‘On the Come Up’ TIFF review: Rap gets resonant and risky in YA movie
nypost.comToronto International Film Festival.Bri (Jamila C. Gray), a 16-year-old aspiring rapper, rises from late-night rap battles at an underground venue called the Ring in her fictional hometown of Garden Heights to having the most-played song on the radio.
Running time: 115 minutes. Rated PG-13 (strong language, sexual references, thematic elements, some violence and drug material).
Out Sept. 23 on Paramount+That basic premise, we’ve seen before.More involving than the tried and true star-is-born storyline, though, are potent questions director Sanaa Lathan’s film poses about music and art in general.
Is being a rapper a job just like any other, and is it OK to do whatever it takes to get paid? Should listeners take extreme imagery and lyrics — about guns, murder, drugs — so literally?
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