Charm City Kings
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''Charm City Kings'' is a 2020 American
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
テ]gel Manuel Soto テ]gel Manuel Soto (born January 28, 1983) is a Puerto Rican film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the films ''Charm City Kings'' (2020) and ''Blue Beetle (film), Blue Beetle'' (2023). Early life テ]gel Manu ...
from a screenplay by Sherman Payne and a story by Chris Boyd, Kirk Sullivan, and
Barry Jenkins Barry Jenkins (born November 19, 1979) is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film ''My Josephine'' (2003), he directed his first feature film '' Medicine for Melancholy'' (2008) for which he received an Inde ...
. It is based on the 2013 documentary '' 12 O'Clock Boys'' by Lotfy Nathan. It stars
Jahi Di'Allo Winston Jahi Di'Allo Winston (born December 1, 2003) is an American actor known for his work in film, television, and on stage. He gained prominence for roles in films such as ''The Upside'', ''Proud Mary (film), Proud Mary'', ''The Dead Don't Die (2019 fi ...
,
Meek Mill Robert Rihmeek Williams (born May 6, 1987), known professionally as Meek Mill, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he embarked on his career as a battle rapper, and later formed a short-lived rap group the Blo ...
, Will Catlett, and
Teyonah Parris Teyonah Parris ( ; born September 22, 1987) is an American actress. A graduate of Juilliard School, she began acting in 2010. Her first prominent roles were in the drama series ''Mad Men'' (2012窶2015) and in the independent film ''Dear White Pe ...
. The film had its world premiere at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
on January 27, 2020. It was released on October 8, 2020, by
HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...
.
Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...
and
Jada Pinkett Smith Jada Koren Pinkett Smith (nテゥe Pinkett; born September 18, 1971) is an American actress, businesswoman, and talk show host. She is co-host of the Facebook Watch talk show ''Red Table Talk'', for which she has won a Daytime Emmy Awards, Daytim ...
serve as the executive producers. The film was removed from HBO Max in July 2022.


Plot

14-year-old Mouse lives in
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
,
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
with his single mother and younger sister. Mouse is interested in motorbikes, a big part of the culture in Baltimore, but his mother disapproves as his older brother Stro died in a biking accident at the age of 17. Taking place once a week during the summer, there is an event called The Ride, where people bring out their motorbikes and do stunts in the street. Mouse's mother forbids him from attending, but he sneaks out anyway to attend with his friends Lamont and Sweartagawd. Mouse purchases a run-down four-wheel motorbike and is detained by police while driving it home. He is picked up by police detective Rivers, who has known Mouse from a young age through a police outreach program with his school. Rivers tells Mouse he can come to him for advice any time and implores him to stay out of trouble, but Mouse ignores him. Mouse meets a new girl down the street, Nicki, who is interested in photography; Mouse invites her to come along to The Ride. There, Mouse attempts a trick on his four-wheeler but crashes; they later witness a biker gang known as the Midnight Clique lead the police on a high-speed chase and escape. One of the bikers is a local legend known as Blax, who recently got out of prison. Mouse, Lamont and Sweartagawd visit the Midnight Clique's hangout spot later that night, who tells them to leave. Mouse later meets Blax outside a bike repair shop where he works as part of his parole program. Blax says he knew Mouse's brother Stro, a member of the Clique; he invites Mouse into the shop and offers him a box of scraps to build his own bike. Mouse asks if Blax would provide Lamont and Sweartagawd with the same opportunity; Blax agrees, impressed with his loyalty. Mouse starts ditching his job at the local animal hospital to spend more time at Blax's auto shop. Blax asks Mouse to deliver a rebuilt high-end bike to a customer across town. Mouse instead drives it to Nicki's house and picks her up for a joyride. They are approached by Derrick, an old friend of Stro's, who asks for a quick ride around the block; unable to say no, Mouse gives him the bike, and Derrick takes off. Unable to face Blax, Mouse goes to Lamont and Sweartagawd for help, who inform him that Derrick is notorious for chopping up bikes and selling the parts. The three confront Derrick at his chop shop to ask for the bike back; he pulls a gun on them and tells them to leave. The Midnight Clique arrive, led by Blax, who know everything; warn Derrick to never steal from them again. Lamont, whom Derrick had pulled the gun on beforehand, attacks a defenseless Derrick and nearly beats him to death before a Clique member holds him back. Blax, upset with Mouse, tells him he is not allowed to work on building his bike anymore and will have to work hard around the shop to earn his respect back. Mouse, who is concerned about his mother falling behind on bills, instead asks Blax to get him on the auto shop payroll; Blax refuses. Mouse quits working at the shop and he, Lamont, and Sweartagawd join the Midnight Clique's drug delivery operation; the Clique loans them brand-new bikes and pays them well. Nicki approaches Mouse in a park to give him a picture she took of him, but he acts uninterested, riding off with another girl. Meanwhile, Rivers keeps tailing him around town and pestering him about his activities; Mouse tells him to leave him alone. Rivers pays a visit to Blax in his shop and warns him to stay away from Mouse, considering him a bad influence on the teen. Mouse's mother finds his hidden stash of hundred-dollar bills, and after he refuses to tell her where it came from she kicks him out of the house; Mouse moves in with Sweartagawd. Lamont hatches a plan to rob a local convenience store to prove their worth to the Clique; Mouse and a hesitant Sweartagawd agree. They ask the Clique for a gun, who gives them one; Blax notices and demands that the Clique leave Mouse alone, but they refuse as he's a skilled rider for their operation. Blax summons Mouse to the garage to confront him, but Mouse notices something is wrong with Blax's dog and insists they go to the vet immediately. The vet explains that surgery would likely cause more complications for the dog, who is old, but ultimately leaves the decision of either surgery or euthanasia to Blax; Blax agrees to put his dog down, but only if Mouse does it, which he successfully does. Blax then explains the truth of Stro's death to Mouse: Blax offered him a job running drugs, and Stro died during the job. An upset Mouse leaves. As Mouse and his friends prepare the convenience store robbery, Lamont takes the gun, but Mouse insists they do not fire it. The robbery goes wrong when Lamont accidentally fires a shot and the owner's wife returns fire, killing Sweartagawd. Mouse and Lamont flee separately as Detective Rivers, who had been tailing Mouse, gives chase. Mouse heads to Blax's shop and explains everything as Rivers pulls up to the shop with backup. Blax tells Mouse to change into a worker's uniform as an alibi and takes the fall for the robbery. Rivers, despite knowing the truth, arrests Blax. Rivers gives Mouse a ride home, where he reconciles with his mother. A year later, Mouse has returned to working at the vet and adopted Blax's dog. He reconnects with Nicki and apologizes for his past behavior; she agrees to meet up with him again. Mouse runs into Lamont on the street but they have little to say to each other, having drifted apart. Mouse returns home to surprise his mother with fresh groceries.


Cast

*
Jahi Di'Allo Winston Jahi Di'Allo Winston (born December 1, 2003) is an American actor known for his work in film, television, and on stage. He gained prominence for roles in films such as ''The Upside'', ''Proud Mary (film), Proud Mary'', ''The Dead Don't Die (2019 fi ...
as Mouse *
Meek Mill Robert Rihmeek Williams (born May 6, 1987), known professionally as Meek Mill, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he embarked on his career as a battle rapper, and later formed a short-lived rap group the Blo ...
as Blax * Chino Braxton as Jamal * Will Catlett as Detective Rivers *
Teyonah Parris Teyonah Parris ( ; born September 22, 1987) is an American actress. A graduate of Juilliard School, she began acting in 2010. Her first prominent roles were in the drama series ''Mad Men'' (2012窶2015) and in the independent film ''Dear White Pe ...
as Terri * Donielle Tremaine Hansley as Lamont * Jeanette Maus as Dr. Parish * Kezii Curtis as Sweartagawd * Charles D. Clark as Trap House King Pin * Marvin Raheem as Derrick * Chandler DuPont as Nicki * Milan Ray as Shay


Production

In September 2018, it was announced Jahi Di'Allo Winston, Will Catlett and
Teyonah Parris Teyonah Parris ( ; born September 22, 1987) is an American actress. A graduate of Juilliard School, she began acting in 2010. Her first prominent roles were in the drama series ''Mad Men'' (2012窶2015) and in the independent film ''Dear White Pe ...
had joined the cast of the film, with
テ]gel Manuel Soto テ]gel Manuel Soto (born January 28, 1983) is a Puerto Rican film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the films ''Charm City Kings'' (2020) and ''Blue Beetle (film), Blue Beetle'' (2023). Early life テ]gel Manu ...
directing from a screenplay by Sherman Payne and a story by Kirk Sullivan, Chris Boyd and
Barry Jenkins Barry Jenkins (born November 19, 1979) is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film ''My Josephine'' (2003), he directed his first feature film '' Medicine for Melancholy'' (2008) for which he received an Inde ...
.
Overbrook Entertainment Overbrook Entertainment, Inc. is an American production company based in Culver City, California. It was founded by partners Will Smith and James Lassiter in 1998, around the same time production for ''Wild Wild West'' (1999) began. The name "Ove ...
produced the film, with
Jada Pinkett Smith Jada Koren Pinkett Smith (nテゥe Pinkett; born September 18, 1971) is an American actress, businesswoman, and talk show host. She is co-host of the Facebook Watch talk show ''Red Table Talk'', for which she has won a Daytime Emmy Awards, Daytim ...
and
Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...
as executive producers and
Sony Pictures Classics Sony Pictures Classics Inc. is an American arthouse film production and distribution company that is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment. It was founded in 1992 by former Orion Classics heads Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloo ...
distributing, with the film being an adaptation of the documentary '' 12 O'Clock Boys''. In October 2018,
Meek Mill Robert Rihmeek Williams (born May 6, 1987), known professionally as Meek Mill, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he embarked on his career as a battle rapper, and later formed a short-lived rap group the Blo ...
joined the cast of the film.'
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
began in October 2018.


Release

It had its world premiere at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
on January 27, 2020. It was also scheduled to screen at
South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
on March 15, 2020, but the festival was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. It was scheduled to be released on April 10, 2020, by Sony Pictures Classics, but was rescheduled to August 14, 2020, due to the pandemic. In May 2020, it was announced
HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...
had acquired distribution rights to the film. It was released on October 8, 2020.


Reception

On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film has an approval rating of based on reviews from critics, with an average rating of . The site's critics consensus reads: "''Charm City Kings'' falls shy of more effective similarly themed coming-of-age films, but strong direction and engaging performances make its flaws easy to forgive." At
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the film received a
weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...
score of 62 out of 100 based on 13 reviews from mainstream critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Nick Allen of ''
RogerEbert.com ''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times ...
'' reviewed the film from its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, and called it "an incredible triumph from a slew of fresh talent."


Notes


References


External links

* * * {{Max (streaming service) 2020 films 2020 independent films 2020 drama films 2020s English-language films American drama films Films not released in theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic Films set in Baltimore Films shot in Baltimore Films scored by Alex Somers HBO Max films Motorcycling films Overbrook Entertainment films 2020s American films Films directed by テ]gel Manuel Soto English-language drama films English-language independent films