Queen & Slim

The Bonnie and Clyde tale is an interesting blend of romance and crime to say the least (more of the latter than the former but still...). Sure the couple committing crimes were greedy but there was an attraction between them that drew them together until their fatal end. Its enormous impact influenced many crime features for years but seemed to calmed down in that front in the recent decade. This brings us to Queen and Slim, a romantic drama from the directorial debut of music video director Melina Matsoukas that took an angle in that narrative for a modern age. The marketing campaign was mostly limited to one trailer that intrigued me based on the premise being shown and that a familiar actor is yet again having troubles with women he's dating in movies. There wasn't a huge amount of social media buzz when it released but it was noticed more later on. I went into ready to see what it could offer and left it satisfied but recognizing lost potential due to its flaws.

What's it about? The story follows two young African Americans who run from the law following their self-defense shooting of a police officer during a traffic stop gone wrong during their Tinder date. It's aiming for a modernized romantic drama with modern issues it wants to tackle with commentary. If there's anything that should be commended is that the couple here start off on the wrong foot in their date and that doesn't immediately change following their incident. It's something that they would need to grow with each other during their crisis as they interact with their pit stops. It's ambitious for wanting to do quite a lot for a first time screenwriter and a directorial debut.

However, the big problem holding it back from being strong or even memorable is the pacing issues. It feels much longer than it actually is due to the choice to wanting to keep in as much footage as possible, which was a mistake in this case. There are spots in the story that feel very much like unnecessary filler that could have been taken out to reach a more fulfilling story point. As a result, it's own message doesn't exactly translate as well as they wanted it to and the tension regarding their conflict doesn't stay consistent, making it feel like an afterthought. It's also cliched to a fault, which is incredibly apparent in its cartoonish portrayal of problematic police officers.

How are the actors? The actors to focus on here are Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith who portray the main couple with such solid chemistry. Daniel is a delight to watch with how charming he can be as this cheesy easy going guy going though this ordeal. At this point, this actor is 3 for 3 with horrible dating experiences in movies that put his life in danger (others being Get Out and Black Panther) to the point where he should probably celibate for a while. Jodie does a solid job as a foil to this cheesy man with her initial cold exterior makes the audience experience the awkwardness of a bad Tinder date (before the cop showed up). An honorable mention goes to Bokeem Woodbine as a charismatic pimp who delightfully shines in his segment.

Overall Consensus: Queen and Slim entertains with its good intention of its message and a solid romantic pairing but suffers due to pacing issues and a cliched script. ⭑⭑⭑1/2🎟 Runtime: 2 hours 12 minutes R

Reasons to watch it: You like any of the aforementioned actors. You don't mind cliched romantic dramas with good intentions. You enjoy stories that include a road trip journey and running from the law.

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike any of the aforementioned actors. You aren't a fan of cliched romantic dramas with pacing problems. You are bored with stories that include a road trip journey and running from the law