Class

Author(s): Pierre Davis
Location: Columbus, Ohio

"Class”

Directed by: Paul Haggis
Produced by: Clint Eastwood and Stephan Spielberg
Written by: Paul Haggis
Score by: Hanz Zimmer

Principal Cast:

Halle Berry as Suzanne Freeman
Michael Douglas as Michael Smith
Thomas Haden Church as Charles Paige
Rachel Weisz as Brenda Paige
Dakota Fanning as Nicole Paige
Catherine Zeta-Jones as Laura Smith
Denzel Washington as Keith Reynolds
Jamie Foxx as Mark Freeman
Lindsay Lohan as Janice Smith
Amanda Bynes as Elizabeth Smith
Jade Yorker as Rashade Freeman
Jaden Smith as Rakeem Freeman

Tagline: "Money doesn’t determine class, actions do”

Release date:
November 2, 2007

Synopsis: What do the upper class; middle class and the lower class have in common? Their actions speak louder than words. Michael Smith (Academy Award winner Michael Douglas from Wall Street) is a Caucasian wealthy doctor who has a beautiful wife and 2 children. His 2 children treat life for granted and his wife Laura (Academy Award winner Catherine Zeta-Jones from Chicago ) tries to dig up every penny out of him. His successfulness comes to a halt when he finds out he’s being fired because a patient finally comes out and tells what he has been doing for year which is sexual harassment. Outraged because of the media attention he walks out to his car and begins to speed out of the parking garage in his luxurious car that he begins to realize that he probably won’t be able to pay for anymore. While he is driving still mad at the fact he is fired he sees a little girl come out of the middle of nowhere and he hits her. Noticing that the girl is still alive he speeds off before anyone notices him. His two children by the names of Elizabeth (Amanda Bynes) and Janice (Lindsay Lohan) who are 16 and 18 are kids who hate school and skip every chance that they get. While skipping school and coming out of a designer store a man attempts to kidnap them. With this experience will they finally realize what they have and what they could ultimately lose?

Suzanne Freeman (Academy Award winner Halle Berry from Monsters Ball) is a middle aged African American who is considered to be in the middle class. She’s raising 2 kids and her brother Mark (Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx from Ray and Collateral) who has Down syndrome without any help from the father who is serving a life sentence. Now that her mother has died she has to become the leader of a family that is drifting apart due to drugs and violence. With a successful job she is happy and proud until one day everything seemed to go wrong when a doctor attempted to rape her. Scared at the fact of losing her job because the doctor is a veteran in the hospital she says nothing to anyone. When one day she finally shows strength and courage when she tells her boss what he has done. When her boss doesn’t believe her, Suzanne does what Americans love to do which is hire a lawyer and sue him. With an aspiring lawyer by the name of Keith Reynolds (Academy Award winner Denzel Washington Glory and Training Day) the case becomes worldwide news and she believes that she can win the case until she becomes accused for the kidnapping of the doctor’s children. Her children are two young men by the age of 17 and 12. Her 17 year old whose name is Rashade (Jade Yorker from The Gridiron Gang) is the perfect child in the eyes of Suzanne because of the grades he brings home. What his mother doesn’t know is that Rashade talks about children less fortunate than him and it is beginning to rub off on his little brother Rakeem (Jaden Smith son of Will Smith) because she is getting phone calls from his teacher for talking about a little girl that is less fortunate than others.

Charles ( Academy Award Nominee Thomas Haden Church from Sideways) and Brenda Paige (Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz from The Constant Gardener) are considered lower class Caucasians. Coming from nothing they never really had the will to live. Becoming married at a young age due to arrogance and the desire to move out on their own to have children they realize that life is not that easy. Living from one minimum wage paycheck to another due to not graduating high school life couldn’t be harder. Having only enough money for a 1 bedroom apartment and barely enough money to eat the only thing that keeps them living is their strong willed little girl Nicole (Dakota Fanning).
Nicole hopes for a better life and is one of the brightest little girls in her classroom. While she is in her classroom one day she begins to be made fun of because of the clothes that she wears. Crying because of a day of misery she begins running home. While running home the only thing that keep Charles and Brenda going is fatally ran over by a car. Without enough money for surgery to save her little girl Charles decides to try and kidnap the wealthy kids of a doctor that he has seen on TV due to a sexual harassment charge.

What the press would say:

Six academy award winners, one academy award nominee and a nominated director makes an outstanding portrayal of survival and courage coming from actors in their prime. With a great screenplay and fantastic direction by Paul Haggis, who has already has Oscar notoriety for his 2005 academy award winner for best picture Crash, brings another branch of stories connected somehow. Playing the role that was made for her; Halle Berry brings the part of the struggling mother to life which stands out in a fantastic ensemble. Denzel Washington plays another Oscar worthy portrayal as a lawyer standing up for an woman who already is going through hard times raising two kids and a little brother with Down Syndrome played to perfection by Jamie Foxx. A mentally disabled person hasn’t been played this well since Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man; Jamie Foxx is a true scene stealer. Michael Douglas plays the part that he loves to play as a greedy doctor that everyone loves to hate. Playing at the side of her husband Catherine Zeta-Jones plays what she does best which is a greedy wife and plays it as well as seen in recent history. Thomas Haden Church and Rachel Weisz are the perfect pair on screen and shows it. Thomas Haden really stands out in the scene with the kids that he kidnaps. With these roles they could both earn their second academy award nomination. The real surprise of the movie is Dakota Fanning who really comes off as an inspiring little girl looking for a better future. If she doesn’t get the nomination that she deserves for this movie then there will be an outrage. With strong performances by Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Bynes, Jade Yorker, Jaden Smith and a classic score by Hanz Zimmer that guides movie goers through this journey this movie is sure to sweep at the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards.

“A classic, two thumbs way up” – Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper.
“Paul Haggis has done it again” – Entertainment Weekly
“ Halle Berry ’s portrayal of struggle and love proves to be one of the best seen in recent history.” –Paul Travers
“Sure to sweep at the Academy Awards”- Oscarigloo.com
“A story that is sure to inspire others to do something with their lives” – New York Times

Possible Academy Award nominations:

Best Picture: Clint Eastwood, Stephan Spielberg and Paul Haggis
Best Director: Paul Haggis
Best Original Screenplay: Paul Haggis
Best Original Score: Hanz Zimmer
Best Actor: Michael Douglas and Thomas Haden Church
Best Actress: Halle Berry and Rachel Weisz
Best Supporting Actress: Dakota Fanning and Catherine Zeta Jones
Best Supporting Actor: Denzel Washington and Jamie Foxx
Best Film Editing
Best Cinematography