| Roxanne Roxanne | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Michael Larnell |
| Written by | Michael Larnell |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Federico Cesca |
| Edited by | Claudia Castello |
| Music by | RZA |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release dates |
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Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Roxanne Roxanne is a 2017 Americanmusicaldrama film written and directed by Michael Larnell. It starsChanté Adams,Mahershala Ali,Nia Long,Elvis Nolasco,Kevin Phillips, andShenell Edmonds. The film revolves around the life of rapperRoxanne Shante. It was screened in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section of the2017 Sundance Film Festival.[1] Adams won the Breakthrough Performance Award at the Sundance Film Festival.[2]
In January 2017, it wasNeon had acquired North American distribution rights to the film in a bidding war that also includedAmazon Studios,Lionsgate andMiramax.[3] However, in December 2017, the film was revealed to be part ofNetflix's 2018 film slate.[4]
Onreview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 70% based on 30 reviews, and an average rating of 6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Roxanne Roxanne belatedly honors its subject with a gripping character-driven biopic that serves as a primer for a trailblazing career while telling an often tragic story."[5] OnMetacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100, based on ten critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6]
OnRogerEbert.com, Nick Allen gave the film 2 stars. Comparing the movie to David O. Russell'sJoy, he said: "LikeJoy, this story feels overwhelmingly like the writer/director's version of their subject's lives, renderingRoxanne Roxanne a portrait that's as expressive as it is incomplete."[7]