Selma – Film Review

“To Selma it is”

Covering a truly monumental topic, Selma is a sensible picture that covers all its bases but never truly soars. It takes itself very seriously, with reason, but falls short on being truly great.

In 1964, Martin Luther King Jr (David Oyelowo) is working to remove the difficulty black persons are having when registering to vote in the United States. After butting heads with President Lyndon Johnson (Tom Wilkinson), King heads to Selma, Alabama where he and his group put together a plan to march from Selma to nearby Montgomery. Government, ranging from local to the state governor (Tim Roth) hinder the plan, leading to violent attacks from local law enforcement. While leading an entire race, King also deals with problems in his marriage to Coretta (Carmen Ejogo).

There is nothing totally wrong with Selma as a film. Aside from placing Johnson in a villainous role, when history suggests he wasn’t a villain, and a strange credit montage, basically made up of on set still pictures, Selma delivers an enjoyable, thought provoking ride. The issues with the script are clear, certain characters (particularly a priest from Boston) are written in ways where it is clear exactly what will happen to their character from their initial appearance. The marriage problems are addressed but never seem like real problems and there isn’t any background as to why the negative characters are against the blacks.

Oyelowo is good as King, but not spectacular as he could have been. The film is at its best when King is making speeches and Oyelowo certainly owns those scenes. It’s an admirable performance. His supporting players are good with the material they have. André Holland is typically strong, while Oprah Winfrey puts in a solid performance with an uneven amount of screen time. Rising star Keith Stanfield has a memorable couple of moments as well. As Coretta, Ejogo is great, but she doesn’t really have much to do.
Juggling the antagonistic parts, Wilkinson and Roth both ply well. Wilkinson gives Johnson just enough humanity to last, and Roth is his standard untrustworthy self. Martin Sheen and Cuba Gooding Jr both have brief roles, that really seem unnecessarily filled by a couple of reasonably big names.

It’s not that Selma is a bad movie, it’s just a little underwhelming. The key scenes are great, including the set piece around a failed march and subsequent explosion of violence. But the film is just forgettable. There are too many supporting characters who are inconsequential, and others who appear to be important but don’t really do anything. It’s a solid retelling of a pivotal moment in American history, but Selma isn’t a masterpiece.

Selma

6.3 out of 10 – Good

A solid, but not spectacular film, Selma covers an important moment in history quite well.