A Wirthwhile Production in association with Northshire Entertainment Group. Produced by Billy Wirth, Marciel Pagulayan. Executive producers, Beata Rosenbaum, Stephen Drunsic, Robi Reed-Humes, Alan Harris. Co-executive producers, Morris Wirth, Douglas Harmon.Directed by Billy Wirth. Screenplay, Tyrone Atkins, Aaron Courseault, Sheri Sussman, Wirth, based on original characters created by Atkins. Camera (color), Kristian Bernier; editor, Terri Breed; music, Stephen Perkins & Sky; production designer, Cliff Spencer; costume designer, Robin Newland; sound (Dolby Digital), Shawn Mixer; casting, Robi Reed, Cydney Felicia McCurdy, Doran Reed. Reviewed at Sundance Film Festival (competing), Jan. 21, 2001. Running time: 86 MIN.
With: Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Brandon Adams, Tami Anderson, B-Real, Bad Azz, Ellen Cleghorne, Keno Deary, Julie Delpy, David Faustino, Balthazar Getty, Rachel Hunter, Miguel Nunez, Lori Petty, Glenn Plummer, Sydney Tamia Poitier, Alexia Robinson, Sticky Fingaz, Kirk Taylor, Carlton Wilborn, Cynda Williams, Saaphyri Windsor.
Surrounding the sun-dappled lake and swaying palm trees of MacArthur Park is a violent and desperate world of pimps,hos,gans,and crack addicts. with a palpable sense of realness and tangibility, actor/director Billy Wirth's feature debut, MacArthur Park, is a stirring portrait of a crack cocaine addiction. It is an insider's look at a Los Angeles that is real and raely seen. In the park's drug-fixated shantytown, Cody is a kind of crackhead father figure who helps his friends when they are in trouble or in desperate need of a "blast". His girlfriend, Alicia,is a romantic who's losing her sould to the drug, and E-Max is a street hustling pimp who is trying to scoop young Linda ito his motley legion of harlots.
Hoover Blue, earth mother to all the addicts,attempts to pound some knowledge into the starry-eyed Linda while Cody tries to help young P-Air get his hustle on to record a hop hop track and make it big. But when Cody's real son, Terry tracks him down to tell him his wife has passed away, Cody doesn't even recognize him at first and then can't help him with postmortem affairs. After five years of crack addiction, Cody wants to get straight and do right by Terry, but the harder he struggles to escape the park, the more it closes in on him. More than a cautionary tale, MacArthur Park is a humanizing gaze at the lifestyle that is often ridiculed or mythologized. With superb sense of atmosphere, visual style, a phat hip hop soundtrack, and exceptional performances by an ensemble cast lead by Thom Byrd,Billy Wirth gives us this illumination insight on addition and redemption. -- Shari Frilot
built mm 1/2001
cg 11/05