Genre: Family/Historical
Director: Dee Rees
Writer: Wesley Campbell
Producer: HG Hansen
Based on the novel by Christopher Paul Curtis
Cast: JD McCrary, Caleb McLaughlin, Lashana Lynch, Brian Tyree Henry, Mykal-Michelle Harris, Keith L. Williams, Sunny Suljic, Loretta Devine, Marcus Scribner, Keith David, Braylon Owens, Issac Ryan Brown
Plot: Flint, Michigan, on a frigid winter day. The Watson family's huddled on their couch under a blanket. Kenny (JD McCrary) and the rest of the family, Dad (Brian Tyree Henry), Momma (Lashana Lynch), Byron (Caleb McLaughlin) and Joetta/Joey (Mykal-Michelle Harris). Momma, who grew up in Alabama, doesn't like the cold and won't let Dad forget that he brought her to this giant icebox. Dad tells the story of Hambone Henderson, the other man who wanted to marry Momma. He tried to convince Momma that living up north would mean being in an igloo and living with Chinese people, and Momma says he's lying.
Dad decides that they should go to aunt Cydney's house, where the heat actually works. He sends Byron and Kenny out to scrape the ice off the windows. Byron, whom Kenny calls an official juvenile delinquent, always tries to get out of work. When Kenny hears By mumbling his name, Kenny isn't inclined to fall for what he thinks is a prank. Yesterday, Byron and his friend Buphead (Marcus Scribner) played a prank on Kenny, where By spit a mouthful of snow in his face. Today, Kenny thinks By is trying to do the same thing again. Actually, By's lips are stuck, frozen to the car mirror because of the cold. By is frantic and tells Kenny to go get Momma. When the rest of the family sees what's going on, Dad laughs. Byron was kissing himself in the mirror. Momma is worried. They aren't sure how to undo him, so first, they try to pour warm water over his mouth, but it freezes on contact, just making the problem worse. Momma mentions to Dad to go call the hospital to ask what they should do. She doesn't wait for an answer. She decides to pull By's face right off the mirror, and he then runs into the house in pain.
On the way to Cydney's, Kenny tries to tease By. He tells Joey that he will write a comic book, and the superhero will be named the Lipless Wonder, afraid of nothing except a cold mirror. This makes the whole family, except By, break out laughing.
Kenny describes the social hierarchy. A kid named Larry Dunn (Sunny Suljic) is Mr. Big Hotshot" of the grade. However, Byron's more like the God of the whole school. Kenny notes that Byron's brother doesn't accurately keep him from getting bullied, but it does help. For example, Kenny finds a dollar showing it to Larry Dunn, who splits it. Kenny knows if Bryon weren't his brother, Larry would've kept the whole dollar.
Kenny's the kind other kids like to tease. For starters, he wants to read, which makes the teachers at school believe he's brilliant. They bring him around to different classrooms to read. One day, he has to read in front of Byron's class. After school, Kenny is sure he will get beaten up after school, but Byron actually seems proud of him. Another reason Kenny gets teased is that he has a crossed eye or lazy eye. It just won't focus the right way but stays in the corner near his nose. Byron gives him a tip to look sideways at everyone, that way, his lazy eye will match his other eye. Even though Byron comes in handy, he doesn't keep Kenny from ever getting teased. Sometimes on the school bus, By and his friend Buphead skip school, and Kenny ends up at the mercy of one thug's group or another. One day, two new boys get on the bus. They are country kids from the deep south. Kenny believes they are his own personal saviors, confusing his Sunday school lessons with earthly life. These kids will take the attention off of him, which is fine by him.
The older boys, Rufus (Keith L. Williams), the teacher, sit next to Kenny in his class. At first, Kenny is appalled. He doesn't want to be connected with Rufus, thinking he'll just get picked on twice. In fact, he doesn't. At lunchtime, Rufus sits with Kenny. Rufus tells Kenny how in Arkansas, for dinner, they shoot and eat squirrels. Kenny is amazed by this having a hard time believing this. After a while, they become friends. Kenny is not too excited about this. The only other kid Kenny has played with is LJ Jones (Issac Ryan Brown). In comparison to LJ, Rufus is more of a real friend.
Other kids tease Rufus and his brother Cody (Braylon Owens) because they only have a couple of outfits and share some of them. One day on the school bus, Larry Dunn teases Cody by asking him to share underwear. Cody looks down at his underwear with a confused look on his face, making all the other kids laugh at him. Even Kenny laughs because Cody doesn't get it. When Kenny laughs, it hurts Rufus' feelings, and he won't play with Kenny or eat lunch with him anymore. The loss of a friend makes Kenny realize that it was nice having a friend who accepted him. He goes to Rufus's house to try and apologize, but Rufus doesn't have it. Eventually, Momma gets the story out of Kenny. She meets the school bus one day at Rufus's stop and talks to him. Soon, Rufus is knocking on Kenny's door, and Kenny apologizes for real. This time Rufus accepts it, and they are back to normal. Kenny realizes his Momma helped repair the friendship.
Momma, being from the south, thinks cold is deadly. She dresses the kids in many layers of sweaters and coats during the winter, so much so by the time the last layer is on, they can barely move. Kenny is in charge of helping Joey out of her clothes when they get to school. It takes a long time, and neither one of them likes getting all hot. One day, Joey asks Momma not to wear so many layers, but Momma tells her it is too cold. Kenny then asks Byron if he has any ideas. Byron decides to help him out. He tells Joey and Kenny an elaborate story about how the garbage trucks really aren't garbage trucks. Still, instead, they pick up the dead, frozen bodies on the sidewalk every morning. He tells them they have to wear so many clothes because southern people like Momma have thinner blood, so half of their blood is flat, and they need extra protection. This keeps Joey from complaining anymore.
Momma is so concerned about the cold that she buys her children real leather gloves with fur lining so their hands will be extra warm. She buys two pairs every winter in case one gets lost. Kenny wants to share his glove with Rufus so Rufus can be friendly. At first, they each take one glove and try to keep the other hand stuffed up their coat sleeves. Then Kenny gets the idea to tell Momma he lost his gloves, so he gets the second pair while Rufus gets the first pair. Larry Dunn steals Kenny's gloves, or at least that's what he thinks, but the gloves he sees on Larry are black, whereas he is brown. Larry bullies everyone with a Maytag Wash, rubbing snow into the other kids' faces. When he does this to Rufus and Kenny, Rufus realizes that the snow is turning black. Kenny cries about this, and By notices. When he asks what's wrong, Kenny tells him. By has no sympathy for Larry Dunn. By finds Larry and bullies the glove back, then forces Larry to smash into the chain-link fence around the school repeatedly. Kenny even feels sorry for Larry over this. He feels so bad that he has to leave because he can't stand watching Larry get it.
Byron is caught again playing with fire. Momma tells him if she finds him again, she'll burn him. She tells her children about the time when she was a child and her house caught fire. After laying low for a while, Byron's at it again. Kenny sees By going into the bathroom, locking the door. He knows something must be up. Kenny watches Byron lighting small pieces of toilet paper on fire and pretending they're Nazi parachute jumpers through the keyhole. They land in the toilet, fizzle out, and get flushed away. Momma hears the toilet flushing and comes to find out what's going on. Even though the door is locked, she knocks it open, grabs Byron by the neck and drags him downstairs, holding him by the throat. She sits him down on the couch and tells Joey to go get a book of matches.
Joey tries to protect Byron by refusing. Then Momma says Kenny to do it, but Joey is holding onto him so tight he can't move. Finally, Momma decides to do it herself. Kenny and Joey tell Byron to run to Buphead's house and take Dad's beating later when she leaves the room, but Bryon seems hypnotized. Momma returns with matches, Vaseline, and a paper towel. Joey won't let Momma hurt Byron, which Momma struggles with and then comforts her. Finally, Momma reminds the pious Joey that she made an oath to God and shouldn't break her word to God. Joey agrees. Byron tries to make a run for it, but he doesn't get very far. Momma is too fast for him. She tackles him and lights a match. She lectures him while the match moves ever closer to his fingers. Just when it's about to touch his skin, Joey runs over and blows out the match. This scenario is repeated several times before Momma gives up. Byron has to deal with Dad when he gets home.
Momma orders Kenny and By to the store. Byron doesn't wanna, but he knows better. Byron asks for money, but Momma tells him he can just sign for it. He doesn't understand, so she repeats her instructions. Kenny finds this upsetting by how that'll be another reason for kids teasing. Momma insists they're not on Welfare, but Byron doesn't seem to believe her. Byron hides in the comic book section when the boys get to the store, forcing Kenny to do the embarrassing act of signing for the food. Kenny tells the store owner, Mr. Mitchell, to put their food on the Welfare list. Mr. Mitchell is confused until he realizes that Kenny is talking about the other list.
After they leave the store, Byron is happy to know they're not on Welfare. He's even more satisfied with the idea that he can go into the store and get anything he wants just by signing. A week later, Kenny feels something hit his head. He discovers Byron throwing Swedish Crime cookies at him, and Byron offers him some. Kenny sees an empty cookie bag on the ground. He realizes that Byron has already eaten one and one-half bags of cookies. Kenny feels close to Byron in this personal enjoyment of forbidden pleasure. When Kenny realizes that Byron has signed for these cookies without permission. However, he isn't sure, and Byron reminds Kenny of that.
Byron sees a mourning dove on a telephone wire. He starts throwing cookies at it until he hits the bird, knocking it to the ground. At first, Kenny thinks this is cool; he's never run a bird in his life of throwing rocks at birds. Byron, however, is upset, like he really didn't expect to hurt the bird. He is so angry that he vomits. Kenny tries to comfort him, but Byron lashes out at him, so Kenny leaves. The next time Kenny walks by that spot, he sees that Byron dug a hole and buried the bird, even putting a little popsicle stick across the grave. Kenny doesn't really understand his brother, who teases and tortures kids at school without a second thought. Still, he is moved to burying a bird, which he accidentally kills.
Byron has straightened his hair, which makes Momma really upset. At first, Momma doesn't have much to say, but she gets on a roll after a few minutes. She taunts Byron about his hair until Byron sticks up for himself by saying he wants Mexican-style hair. Byron is sent to his room. When Joey gets home, Kenny tells her what happened, and they go up to Bryon's room. Kenny teases Byron by pretending Byron is a death row inmate who is about to be executed. Joey thinks Byron can just wash his hair, and it will go back the way it was, but Byron tells her it's permanent and will have to grow out. He is rather smug that his parents can't do anything except let it grow out.
Dad comes home, and they all get nervous. Momma greets Dad and tells him there is a surprise waiting. She calls Bryon down so Dad can see his hair. After a short inquisition, Dad decides to do something, after all, taking Byron upstairs to the bathroom, and he shaves Byron's head. Later, Dad and Momma are on the phone with Grandma Sands (Loretta Devine), and they seem to be making some kind of plans.
Suddenly, Dad is getting the car, the Brown Bomber, all fixed up. They get a new antenna, new tires, fresh fluids. Dad gathers the whole family around to make a big show of the final touch, which turns out to be just an air freshener.
One Saturday morning, Dad gets up, shaves and brushes his teeth. Kenny stands by the sink because he likes the smell of Dad's shaving soap. They share some good conversations. Then Dad goes outside to the car. When Dad comes back in, he gets the whole family lined up and makes an even bigger show out of unveiling the latest new thing. It is a drive-around record player, supposedly designed to prevent slipping when the car hits a road bump. Even as fresh as Byron thinks he is, he thinks this is really great. Dad demonstrates the device as if he were a car salesman, Kenny was the father, and Joey was the mother. They play along. Dad plays Momma's favorite song. They all spend more than two hours playing records in the car, fascinated by this technology. Then, Momma reveals why the vehicle is getting all fixed up. They will travel to Alabama, where they will leave Byron for the summer, if not longer, to live with the strict Grandma Sands.
One morning, Kenny wakes up, seeing Dad listening to records out in the car. Kenny goes to sit with him. Kenny asks Dad if they're genuinely going to leave Byron in Alabama. Dad says that Byron needs to live the south's slower life for a while and learn to be an adult. Kenny didn't know how grown-ups knew everything and were scared of not knowing what he needed to know. Dad reassures him that he'll learn.
Momma starts getting everyone packed to leave for Alabama. The night before the trip, Momma and Dad make Byron sleep in their room - apparently, Joey told them Byron was planning to run away. The following day they take off for three days of driving to Alabama. Momma has the whole itinerary planned out in a notebook. She knows where they will spend each night, where each child will sit, who will eat what sandwiches - everything. Momma had gone to the library before they left and learned all the facts about all the sights. She wanted them to learn something.
Kenny is most interested in watching Byron. Two days before they left, Kenny had overheard By telling Buphead how he wouldn't talk the whole trip. When they are driving, though, Byron can't manage it. He asks how they are going to take turns picking what to listen to on the record player. Kenny gives him a hard time, Byron retaliates, and Dad quickly stops their bickering. Kenny feels victorious because he thinks he bothered Byron more than Byron bothered him.
The Watsons stop at rest stops in Ohio with pit toilets. The kids are disgusted since they've never used an outhouse before, and dad and Momma warn to get used to it because Grandma only has a shed.
Even though Momma had the whole trip planned out perfectly, Dad has other ideas. He's thinking of driving through the night.
They go through Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Byron scares Kenny by telling him the hillbillies will eat Negroes. Everyone is glad to be back in the car, and they got too spooked by the unfamiliar scenery. Dad puts on Kenny's choice of record, "Yakety Yak." They stick their arms out the window feeling the cold night air at this high elevation. Kenny recalls this as the "best part of the trip so far."
Dad drives straight through to Alabama while the family sleeps in the car. They've been in the car long enough, and Kenny notices. Dad's whiskers start growing. Seeing everyone wake up, Dad teases them, pretending they are all southern. Momma plays along, still a bit mad that he messed up her precise planning, but not too much since they've saved a lot of money.
When they finally reach Birmingham, Kenny's first observation is that it looks a lot like Flint. He was expecting log cabins, but they had real houses. Momma honks the car horn until Grandma Sands comes out of her home. She is a tiny, frail woman, at least to look at her. They all give her a hug, and Byron is polite to her. Kenny can't believe he has submitted so quickly. Kenny thinks by the end of the summer, either Byron or Grandma Sands will be defeated. Grandma mentions somebody named Mr. Robert, and Momma is quite curious to know who that is. Grandma won't let on just yet. Grandma starts Byron right off working. She sends him to the store to get some food so she can feed everyone. Byron does whatever she says, and Kenny just can't figure that one out.
The humid heat is brutal to get used to. Kenny has no energy in the daytime. When he wakes up the first day, he goes outside where Mr. Robert (Keith David), Dad, and Byron talk. Kenny goes to get some breakfast. Momma and Grandma Sands are talking at the table, catching up. Finally, Momma asks about Grandma and Mr. Robert. Momma clearly disapproves of their living together, but Grandma pretty much lets Momma know it's none of her business. The men and Byron come inside to see if Joey and Kenny want to go to the lake to see the best fishing spots. Byron seems to enjoy himself with the men, and even the blazing heat doesn't bother him.
As Byron, Kenny, and Joey head to the lake for a swim, Grandma warns them not to go to Collier's Landing, where a little boy died in the whirlpool. The children walk to the lake, seeing a sign pointing one way to a public beach and the other to Collier's Landing. Kenny is eager to see Collier's Landing, and he wants adventure. Out of character, Byron won't go to Collier's Landing. He gives them a story about "Wool Pooh," the supposed evil twin of Winnie-the-Pooh. They believe him, but Kenny still wants to go.
While the other two go to the beach, Kenny goes toward Collier's Landing. Little by little, he makes his way into the lake, eventually getting caught in the whirlpool, but he truly believes it's the Wool Pooh. He thinks he hears Momma and Dad. Byron appears and gets him out of the water. He holds Kenny upside down until he starts to breathe. Then, Byron starts crying and holding Kenny, kissing the top of his head.
Sunday morning, Joey goes to Sunday school with the neighbors. Kenny goes out into the backyard, tired out by the heat. Suddenly, a massive boom rips through the air. Dad comes outside, wondering what's happening, immediately assumes Byron is up to trouble. Bryon appears just getting out of bed. Kenny hears Momma horrifyingly scream. Someone comes to tell Momma that a bomb was dropped on the church where Joey was. Kenny goes into shock, unable to move. In slow motion, he follows the swarms of people down to the church. Walking inside, Kenny notices the people carrying dead children outside. He sees afoot with a shiny shoe.
Still in shock, Kenny takes the shoe and goes back home. Then he hears Joey talking to him. He thinks this is her spirit coming to say goodbye. She convinces him that she's alive by showing her both of her shoes. Joey's confused because she thinks she saw Kenny waving at her from across the church's street. She followed him, only he teased her by running away. He was wearing different clothes, though. She can't figure out how he'd have got home before her. Grandma Sands wakes up, having slept through all this commotion. Kenny begins to figure out that Joey is alive. Then, he runs to tell the rest of the family that Joey's okay.
Back in Flint, Kenny is the one who seems most affected by the bombing. The family left the same night, so Joey would never hear about the tragedy. Kenny, troubled by the things he saw in the church, hides behind the couch. It was always called the World-Famous Watson Pet Hospital. Whenever one of their pets was injured or sick, they would go behind the sofa and wait to get better or die. Everyone in the family figures out that Kenny is staying back there. Byron comes to sleep on the couch. Momma and Dad sit on the couch and talk about how proud they're of Kenny. Even Joey peeks back at Kenny once in a while. Nobody knows that Kenny had gone into the church after the bombing. They all think that he only went to tell them Joey was okay, so they don't really know what Kenny saw. During his time behind the couch, Kenny finds himself getting very annoyed with Joey. He thinks she is a crybaby and a snitch. He says he hates her.
Finally, Byron takes Kenny upstairs to the bathroom to show the beginnings of his chin whiskers. Kenny looks in the mirror to see if he has hair on his face and sees himself bringing on a river of tears. Byron doesn't tease him or put him down. He just lets Kenny cry. Byron thinks Kenny is crying because it was sad and scary or because Byron's afraid something like that will happen in Flint. Kenny is really complaining about how ashamed he is of taking the little girl's shoe in the church, thinking it was Joey's shoe but not staying to rescue her. When he mentions the Wool Pooh, Byron tries to convince him that there is no such thing. Byron gives Kenny a lecture about how there are no magical powers or angels, that it's all just made up. He tells Kenny that part of him got Joey out of that church no matter what. Somehow, his presence was there. Kenny says it's unfair that other children died, and Byron says nothing is appropriate. Kenny needs to learn to keep going anyway. He tells Kenny he will be all right now.
After Byron leaves the bathroom, Kenny thinks about what he said. Kenny thinks Byron is right about some things and wrong about others. He believes there is magic in the world, just magic in the ordinary things like a father smiling at "you even after you'd messed something up real bad." He thinks Byron is right that Kenny is too old and wise to believe that magical powers live behind a couch. Kenny knows things will be okay now.
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