Charm City Kings

Name: Charm City Kings
Genre: Drama
Released: October 8, 2020
Duration: 125 min
Rating: 62
Cast: Arnold Y. Kim, Chandler DuPont, Charles D. Clark, David A MacDonald, Dominic Jackson

2020

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Ratings

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7.1

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7.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Ratings

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Charm City Kings

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Movie Details & Credits

HBO Max | Release Date (Streaming): October 8, 2020 | R

Starring: Arnold Y. Kim, Chandler DuPont, Charles D. Clark, David A MacDonald, Dominic Jackson, Donielle T. Hansley Jr., Gina Jun, Hero Hunter, Jahi Di'Allo Winston, Jeanette Maus, Kendra Marie, Kezii Curtis, Lakeyria Doughty, Marla Aaron Wapner, Meek Mill, Melanie Jewel Howard, Milan Ray, Pacino Braxton, Pug, Robert Dobson, Teyonah Parris, William Catlett

Summary: Fourteen-year-old Mouse (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) desperately wants to join the Midnight Clique, an infamous group of Baltimore dirt-bike riders who rule the summertime streets. His older brother, Stro, was their top rider before his tragic death—a loss that consumes Mouse as much as his passion for bikes. Mouse’s mom (Teyonah Parris) and hisFourteen-year-old Mouse (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) desperately wants to join the Midnight Clique, an infamous group of Baltimore dirt-bike riders who rule the summertime streets. His older brother, Stro, was their top rider before his tragic death—a loss that consumes Mouse as much as his passion for bikes. Mouse’s mom (Teyonah Parris) and his police mentor, Detective Rivers (William Catlett), work overtime to help the charismatic teen reach his full potential, but when the Midnight Clique’s leader, Blax (Meek Mill), takes the boy under his wing, the lure of revving his own dirt bike skids Mouse toward a road way past the straight and narrow.… Expand

Director: Angel Manuel Soto

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: R

Runtime: 125 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

The Playlist Robert Daniels

Feb 1, 2020

Charm City Kings is beautiful and important, unabashedly Black, yet rarely traumatic, and almost always determined statement. Soto has crafted an incredible empathetic narrative, one mile of road at a time. Read full review

Carlos Aguilar

Oct 7, 2020

Charm City Kings distinguishes itself from similar fare not just through its location and eye-popping bikes but also with the believably imperfect people that populate it. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Brian Tallerico

Oct 8, 2020

Its abundance of plot contrivances in the final act and overly scripted dialogue hold it back from greatness, but two excellent performers overcome all of this familiarity. I can't want to see them again. Read full review

Anthony Kaufman

Feb 1, 2020

Sure, the motorcycle wheelies are cool, but there’s nothing more intense than the raw emotion that comes from a mother trying to protect her child. Read full review

Manohla Dargis

Oct 8, 2020

The dirt bikes and their exuberant operators are the saving grace — and joy — of the sincere if overstuffed drama Charm City Kings. Read full review

Justin Chang

Oct 7, 2020

Charm City Kings clearly knows what it’s doing; unfortunately, what it’s doing is often just as obvious to us. Read full review

Amy Nicholson

Jan 31, 2020

The film’s truly ridiculous plot choices — the phony twists that make you leave the theater feeling like you’ve inhaled a tank of carbon monoxide — are its own invention, bolted onto a likable, if formulaic, charmer. Read full review

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User Reviews

Amir137655600

Mar 26, 2021

This is beautiful good movie and realy is wonderful casting is good and directing good

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Nectaralic

Oct 9, 2020

The clash of childhood innocence vs an environment that is relentless and unforgiving... a coming of age story that is very relevant and real. Loved every moment in this emotional ride of a movie... even when I didn’t want to accept where the story was inevitably heading.

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Heaznly1

Oct 12, 2020

Best movie of the year. Great performance by main character and the writing is phenomenal. The action scenes leave you wanting to hop on a bike even if you end up in a hospital .

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TVJerry

Nov 5, 2020

The documentary 12 O'Clock Boys revolved around dirt bike riders in urban Baltimore and the young boy who aspired to join them. This fictionalized version of that film stars Jahi Di'Allo Winston, who’s simply spectacular as the 14-year-old. As a matter of fact, the entire cast is chockedThe documentary 12 O'Clock Boys revolved around dirt bike riders in urban Baltimore and the young boy who aspired to join them. This fictionalized version of that film stars Jahi Di'Allo Winston, who’s simply spectacular as the 14-year-old. As a matter of fact, the entire cast is chocked with real, compelling performances (Teyonah Parris, as his mom, is especially heartbreaking). The Black culture and characters are portrayed with verve and verisimilitude. It’s a hard story with dramatic turns and sometimes contrived situations. Even when it rambles (could use some cutting), the characters keep it interesting and the ultimate outcome (although somewhat expected) is effective. There have been stories about disadvantaged youth coming of age before, but this one has a raw energy and exceptional acting that make it distinctive. NOTE: The credits feature footage of the real riders performing some of their amazing stunts.… Expand

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Stream2BigScree

Oct 11, 2020

Streamers! We've been getting pretty lucky with the recent streaming content produced and released. Over the weekend, HBO Max continued this trend by releasing a movie I personally have been waiting for this Sundance Festival darling, Charm City Kings. Charm City Kings is about a teenagerStreamers! We've been getting pretty lucky with the recent streaming content produced and released. Over the weekend, HBO Max continued this trend by releasing a movie I personally have been waiting for this Sundance Festival darling, Charm City Kings. Charm City Kings is about a teenager named Mouse and his friends as they try to be a part of the most popular motorcycle crew in Baltimore. We follow the kids during this unforgettable summer that will forever change their lives. Let's see if Charm City Kings is worth the hype.

First, I must talk about the cast. I didn't love the performances of the individual cast members, but I have to admit the heavy B-more accents were on point. Jahi Winston does a good job and so do his other lackies but it wasn't awe-inspiring. However, as a group of kids, I felt them. They give the viewer nostalgia over what it was like to "run" the streets wherever they grew up with their buddies. Chasing that girl you're crushing on and doing anything to impress her and others, even though it's clearly the wrong move. But there was one cast member that truly stood out, Meek Mill's Blax. Meek Mill, yes there is no "s" or "z" on his stage name, has a really strong performance in this film. In fact, Meek Mill does so well in this role that I'd actually enjoy seeing him in other, non-"hood" parts. I know people might get turned off once they hear he's in the movie but quietly he shines. As do the motorcycles and tricks throughout the movie.

Now, the movie as a whole is predictable but the story still feels so real. The cast and director really do a good job of highlighting and portraying what life can be like for some of our young black men not only in Baltimore, but also across the country and world in underserved communities, cities, and populations. There is a profound need for resources and opportunities in the inner cities. There is similarly a profound need for good role models and mentors to step up to the plate. One thing that wasn't highlighted in this move was the lack of parental figures, especially of Mouse's friends. But by assumption, this movie does show how important it is to have a male role model in a young man's life to teach, guide, and protect them. Either way, the storyline in this movie is moving and worth promoting.

With that said, Charm City Kings is just that, charming. The movie might not be perfect, but it is worth watching as the story and ending are powerful. Grab a big bowl of popcorn and try not to spill the kernels while watching all the tricks.… Expand

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