Convict redemption stories are nothing new. There have been a number of them ranging from wrongful convictions to jailbreaks. Rather than revisiting those well-trodden paths, Palmer looks at the difficulties of life on parole for a once-promising Louisiana high school football star.
His road to redemption comes in the form of a bond with a young boy from a troubled home who happens to be neighbors with Palmer’s grandmother. In the process of making one another’s acquaintance a friendship blossoms out of mutual stigmatization. While they don’t share the same burden, they both face judgment at the hands of the local community.
Justin Timberlake has come a long way as a dramatic actor since he broke through with Alpha Dog back in 2006. He still plays the sympathetic protagonist well but his depth and complexity have improved quite a bit as well. In this role, it’s not just him the audience has to like. They have to believe that his growth as a role model and father figure is natural as he works to establish his character’s arc. JT has done a great job establishing his brand over the years and this was just the latest step. I don’t know if it’s his best performance, but it’s probably the deepest so it’s up there.
Ryder Allen plays Sam, the little boy next door, and it’s basically impossible not to like this kid. With an abusive stepfather (Dean Winters) and drug-addicted mother (played frustratingly well by Juno Temple), Sam’s still a good kid. His penchant for tea parties and playing with dolls is frowned upon by many in the community, but his refusal to let that change him is a big part of what makes him so endearing. Allen is great at walking the line between loving his mother and instinctively needing a better relationship with the adults in his life, so it makes him exceedingly easy to root for.
Alisha Wainwright had probably her most high-profile roles opposite Timberlake as Sam’s teacher, Ms. Maggie, and Palmer’s primary love interest. I’m really happy for her to get this opportunity after starring in one of my favorite recent shows, Netflix’s Raising Dion. The show is about a young boy who’s developing super powers and his single mother who’s desperately trying to figure it all out and I’m excited to see its second season is on the way in 2021. Wainwright pulled from that maternal energy once again and gave a strong performance that was overshadowed by photos that surface of her and Timberlake holding hands one night while they were filming on location. I hadn’t read anything about the controversy until after I had seen the film, but I could see how that narrative may have shaped an otherwise promising portrayal from Wainwright.
It’s been a while since Fisher Stevens directed a feature film, but he nailed the pacing and the emotional timbre of Cheryl Guerriero’s screenplay. The film hits all the right notes and successfully combines one man’s absolution with a socially aware story about community and family. It’s a feel-good drama that’s easy to embrace. There hasn’t been a ton of Apple TV+ original films yet, but this is a solid addition to a growing library with diverse titles.
Recommendation: This is the kind of movie that will help get Apple TV+ originals to the next stage of growth. It’s sweet and heartfelt, well-acted and well-told, check it out.