Queen & Slim is a 2019 American romantic road crime drama film directed by Melina Matsoukas (in her feature directorial debut) and with a screenplay by Lena Waithe from a story by James Frey and Waithe. The film's story centers on a young couple (Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith) who go on the run after killing a police officer in the heat of an argument as self defense during a traffic stop. Bokeem Woodbine, Chloƫ Sevigny, Flea, Sturgill Simpson and Indya Moore also star.
Queen & Slim had its world premiere at the AFI Fest on November 14, 2019, and was theatrically released in the United States on November 27, 2019, by Universal Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise for Kaluuya and Turner-Smith's lead performances, Matsoukas' direction and its overall theme and message. It grossed $47 million on a $20 million budget.
Plot[]
In 2019, after a client of hers is executed by the state, āQueenā, a black criminal defense attorney, has an awkward and disappointing dinner with her Tinder date āSlimā in an Ohio diner. As he drives her home from what will be their one and only date, they are pulled over by a white police officer who searches Slim and his trunk without cause. When Slim mildly asks the officer to hurry as it is cold outside, the officer draws his gun on Slim. Queen angrily gets out to confront the officer, reaching for her phone, and he shoots her in the leg. Slim tackles the officer and a scuffle ensues, resulting in Slim grabbing the officer's gun and shooting him dead. Taking the gun and throwing away their phones, Queen tells Slim they must go on the run or else spend their lives in prison.
Out of gas, they flag down a passing Latino driver, Edgar, who turns out to be a Kentucky sheriff. He receives an APB about the officer's death and realizes Queen and Slim are the suspects. They take his truck at gunpoint, leaving him in the trunk of Slim's car, despite his offering to help them. They pay a young black boy to order them food, and he reveals that dashcam footage of their confrontation with the officer has gone viral. They accidentally strike the boy's father with the truck, but he is supportive of their actions ā the police officer Slim shot having killed an unarmed black man two years earlier ā and they drive him to a hospital. Slim has an unsettling encounter with a gas station clerk after letting him hold the gun.
They arrive in New Orleans at the house of Queen's estranged Uncle Earl, a pimp, and Slim proposes they escape to Cuba. After a police officer notices their truck, Earl gives them money and another car to reach Johnny Shepherd, a friend whose life he saved while serving overseas. Queen and Slim bond while dancing at a bar, where they are recognized by sympathetic locals, and stop to admire a horse by the road. Their car breaks down, forcing them to give all their money to a black mechanic, whose teenage son Junior expresses his admiration for them; Slim has Junior take their picture.
Slim calls his father, who cuts the call short; it is revealed that law enforcement was listening in, but his father refuses to cooperate. Queen takes Slim to visit the grave of her mother, who was accidentally killed by her Uncle Earl during a disagreement; Queen successfully defended him in her first trial. Slim comforts Queen, and they have sex in the car. At a protest in support of the fugitives, Junior is urged to leave by a compassionate black officer, whom he impulsively shoots in the face, and is himself killed.
Queen and Slim reach the home of Shepherd and his wife, who reveal that a $500,000 bounty has been placed on them, and Shepherd gives them directions to a man in Florida. A neighbor sees them arrive, and a SWAT team raids the house but fails to find them, hidden in a crawlspace under the Shepherds' bed. The next day, they sneak out of the house through a window and Queen dislocates her shoulder, which Slim resets, but her cry alerts a black officer stationed outside. He discovers them about to flee in the Shepherds' car but lets them escape.
They reach the Florida address and sleep in the car, awakened in the morning by a black man with a shotgun. They follow the man to his trailer where he makes a call, telling them a friend can help them escape by plane. He drives them to the tarmac and Queen and Slim walk toward a waiting plane, but a squad of police cars arrive on the scene. Joining hands, they declare their love for each other, but Queen is shot dead by an overeager officer. Ignoring police commands, an unarmed Slim carries Queen's body toward the officers and is gunned down as well.
The people Queen and Slim encountered react to news reports of their deaths; the Florida man has collected the bounty, while the police have falsely claimed that both Queen and Slim were armed when they were shot, despite footage showing the opposite. Their real names are revealed to be Angela Johnson and Ernest Hines, and hundreds attend their funeral, viewing them as martyrs as Junior's photo of them becomes a symbol across the country.
Cast[]
- Daniel Kaluuya as Ernest "Slim" Hines
- Jodie Turner-Smith as Angela "Queen" Johnson
- Bokeem Woodbine as Uncle Earl
- Chloƫ Sevigny as Mrs. Shepherd
- Flea as Mr. Johnny Shepherd
- Sturgill Simpson as Police Officer Reed
- Indya Moore as Goddess
- Benito Martinez as Sheriff Edgar
- Jahi Di'Allo Winston as Junior
- Gralen Bryant Banks as Older Black Man
- Dickson Obahor as Large Black Man
- Bryant Tardy as Chubby
- Thom Gossom Jr. as Slim's Father
- Melanie Halfkenny as Naomi
- Bertrand E. Boyd II as Florida Man
Production[]
On July 19, 2018, it was announced that production company Makeready had won a bidding war to co-finance the dramatic thriller film Queen & Slim, scripted by Lena Waithe from an original idea by James Frey, which would star Daniel Kaluuya and be directed by Melina Matsoukas.[1] In November 2018, Jodie Turner-Smith was cast to star opposite Kaluuya.[2] In March 2019, Chloƫ Sevigny joined the cast of the film.[3]
Principal photography began in January 2019.[4][5] Production concluded on March 22, 2019.[6]
Music[]
The score album for Queen & Slim was composed by English musician DevontƩ Hynes.[7] Choosing the score composer, Matsoukas stated she wanted a "black composer that could live between classical, hip-hop, and pop that's current", further asking "Who would be our current Quincy Jones?". Matsoukas then turned to Solange Knowles for advice, Knowles suggested Hynes.[8]
Release[]
Queen & Slim had its world premiere at the AFI Fest on November 14, 2019.[9] It was theatrically released in the United States on November 27, 2019, by Universal Pictures. It was released in the United Kingdom in January 2020.[10]
Reception[]
Box office[]
Queen & Slim grossed $43.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $3.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $47.7 million.[11]
In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside Knives Out, and was projected to gross $12ā16 million from 1,625 theaters over its five-day opening weekend.[12] It made $1.7 million on its first day, Wednesday, and $2.4 million on Thursday, which was Thanksgiving Day. It went on to gross $11.9 million during its opening weekend (a five-day total of $16 million), finishing fourth at the box office.[13] In its second weekend the film made $6.5 million (a drop of 45%), remaining in fourth.[14]
Critical response[]
Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of Script error: No such module "Rotten Tomatoes data". based on Script error: No such module "Rotten Tomatoes data". reviews, with an average rating of Script error: No such module "Rotten Tomatoes data".. The site's critics consensus reads, "Stylish, provocative, and powerful, Queen & Slim tells a gripping fugitive story steeped in timely, thoughtful subtext."[15] Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 based on 43 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[16] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "Aā" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an average 5 out of 5 stars, with 79% saying they would definitely recommend it.[13]
Mark Kermode of The Guardian assigned the film four out of five stars writing: "in the end itās the love story that makes the film matter, conjured with enough electricity to allow the polemics of the head to be swept along by the passions of the heart."[17] Johnny Oleksinki of New York Post praised Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith's lead performances.[18] Adam White of The Independent labelled it "simultaneously beautiful and troubling" and praised Melina Matsoukas' directing.[19]
Accolades[]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| African-American Film Critics Association | December 10, 2019 | Impact Award | Melina Matsoukas, Lena Waithe and James Frey | Won | [20] |
| Top 10 Best Films | Won | ||||
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards | January 10, 2020 | Best Woman's Breakthrough Performance | Jodie Turner-Smith | Nominated | [21] |
| ASCAP London Awards | October 21, 2020 | Top Music Film Awards | DevontƩ Hynes | Won | [22] |
| Austin Film Critics Association Awards | January 6, 2020 | Best First Film | Melina Matsoukas | Nominated | [23] |
| BET Awards | June 28, 2020 | Best Movie | Queen & Slim | Won | [24] |
| Black Film Critics Circle Awards | December 19, 2019 | Best Picture | Melina Matsoukas, Lena Waithe and James Frey | Nominated | [24] |
| Best Original Screenplay | Lena Waithe | Won | |||
| Black Reel Awards | February 6, 2020 | Outstanding Film | Melina Matsoukas, Lena Waithe and James Frey | Nominated | [25] |
| Outstanding Director | Melina Matsoukas | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Emerging Director | Won | ||||
| Outstanding Actress | Jodie Turner-Smith | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Actor | Daniel Kaluuya | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Screenplay, Adapted or Original | Lena Waithe | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding First Screenplay | Won | ||||
| Outstanding Original Score | Dev Hynes | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Cinematography | Tad Radcliffe | Won | |||
| Outstanding Costume Design | Shiona Turini | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Production Design | Karen Murphy | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Original Song | "Collide" (by Tiana Major9 and EarthGang) | Won | |||
| "Guarding the Gates" (by Lauryn Hill) | Nominated | ||||
| Costume Designers Guild Awards | January 28, 2020 | Excellence in Contemporary Film | Shiona Turini | Nominated | [26] |
| Directors Guild of America Awards | January 25, 2020 | Outstanding Directing ā First-Time Feature Film | Melina Matsoukas | Nominated | [27] |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | December 23, 2019 | Best First Film | Melina Matsoukas | Won | [28] |
| Guild of Music Supervisors Awards | February 6, 2020 | Best Music Supervision for Films Budgeted Under $25 Million | Kier Lehman | Won | [29] |
| Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards | January 14, 2020 | Best First Film | Melina Matsoukas | Nominated | [30] |
| Best New Filmmaker | Nominated | ||||
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 20, 2019 | Outstanding Music Supervision - Film | Kier Lehman | Nominated | [31] |
| Best Soundtrack Album | Queen & Slim Soundtrack | Nominated | |||
| Hollywood Critics Association Awards | January 9, 2020 | Best First Feature | Melina Matsoukas | Nominated | [32] |
| Motion Picture Sound Editors Awards | January 19, 2020 | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing ā Music Underscore | Joseph S. DeBeasi | Nominated | [33] |
| NAACP Image Awards | February 22, 2020 | Outstanding Motion Picture | Queen & Slim | Nominated | [34] |
| Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Independent Motion Picture | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | Daniel Kaluuya | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | Jodie Turner-Smith | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Breakthrough Role in a Motion Picture | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album | Queen & Slim Soundtrack | Nominated | |||
| National Board of Review | December 3, 2019 | Best Directorial Debut | Melina Matsoukas | Won | [35] |
| Online Association of Female Film Critics | December 23, 2019 | Breakthrough Filmmaker | Melina Matsoukas | Nominated | [36] |
| Online Film Critics Society Awards | January 6, 2020 | Best Debut Feature | Melina Matsoukas | Nominated | [37] |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards | December 15, 2019 | Best Original Screenplay | Lena Waithe | Nominated | [38] |
| Toronto Film Critics Association Awards | December 8, 2019 | Best First Feature | Melina Matsoukas | Nominated | [39] |
| Women Film Critics Circle Awards | December 9, 2019 | Best Woman Storyteller | Lena Waithe | Nominated | [40] |
| Best Equality of the Sexes | Queen & Slim | Nominated | |||
| Best Screen Couple | Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith | Nominated | |||
| Josephine Baker Award | Queen & Slim | Draw |
See also[]
- List of black films of the 2010s
References[]
- ā "Makeready Sets 'Queen & Slim'; Daniel Kaluuya Stars, Melina Matsoukas Directs Lena Waithe Script", Deadline, July 19, 2018.
- ā Kroll, Justin. "Jodie Smith-Turner to Star Opposite Daniel Kaluuya in 'Queen & Slim' (EXCLUSIVE)", Variety, November 8, 2018.
- ā Bentley, Jean (March 22, 2019). HOW TRUE-CRIME HORROR STORY THE ACT CAME TO LIFE.
- ā Queen and Slim (2018-12-17).
- ā Queen & Slim.
- ā Queen & Slim.
- ā Strauss, Matthew (November 19, 2019). DevontĆ© Hynes (aka Blood Orange) Details Queen & Slim Album, Shares New Songs: Listen. Pitchfork.
- ā Chow, Andrew R. (November 22, 2019). How Queen and Slim's Filmmakers Captured the Past, Present and Future of Black Music. Time.
- ā Sharf, Zack (August 27, 2019). AFI FEST 2019 Sets 'Queen & Slim' World Premiere for Opening Night.
- ā QUEEN & SLIM In Cinemas in January 2020. Filmoria.co.uk (2019-09-13).
- ā Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedBOM - ā D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 25, 2019). 'Frozen 2' To Near $284M By Next Sunday, 'Knives Out' Could Touch $30M ā Thanksgiving B.O. Preview. Deadline Hollywood.
- ā 13.0 13.1 D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 1, 2019). āFrozen 2ā Scores Second Best Wednesday For November & Animated Pic With Near $24M, āKnives Outā Earns $8M+: Thanksgiving B.O.. Deadline Hollywood.
- ā D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 8, 2019). āFrozen 2ā Leads Dreary December Weekend With $34M+, āPlaymobilā Plunges To $670K ā Sunday Update.
- ā Queen & Slim (2019). Fandango.
- ā Queen & Slim Reviews.
- ā Kermode, Mark. "Queen & Slim review ā love on the run across the US racial divide", The Guardian, 2020-02-02. (in en-GB)
- ā Oleksinski, Johnny (2019-11-25). āQueen & Slimā film review: A heartbreaking road trip (in en).
- ā Queen & Slim struggles to meld its beauty with its politics ā review (in en) (2020-01-30).
- ā Rahman, Abid (October 10, 2019). Jordan Peele's 'Us' Named Best Film by African-American Film Critics Association 2019. The Hollywood Reporter.
- ā Messner, Thomas (January 10, 2020). āParasiteā wins Alliance of Women Film Journalists awards. Screen Daily.
- ā 2020 Ascap London Awards. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (October 21, 2020).
- ā The 2019 Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) Nominations. Next Best Picture (December 30, 2019).
- ā 24.0 24.1 Tartaglione, Nancy (December 19, 2019). Black Film Critics Circle Anoints āDolemite Is My Nameā As Best Film. Deadline.
- ā Black Reel Awards 2020 (December 12, 2019).
- ā Schmidt, Ingrid (January 28, 2020). 'Knives Out,' 'Jojo Rabbit' Take Home Honors at Costume Designers Guild Awards. The Hollywood Reporter.
- ā Jackson, Angelique (January 7, 2020). Directors Guild Nominees Include Bong Joon Ho, Sam Mendes, Taika Waititi. Variety.
- ā Neglia, Matt (December 23, 2019). The 2019 Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) Winners. Next Best Picture.
- ā Herman, James Patrick (February 7, 2020). Guild of Music Supervisors Awards: Regina Spektor, āEuphoriaā Among Winners (Full List). Variety.
- ā Wurst II, Barry (January 6, 2020). Hawaii Film Critics Society 2019 Nominees List. Hawaii Film Critics Society.
- ā Harris, LaTesha (November 5, 2019). āJoker,ā āLion King,ā āUsā Lead 2019 Hollywood Music in Media Awards Nominees. Variety.
- ā The 2019 Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) Nominations. Next Best Picture (November 25, 2019).
- ā Ramos, Dino-Ray (December 19, 2019). Motion Picture Sound Editors Unveil 67th Annual Golden Reel Nominations. Deadline.
- ā France, Lisa Respers (February 23, 2020). The 51st NAACP Image Awards winners list. CNN.
- ā Sharf, Zack (December 3, 2019). National Board of Review 2019: āThe Irishmanā Wins Best Film, Adam Sandler Named Best Actor.
- ā The 2019 Online Association Of Female Film Critics (OAFFC) Winners. Next Best Picture (December 23, 2019).
- ā Sharma, Aayush (December 25, 2019). 'The Irishman,' 'Marriage Story' Lead Online Film Critics Society Nominations. International Business Times.
- ā Neglia, Matt (December 15, 2019). The 2019 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Winners. Next Best Picture.
- ā āParasiteā big winner at Toronto Film Critics Association Awards. The Star (December 8, 2019).
- ā Neglia, Matt (December 9, 2019). The 2019 Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC) Winners. Next Best Picture.
External links[]
- Template:Official site
Queen & Slim at IMDb- AFI FEST Interview: QUEEN & SLIM Writer Lena Waithe
Template:Bonnie and Clyde Template:BET Award for Best Movie
Links to authority control.