John Leguizamo makes inspirational-teacher tropes (and chess) exciting again
Film Features Watch This
Watch This offers movie recommendations inspired by new releases, premieres, current events, or occasionally just our own inscrutable whims. This week: For the final Watch This series of the year, we’re again highlighting some of the best movies of 2020 that we didn’t review.
Critical Thinking (2020)
On paper, Critical Thinking is a “based on a true story” movie you’ve clicked past on TNT countless times: Teacher inspires kids facing [insert adversity here] through the power of [insert extracurricular here]. The film is certainly all of that—and it’s about chess, to boot—but anyone who skips over this surprisingly fresh take on well-trodden genre territory will miss out on a worthwhile two hours.
John Leguizamo’s debut as a feature-film director (he previously helmed a TV movie) is with what you’d expect from the man behind Latin History For Morons. The actor has long been an advocate for and champion of Latino voices, attempting to make up for the centuries of being—as his Critical Thinking character, Mr. Martinez, would put it—“painted out” of the history books. Here Leguizamo looks to more recent history, centering his movie on the Miami Jackson High School students who, in 1998, became the first inner city team to win the U.S. National Chess Championship.
Critical Thinking is fairly paint-by-numbers in terms of structure, but the numbers here are far more interesting than in most similar fare. (Even though the team’s victory is preordained, it would spoil things to go into any more story details regarding what makes this movie feel different.) The film also benefits from the eye of cinematographer Zach Zamboni, who cut his teeth on docuseries Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and Parts Unknown and brings that docu feel to the grounded work done by Leguizamo and his group of young costars, including Corwin C. Tuggles, Jeffry Batista, Will Hochman, Angel Bismark Curiel, and Jorge Lendeborg Jr. When the movie follows the students and their coach out of town for competitions, there’s a believable camaraderie among the students that evokes the feel of NBC’s Friday Night Lights more than that of the glossy high-school sports films of the same era. The adversity and daily dangers the Critical Thinking kids face in 1990s Miami are all too real, and all too relatable to low-income minority kids across the country still today.
The film earns its gravitas when exploring the home lives of the students—or “ghetto nerds’” as Leguizamo calls them—a group to which he belonged in his youth, or so he told The A.V. Club recently. But Critical Thinking is most impressive when transforming chess into a nail-biting, cinematic sporting event, with editing, sound design, performance, and score all working in symphony, creating tension and excitement out of quiet board games with outcomes we are already know. During the climactic chess match, both actors successfully convey the sense that each move is still a mystery to them until finger touches figurine. When distilled down to a trailer, Critical Thinking looks like just another cookie-cutter pull on our heartstrings. But like the students whose victory it dramatizes, the film is far more dynamic than people might assume.
Availability: Critical Thinking is available to rent or purchase from Amazon, Google Play, Apple, YouTube, Microsoft, Fandango Now, Redbox, DirectTV, and VUDU.
13 Comments
Well, I’m a little intrigued now.
I think Leguizamo is sneakily an all time great actor that has never had a career defining role. Interested to see what he does behind the camera. His performances are always more than solid: He does naturalistic really well, either as an everyman or as a slow-burn menacing type. And he can give you a big scenery chewer as either comic relief or as a villain. People think of him as a fast talking character actor, but every time I see him in a subdued performance I’m reminded the guy has range and nuance.Ironically, his stand-up career was what made him great and what helped pigeon-hole him (I say helped because I’m sure racist Hollywood casting did most of the pigeon holing). His stand-up specials were mostly one-man shows where he played friends and family, which made him a versatile actor from day one. But being a stand-up first put him into a comedic actor lane that I think still causes people to underestimate his talent.
This and Queen’s Gambit in the same year? Sounds like a lot of PR money being spent by Big Chess.
How does Murray Head fit into this conspiracy?
…and the Bangkok Board of Tourism.
They know how to cut a check, mate.
Hi-yooo!!!
He’s aged out of being able to play Esquivel in the biopic he championed for a long time, but I hope John Leguizamo can now get to direct it instead. In old interviews, he was incredibly passionate about the musician and his work.
Yeah, but when are we getting the buddy cop TV show starring him and Joe Pantoliano, Legs & Pants?
JL AND Michael K. Williams? Man, I need to watch this.
Leguizamo seems like a decent guy and I hope the movie does well for him but I feel like I can already imagine every story beat exactly how they will play out.
Yeah, not like Her First Biscuits, right, in which you played the role of “Biscuit Victim”? I mean, just read this synopsis. Totally predictable, every beat!“Mrs. Jones with effusive enthusiasm felt that Eddie dear would
appreciate her endeavors to prepare for him a batch of biscuits. That
she followed the rules and directions set down in her text books is not
questioned, but one bite from the lead-like disks was enough, and
getting the dear little creature from the table by subterfuge he throws a
full dozen of them through the window, pretending to have eaten them
upon her return. Of course she is delighted at his apparent appreciation
and when he has departed for the office she puts up a package of them
and takes them there, placing them on his desk. Jones is not present at
the time, he being in the adjoining room in the throes of indigestion.
Visitors to his office, he being a theatrical agent and they hungry
actors, espy the inviting looking dough boulders and partake greedily.
In a short time the assemblage is a writhing, struggling, screaming mob.
Meanwhile, at the Jones domicile the iceman, a housebreaker and the cop
who trailed him all fall victims. Well, for a time it looked as if Mrs.
Emma Jones was guilty of wholesale manslaughter. The trouble subsides,
however, the victims convalesce and peace is restored when Mr. J. hurls,
though with reluctance, the pernicious pabulum into the street.”
John Leguizamo is an incredible performer and a fantastic and thoughtful writer so it’s no surprise this movie looks good. He’s also funny as all-get-out and brought the world one of the best sketches ever: