Movie Review: The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete

Many films (Gangster’s Paradise, Precious) have chronicled these hardships in truly heart-wrenching cinema. George Tillman Jr’s tale, while well-intentioned, provides only meagre competition.

In The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete he presents a dramatically undernourished story about two boys – 13-year-old Mister (Skylan Brooks) and nine-year-old Pete (Ethan Dizon) – who are left to fend for themselves in inner city Brooklyn after their drug addicted, sex-working mothers are taken in by the authorities. This is no Home Alone, even though there are some funny moments. It is the story of two young children fighting for survival.

Mister is a teenager with a bad attitude, but his heart is in the right place. Distraught after discovering that he’s failing eighth grade, he dreams of being a movie star in Beverly Hills. All his hopes ride on a casting call for a new television show, but he soon learns that no adult accompaniment means no audition.

Still of Skylan Brooks and Ethan Dizon in The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete (2013)

Hiding out in his rundown apartment and dodging child protective services for almost two months, Mister and Pete go on an adventure, foraging for food and facing one challenge after another. Part survival story, part coming of age tale, there’s a vulnerability here that transcends boundaries. It’s a touching tale of friendship and loyalty brought to life through unfortunate circumstances.

The central characters are brilliant in their roles, interpreting something far beyond their understanding and outshining co-stars including Jennifer Hudson and Jordin Sparks. Regrettably, the screenplay lets them down, as the film idles in places. Mister and Pete are forced to witness things no child should, from drug use to sexual innuendos and child abuse.