'' is a 2011 American

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Mario Van Peebles Mario Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is a Mexican-born American director and actor. He is best known for appearing in ''Heartbreak Ridge'' in 1986, and known for directing and starring in ''New Jack City'' in 1991, and ''USS Indianapolis: ...

and starring Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson,

Ray Liotta Raymond Allen Liotta (; December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022) was an American actor. He first gained attention for his role in the film '' Something Wild'' (1986), which earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination. He was best known for his portray ...

, and

Lynn Whitfield Lynn Whitfield (''née'' Smith; born February 15, 1953) is an American actress. She began her acting career in television and theatre before progressing to supporting roles in film. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a ...

. It was filmed in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

and premiered at the

Miami International Film Festival The Miami Film Festival, formerly Miami International Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Miami, Florida, each March. Since 2015 the festival also runs a smaller Fall Festival, known as the Miami Film Festival GEMS, which presents ...

Plot

Deon, a skilled college

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

falls ill from a genetic disease just when he was about to go into the championships of the NFL. Though idolized for his athletic ability, Deon shares the glory on and off of the football field. His mother Bee is incredibly proud and his younger brother Sean understandably jealous. Eric, Deon's stepfather, sees the football star as a winning lottery ticket. Deon’s doctor, Dr. Brintall informs him that he can’t play football again, but there is always hope. While fighting cancer, Deon seeks to finish what he started. In the end, while at a catering party, he runs towards the football field just like the good old times and raising his arms pretending that he scored the touchdown while the screen fades white as the credits roll.

Cast

* Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson as Deon *

as Dr. Brintall *

as Eric *

as Bee *

Ambyr Childers Ambyr Childers (born 18 July 1988) is an American actress known for her portrayal of Susan Atkins in the NBC crime drama '' Aquarius'', Ashley Rucker in the Showtime crime drama ''Ray Donovan'', and Candace Stone in the Lifetime/Netflix thrille ...

as Sherry *

Elizabeth Rodriguez Elizabeth Rodriguez is an American actress. She began her career appearing in films ''Fresh'' (1994), ''Dead Presidents'' (1995), '' I Think I Do'' (1997) and '' Blow'' (2001). She played Detective Gina Calabrese in the 2006 film adaptation of ...

as Mrs. Lopez *Cedric Sanders as Sean *Tracey Heggins as Sharon *

Steve Eastin Steve Eastin (born June 22, 1948) is an American actor, acting teacher and author. He has appeared in more than 300 television, film and stage roles throughout his career. Early life and education Eastin was born in Colorado, where he began to ...

as Coach Harper *Chanel Farrell as Carey

Controversy over film title

The movie was produced under the same title as

Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe (; born Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe; 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as a central figure of modern African literature. His first novel ''Things Fall Apart'' ( ...

's 1958 novel ''

Things Fall Apart ''Things Fall Apart'' is a 1958 novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. It is Achebe's debut novel and was written when he was working at the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. The novel was first published in London by Heinemann (publisher), ...

''. After being contacted by Achebe's legal team, 50 Cent offered $1 million to keep the title ''Things Fall Apart'' for the film. The author of the 1958 novel took this as an insult. The foundation that manages Achebe's copyrights said: "The novel with the said title was initially produced in 1958. It is listed as the most-read book in modern African literature, and won't be sold for even £1 billion." The film was renamed to ''All Things Fall Apart''.

Production

50 Cent, who based his character on a childhood friend who died of cancer, lost up to 54 pounds in order to accurately portray his emaciated character, dropping from "214 pounds to 160 in nine weeks after liquid dieting and running on a treadmill three hours a day" according to the Associated Press.

References

External links