Rob Peace

by Mike McGranaghan

Rob Peace is one of the wiser movies I’ve seen on the subject of life’s messiness. Based on a true story, it deals with a young man who simultaneously experiences the best and worst life has to offer. Drama springs from watching how he attempts to bring everything into balance. The twists and turns in the character’s tale are so wild that you probably wouldn’t buy it if it was written as fiction. Knowing he really existed lets you marvel at the “never say die” spirit at the core of his personality.

Jay Will gives a star-making performance as Rob, an intellectually gifted kid whose father Skeet (writer/director Chiwetel Ejiofor) gets a life sentence for double murder. It’s a striking blow. Rob responds by teaching himself law, vowing to exonerate his dad. That plan doesn’t sit well with mom Jackie (Mary J. Blige). She prefers him to focus on his studies, since he’s gotten into Yale. Needing money for the legal process, he starts dealing drugs at the same time that he’s making serious advancements in the university’s biology department under the tutelage of Professor Durham (Mare Winningham). Singer Camila Cabello co-stars as fellow student Naya, who becomes Rob’s girlfriend.

Describing the plot of Rob Peace is difficult because the central character continually reinvents himself. The film unfolds over the course of several years, during which he develops a real estate venture, uses chemistry to create more potent marijuana, and emerges as a star water polo player, among other things. This is a sprawling story that explores how Rob transforms and evolves. His inspirations for self-adjustment change. What’s interesting about him is that his moral code tells him it’s okay to do bad things for noble reasons. Peddling drugs, for example, may be illegal, but he’s only doing to it to help his father. His distinct outlook is a major part of what makes him such a compelling figure.

Will turns Rob into a fully fleshed-out character who we continually root for, even when we think he’s making a mistake. The actor’s performance is full of passion. Ejiofor and Blige do similarly commanding work – the former as a flawed man who may be lying to his son, the latter as a mom who understands just how far off course her boy could get if he fails to keep his eye on the prize. The three build a memorable family dynamic, showing how the issue of Skeet’s guilt or innocence impacts each of them.

As a filmmaker, Ejiofor clearly learned a lot from the great directors he’s worked with, a list that includes Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), Steven Spielberg (Amistad), Spike Lee (Inside Man), and Ridley Scott (American Gangster). He knows how to bring the story’s New Jersey settings to life, as well as how to accentuate emotions through visual style. Where he still needs to grow is in the area of subtlety. The screenplay is occasionally a bit too on-the-nose in making its points. You can sometimes feel it pounding ideas into your head.

That’s certainly a forgivable flaw, given the overall high quality of Rob Peace. If you don’t know what happened to him in advance – and I did not – the film’s ending will leave you with your jaw on the floor. Ejiofor knows the appeal of Rob’s journey, which is that life can be both wonderful and complicated, no matter how much or how little you have going in your favor. That theme hits you on a deep emotional level as the end credits begin to roll.

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