‘Queen Of Katwe’ review: “Impressive and inspirational”
thehollywoodnews.comQueen Of Katwe review by Paul Heath, TIFF ’16.Disney rehashes the Cool Runnings formula with this family-friendly real-life tale of one young girl’s willingness to succeed in the world of competitive chess playing.This biographical tale from director Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding, Vanity Fair), follows Ugandan slum-dweller Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwaga) who stumbles upon Robert Katende’s (David Oyelowo) chess school.
Initially bullied for her personal hygiene, Phiina sticks it out and slowly learns the skill of the great game from Katende and his group of underprivileged children.
As her knowledge of chess grows, Katende realises that Phiona may just have a natural skill, and her talent may just see her reach beyond the confines of the slums, and potentially international recognition.Queen Of Katwe is a movie that pretty much does what it says on the tin – a giant, visually stunning, paint-by-numbers, inspirational Disney movie that we’ve seen countless times before, including the aforementioned Cool Runnings or the Mouse House’s ice hockey equivalent Miracle.
So yes, it is formulaic, but it is a formula that works. These types of movies don’t offer much in terms of surprise, but they do make up for it with their constant charm, wonderful performances and family-friendly message.Everything about Queen Of Katwe is perfectly harmless.
Read more on thehollywoodnews.com