Touches You

Instant Favorite.

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Blistering performances.

The film is about the "first date" of Michelle Robinson (Tika Sumpter) and her underling Barrack Obama (Parker Sawyers) although I suspect it went nothing like this. What the film does is to give us the family history of the two candidates and a look into their character, mostly good, and only a little critical. Not an action film and if you don't want to hear conversations between this couple, you need to go elsewhere, because that is most of the feature. Takes place in 1989 and they spent the day together. They visited an art exhibition, attended a community meeting, where Obama "parted the waters," and watched "Do The Right Thing." The film had its moments of humor, yet each candidate is shown as being serious and dedicated. Tika Sumpter nailed the part in looks and voice. Parker Sawyers- not so much, and I will leave it at that.The film is inspirational for Michelle Obama supporters.Guide: 1 F-word.

Greetings from Lithuania."Southside with You" (2016) is a one charming, smart and very good film. Just recently i saw another very good movie about Barack Obama "Barry", which was a fascinating character study film. "Southside" is more of a romantic film, but it also has some good character study elements. Because "Barry" took place in 1981 and this movie takes place in 1989, watching "Southside with You" i couldn't shake a feeling that i'm watching a sequel to "Barry".Acting by both two leads were incredibly good, even great. Parker Sawyers who has big resemblance to Barack Obama simply embodies him - this is an amazing performance and chemistry between the two were superb. Writing and directing were also highly solid, at running time 1 h 16 min (this is pretty short movie) it didn't dragged for a second.Overall, "Southside with You" is a smart, amazingly acted, superbly crafted and utterly charming little movie. Don't think about politics and just enjoy the film itself, it is very good one.

Richard Tanne writes and directs his first feature film based on the would-be president Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson's first date during the summer of '89 in Chicago. Not your typical movie about a president but not the first unusual presidential movie this year, the other being Elvis & Nixon. It's an interesting angle to take, giving us a good insight of the man and woman that would eventually be the President and First Lady. It is in fact difficult to watch without thinking of the courting couple as already Husband and Wife, and world leaders The opening credits doesn't really match the film or the promotional poster that accompany the movie, adding a funky eighties style, something you might expect from an eighties movie or TV series, however, I suppose it helps sets time to a not-to-distant history. This could be a massive breakthrough for Parker Sawyers, who plays the ambitious, intelligent and charming Barack Obama. Capturing his mannerisms, voice and vocal style near-on perfectly. Though, it's debatable that his uncanny physical resemblance to the current president might help considerably. Barack Obama is definitely my favourite president and I'm actually sad to see him leave the White House, however, without getting too political, this film makes me like him ever more, especially showing his trait for always being late. (cue Gandalf) It displays his humility, his infectious empowerment and his direct-approach honesty, though honesty can always been a matter of opinion. Tika Sumpter plays Michelle Robinson, Barack's legal mentor who was the summer associate of the same law firm. I don't know enough about Michelle Obama but this gave a broad insight to here conventional home life and her experiences of gender discrimination within the workplace. I can only assumed Sumpter does the First Lady justice as she is a head-strong, realistic yet stubborn and enthusiastic character. Her coining of "cosmic justice" struck a chord with me, showing that whilst she's highly academic, there's a hint of something spiritual about her. Tanne's directions is good, plotting key locations and setting a wonderful pace and balance that reminded me a lot of Richard Linklater's "Before" films, being heavily concentrated on the script and following the conversation of the two. What's also quite impressive is that the film was shot in only 15 days. Knowing that Do The Right Thing was the first film they went to the pictures to see was nice to see, Spike Lee's controversial masterpiece, showing the key scene with Radio which is more so iconic today, alas losing Radio star, Bill Nunn only last month. The soundtrack didn't quite mix, especially as modern songs were used, such as John Legend's "Start" that was written solely for the film, who also happens to be one of the producers behind the movie. However Stephen James Taylor does a beautiful, minimalism score that really creates the romantic mood. The film is captivating, inspirational and a great first date movie regardless of who the key characters are. It's a worthy watch for people who are fans of great conversation. I do wonder what President And First Lady Obama think of this portrayal. Running Time: 8 The Cast: 9 Performance: 9 Direction: 9 Story: 9 Script: 9 Creativity: 10 Soundtrack: 7 Job Description: 8 The Extra Bonus Points: 0 Would I buy the Bluray?: Hmm, maybe. 78 % 8/10

Largely due to its very fine acting, Southside with You works as a very believable slice of life / moment in time film that compels the audience to silently cheer for the two future love birds who would happen to become,in part through their sincere and committed partnership, the most powerful man on earth and a widely admired First Lady. Parker Sawyer does an excellent job, portraying a young confident Barack Obama. He catches the cadence of his voice, subtleties of his mannerisms and blends just the right balance of seriousness and playful "hey I know I am cute" attitude of a man who knows he is charming and capable of doing something important in the future. As a viewer knowing that future, you become almost part of the intellectual seduction process waiting for that moment that an equally serious, but considerably more uptight Michele falls for this guy. It's not a spoiler to tell you-she does. The movie was at times slightly talky, as the pair share their respective backgrounds in a somewhat expository manner. But giving the film a little slack, knowing it's a semi-bio pic, the dialogue and modest action remained believable with the feel of that relatable first date "getting to know you" sensibility. Though properly not shy about giving an African -American perspective on society, the movie was relatively not that political. Of course, one's political views are likely to affect the movie goers' receptivity to the film, especially during this divisive election year. But at its heart, Southside with You, eschews controversy and remains a well proportioned, not overly done, well acted and directed, appealing boy meets (and you hope he gets) the girl picture.