IMDb
7.5 /10
94 votes


Drama · TV Movie · 1980 · 46 min
From Ernest J. Gaines, author of "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman," comes a deceptively simple, yet emotionally complex tale of a young boy's discovery of what it's like to be black in Louisiana during the 1940's. James, the boy in question, has a raging toothache that necessitates a trip to the dentist. His mother (played by Emmy-winner Olivia Cole), accompanies James to town on an eye-opening odyssey where the boy gains valuable insights into poverty, racism - and his own sense of pride. With an exciting musical score by Webster Lewis, this multi-award winning film explores a child's discovery that the world is a complicated place... where things are never truly black or white... only shades of gray.
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Available in United States (data from JustWatch via TMDB · click → opens in provider)
IMDb
7.5 /10
94 votes
Rotten Tomatoes
The tomato isn't ripe
Metacritic took the day off
TMDB
7.0 /10
2 votes
Letterboxd
Letterboxd didn't respond
Weighted average
7.3/10