Men of Honor (2000)
		Genre: Drama/Biography Director: George Tillman, Jr. Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 128 Minutes Release Date: November 10, 2000 Official Website: http://www.menofhonor.com Movie Trailer: View it now! Discuss and vote: Go to Forums	Cast: Robert De Niro Cuba Gooding Jr. Charlize Theron Aunjanue Ellis Hal Holbrook Michael Rapaport Powers Boothe David Keith

Pickup Line: Turn On The Waterworks!

Quickie: The life story of Carl Brashear, the first Black man to join the U.S. Navy Deep Sea Diving Team, is portrayed it this drama/biography. 'Wonder if Brashear had that annoying pout that Cuba Gooding, Jr.wears throughout the entire movie??

The Long Review:

Men of Honor is a movie meant to inspire, teach...and bring on the waterworks. Set in the earls 1940s, it tells the real life tale of Carl Brashear, the first Black man to join the U.S. Navy Deep Sea Diving Team. It portrays quite vividly the injustice, dicrimination, basically, the crap, that this poor guy goes through on his way to the deep end. And amidst all the bad stuff, his ambition, determination, and honour shine through. Awwww...

This movie would have been great if the writers hadn't crossed the all-too-fine line between dramatic and melodramatic. It's great to be touched and get that warm and fuzzy feeling and all but to have one's waterworks triggered every half second is asking for a little too much...not too mention damn dehydrating.

Cuba Gooding plays the part of son-who-wants-to-please-his-daddy-in-Kentucky to a tee. You can't help but cheer him on and loathe the folks who are just so doggone mean to him! But then again, you may find yourself a teeny weeny bit irritated with his keen, brownnoser act. Lighten up, man! And that trademark Cuba Gooding, Jr. huffin-puffin' pout may prove to be too much after say...an hour and a half of staring at it.

But that Robert De Niro...man, was he good! As Gooding, Jr.'s perpetual slavedriver, he's the perfect blend of lean, mean machine and burned out drunk you can't help but feel for. This man's picture should be next to the word "actor" in the dictionary. He's that good. Charlize Theron as De Niro's socialite wife is great, too. This woman's gonna go places...if she hasn't already.

Men of Honor boasts of a good script, great intentions, and an incredible cast. Unfortunately, it puts a bit too much effort into squeezing tears out of its unassuming audiences..and it does it at a snail's pace. Roger Ebert says, "The movie is an old-fashioned biopic, and I mean that as a compliment." And to that, we say, "The movie is an old-fashioned biopic, and that's no compliment." C'mon. That much melodrama was hardly necessary to betray the fact that the movie tells one hell of a story. Don't get us wrong now. We like the movie fine. We just didn't appreciate having a runny nose for more than two hours.

In Two Minutes:

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Did you know?

• Cuba Gooding, prior to making this film, triggered some doubts as to whether he's a real Man of Honor. The Oscar awardee insisted that his own stunt double be used as the stunt coordinator throughout filming and demanded more money. Gee. 'Guess he's taking that famous line from "Jerry Maguire," "Show me the money!!" a tad too literally.
• What's one big thing that Robert De Niro and Cuba Gooding, Jr. have in common? Both have won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, De Niro for "The Godfather II" and Gooding, Jr. for "Jerry Maguire." rowling, heart breaking lawyer on Ally Mc Beal.
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