Kicks (film)

Last updated
Kicks
Kicks poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Justin Tipping
Written byJustin Tipping
Joshua Beirne-Golden
Produced byJoshua Astrachan
Joshua Beirne-Golden
Michael Angelo Covino
David Kaplan
Geoffrey Quan
Adele Romanski
Erik Rommesmo
Starring Jahking Guillory
Christopher Jordan Wallace
Christopher Meyer
Kofi Siriboe
Mahershala Ali
Nessma Ismail
Molly Shaiken
CinematographyMichael Ragen
Edited byDominic LaPerriere
Tomas Vengris
Music by Brian Reitzell
Production
companies
Animal Kingdom
Bow and Arrow Entertainment
Bystorm Films
Hidden Empire Film Group
Marlowe Pictures
Mott Street Pictures
Through Films
Unbundled Underground
Distributed by Focus World
Release dates
Running time
87 minutes [2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10 million [3]
Box office$150,191 [3] [4]

Kicks is a 2016 American adventure film directed by Justin Tipping in his directorial debut, [1] [2] and written by Tipping and Joshua Beirne-Golden. The film stars Jahking Guillory, Christopher Jordan Wallace, Christopher Meyer, Kofi Siriboe, Mahershala Ali and Molly Shaiken. The film was released on September 9, 2016, by Focus World.

Contents

Plot

Fifteen-year-old Brandon (Jahking Guillory) longs for a pair of the freshest sneakers that money can buy, assuming that merely having them on his feet will help him escape the reality of being poor, neglected by the opposite sex and picked on by everyone - even his best friends Rico (Christopher Meyer) and Albert (Christopher Jordan Wallace).

He visits a local store and finds that a brand new pair cost $350. He gathers the money by using his savings and by selling candy bars to people on the streets. As he continues to gather the amount he meets a guy in the neighborhood with a car full of "exclusive" Nike sneakers. He shows Brandon these who upon hearing the amount is $150 seizes the opportunity to buy them. Brandon heads home with his new black and red sneakers and anticipates wearing them. He wears them the next day and shows off the sneakers to Rico and Albert who fail to believe that he got the pair for only $150. He recites a fictitious story to them and seemingly convinces them into believing it. They head to the local basketball court and meet two girls, one of whom takes an interest in Brandon and invites him to hang out later. Believing that the sneakers have already started to "work their magic", he agrees and blows off hanging out with his friends in order to get ready for his first date.

However on his way home he encounters Flaco (Kofi Siriboe), a ruthless gangster and his crew. They gang up on Brandon beating him up while recording him and steal his sneakers. Brandon ends up depressed by the events and Rico and Albert add fuel to the fire by making fun of his loss to which he retaliates. He swears to get his sneakers back and heads off with his friends in hopes of finding information of Flaco's whereabouts. Flaco is such bad news that everybody warns Brandon off, tells him to let the sneakers go, but Brandon declares, "They're not just shoes. They're fucking J's." He meets one of the gang members in the park and throws a basketball at him which knocks the member over. He, Rico and Albert leave and Brandon tells the member to warn Flaco. Brandon eventually turns to his uncle Marlon (Mahershala Ali) who tells him that he no longer lives "that kind" of life and that he won't risk lives nor go back to prison over a pair of shoes. Brandon dissatisfied leaves but takes his uncle's gun from a nearby bedroom to take matters into his own hands. He speaks to his cousins outside who assure him that if they stay longer they'll definitely run into Flaco. They group heads off to a house where they smoke weed, drink and do drugs. Brandon attempts to hook up with a girl at the house but fails and soon leaves with everyone in hopes of finally reaching Flaco.

Meanwhile, Flaco is shown bullying another kid in the neighborhood and steals his earphones. He walks to his vehicle and places them in the trunk along with Brandon's Air Jordan sneakers and a few other things that he had stolen. He reaches his house and gives the sneakers to his son. Flaco and his son play in the basketball court while his son wears the sneakers. He is then seen at his house with his gang members doing drugs and dancing with girls while his son watches close by.

Eventually, Brandon, Rico and Albert infiltrate Flaco's house by tricking his son. Brandon manages to grab his sneakers but Flaco sees them and tries to get the sneakers back. Brandon manages to flee and abandons his friends. Flaco grabs Albert and starts beating him up but is then knocked out by Rico. The two escape and along the way encounter Brandon who gloats about getting his shoes back. Rico pushes him against the fence and makes him realize that their lives are in danger because he abandoned them all for a pair of sneakers. They leave Brandon alone and head off to get Albert's wounds treated.

Brandon realizing his mistake heads to uncle Marlon's house and leaves the gun next to him. Uncle Marlon tells him "That ain't how it works. Once you start something you gotta see it to the end." He tells Brandon to keep the gun because Flaco will definitely go after him. Meanwhile, Flaco is seen with his son in the same store Brandon was in at the beginning of the film and buys his son a pair of new sneakers. In the car, he tells his son that they are going after the sneakers in order to teach him about standing up for himself and not allowing anyone to get away with things.

Brandon travels in a bus and sees another person with the same sneakers realizing that his "exclusive" sneakers weren't really exclusive at all. He places the gun in the Jordan shoebox and throws it away taking Uncle Marlon's advice from before into consideration. He meets up with Rico and Albert in the basketball court gifting Albert a box of condoms and Rico some juice. They warn him about Flaco. As they walk home, Flaco finds them and chases them down with his son catching up from behind. He places a gun on Brandon's neck in order to teach him a lesson. Brandon knocks him over with his skateboard and kicks him in the face continuously before grabbing the gun and placing it near his face. Brandon looks at Flaco's son and tosses the gun aside deciding not to pull the trigger. Flaco's son grabs the gun and refuses to give it to Flaco so that he does not murder Brandon and go to jail. Flaco wakes up and punches Brandon repeatedly before grabbing his son and heading home.

Rico and Albert arrive and help Brandon walk. As they help him he decides to walk on his own. He climbs the steps slowly with his friends having finally faced his fears, realizing his own strengths and feeling proud as a man.

Cast

Release

The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 14, 2016. [1] The film was released on September 9, 2016, by Focus World. [5]

Response

Box office

Kicks grossed $150,191 in the United States and Canada, and $0 in other territories, [4] against a production budget of $10 million. [3]

Critical reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 88%, based on 40 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Kicks might suffer from a few frayed laces, but this street-level coming-of-age story has heart, humor, and style to spare." [6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 69 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Like Mike</i> 2002 American sports comedy film

Like Mike is a 2002 American sports comedy film directed by John Schultz and written by Michael Elliot and Jordan Moffet. Starring Lil' Bow Wow, Morris Chestnut, Jonathan Lipnicki, Robert Forster, Crispin Glover, and Eugene Levy, the film follows an orphan who gets basketball talents after finding an old pair of sneakers that once belonged to Michael Jordan.

<i>One-Eyed Jacks</i> 1961 film

One-Eyed Jacks is a 1961 American Western film directed by and starring Marlon Brando, his only directorial credit. Brando portrays the lead character Rio, and Karl Malden plays his partner, "Dad" Longworth. The supporting cast features Pina Pellicer, Katy Jurado, Ben Johnson and Slim Pickens. In 2018, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

<i>Deathtrap</i> (film) 1982 film

Deathtrap is a 1982 American black comedy suspense film based on the 1978 play of the same name by Ira Levin. It was directed by Sidney Lumet from a screenplay by Levin and Jay Presson Allen, and stars Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve and Dyan Cannon. Critics gave the film mostly favorable reviews while noting its plot similarities to Caine's 1972 film Sleuth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Jordan</span> American brand by Nike

Air Jordan is a line of basketball shoes produced by Nike, Inc. Related apparel and accessories are marketed under Jordan Brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tinker Hatfield</span> American shoe designer (born 1952)

Tinker Linn Hatfield Jr. is an American designer of numerous Nike athletic shoe models, including the Air Jordan 3 through Air Jordan 15, the twentieth-anniversary Air Jordan XX, the Air Jordan XXIII, the 2010 (XXV), the 2015 Air Jordan XX9 (XXIX), and other athletic sneakers including the world's first "cross training" shoes, the Nike Air Trainer. Hatfield is Nike's Vice President for Design and Special Projects and oversees Nike's "Innovation Kitchen". For his many innovative designs and numerous creations over more than three decades, Hatfield is considered a legend of design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marlon Dingle</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Marlon Dingle is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale, played by Mark Charnock. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 17 October 1996. Following the departure of Zak Dingle, Marlon currently serves and the second longest-running character featuring in the programme, surpassed only by Eric Pollard. For his portrayal of Marlon, Charnock won the British Soap Award for Outstanding Achievement at the 2023 British Soap Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eli Dingle</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Eli Dingle is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Joe Gilgun. He first appeared on screen in the episode which aired on 13 July 2006 and made his last appearance on 30 April 2010. He is the younger brother of Marlon Dingle.

Marlon Legere, a Trinidadian-American from New York, is the convicted murderer of NYPD detectives Robert Parker and Patrick Rafferty.

<i>Like Mike 2: Streetball</i> 2006 American sports comedy film

Like Mike 2: Streetball is a 2006 American sports comedy film directed by David Nelson. Contrary to the film title, it is not a plot continuation of the 2002 film nor does it feature any of the original cast members.

It Was Him or Us is an American made for television film which aired on CBS on November 21, 1995. It stars Richard Grieco, Ann Jillian, Monique Lanier, and Richard Masur.

<i>Holidays</i> (2016 film) 2016 American film

Holidays is a 2016 American horror anthology film of short horror films, each inspired by a different celebration. The directors include Kevin Smith, Gary Shore, Adam Egypt Mortimer, Scott Stewart, Nicholas McCarthy, Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, Sarah Adina Smith, and Anthony Scott Burns.

<i>Edge of Winter</i> (film) 2016 Canadian film

Edge of Winter is a 2016 Canadian psychological thriller drama film directed by and written by Rob Connolly and Kyle Mann. It stars Joel Kinnaman, Tom Holland, and Percy Hynes White. The film centres on a recently divorced father, Elliot Baker (Kinnaman), whose angry behaviour slowly controls him while he resides with his two sons at his cabin in the wilderness. The film was produced by Kyle Mann and Jonathan Bronfman. The film was released to mixed reviews.

<i>Flower</i> (film) 2017 film by Max Winkler

Flower is a 2017 American comedy-drama film directed by Max Winkler, from a screenplay by Alex McAulay, Winkler, and Matt Spicer. It stars Zoey Deutch, Kathryn Hahn, Tim Heidecker, Adam Scott, Joey Morgan, and Dylan Gelula.

<i>Gook</i> (film) 2017 film by Justin Chon

Gook is a 2017 American drama film written and directed by Justin Chon. It tells the story of two Korean-American brothers running their father's shoe store, and their unlikely friendship with a neighborhood 11-year-old black girl, during the first day of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The film stars Justin Chon, Simone Baker, David So, Sang Chon, Curtiss Cook Jr. and Ben Munoz. The film was released on August 18, 2017, by Samuel Goldwyn Films.

Jahking Guillory is an American actor, best known for his starring role in the 2016 film, Kicks. Guillory appears in The Chi on Showtime, and the Netflix series On My Block as Latrelle. He was born and grew up in Long Beach, California.

<i>The Sweet Life</i> (film) 2016 American film

The Sweet Life is a 2016 American comedy-drama film directed by Rob Spera. It stars Chris Messina and Abigail Spencer as two depressed people who take a road trip to commit suicide at the Golden Gate Bridge.

<i>Gully</i> (film) 2019 American film

Gully is a 2019 American coming-of-age crime drama film directed by Nabil Elderkin, from a screenplay by Marcus J. Guillory. The film stars Kelvin Harrison Jr., Charlie Plummer, Jacob Latimore, Jonathan Majors, John Corbett, Amber Heard, and Terrence Howard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Geller</span> American sneaker collector

Jordan Michael Geller is an American sneaker collector who founded and operated the ShoeZeum, the world's first sneaker museum. In 2012, Geller was certified by Guinness World Records for having the largest sneaker collection in the world, at 2,388 pairs.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Barone, Matt (March 30, 2016). "Hip-Hop, Sneaker Culture, and Teen Angst Collide in the US Narrative Competition Opener KICKS". Tribeca Film Festival . Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Hammonds, Loren. "Kicks | 2016 Tribeca Film Festival | Tribeca". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Kicks (2016) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Kicks (2016)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb . Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  5. ↑ Gruttadaro, Andrew (2016-06-08). "'Kicks' Trailer Premiere". Complex. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  6. ↑ "Kicks (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media . Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Kicks Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive . Retrieved September 16, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.