As busy I get from time to time, I find that I can't see every movie under the sun, leaving my friends and colleagues to fill in the blanks for me. As poetically as I think I wax about movies on this website as a wannabe critic, there are other experts out there. Sometimes, it inspires me to see the movie too and get back to being my circle's go-to movie guy. Sometimes, they save me $9 and you 800+ words of blathering. In a new review series, I'm opening my site to friend submissions for guest movie reviews.

TODAY’S CRITIC: Lafronda Stumn

Lafronda Stumn is a student at Madisonville Community College and intends to graduate with an Associate's degree in Associate of the Arts. She plans on earning a Bachelors Degree in Motion Picture Studies and English at Wright State University. Her favorite Directors are Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Spike Lee, and her favorite actors are Al Pacino, Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, and Halle Berry. Lafronda contacted this page looking for a place to get published and I enjoy giving people that very kind of opportunity. This is her 14th guest review for Every Movie Has a Lesson. Welcome back, Lafronda!

HER REVIEW: The Score

The director of The Score, Frank Oz, is known for being a comedic director. He has directed such classic comedies such as The Little Shop of Horrors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Bowfinger, and In and Out. Oz is also known for being the voice of two of the most memorable characters of the Muppets of Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear.

Frank Oz's 2001 film The Score is a welcome change of pace. The Score is a crime caper with a terrific cast of the greatest actors of Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando, Edward Norton, and Angela Basset. Now with this cast, you expect greatness, right? No, just goodness. The film has a basic premise that entertains, but I wish there were more character development on one character in the movie.

The movie stars De Niro. He plays a jewel thief named Nick. Nick is content with his job running as a manager of a jazz club. He loves and is loyal to his girlfriend, a flight attendant (Anglea Bassett). They have a wonderful life, but Nick wants to retire as a thief and enjoy running the jazz club he adores.

One day comes his boss, Brian (Marlon Brando). Norman wants Nick to run one last heist of a golden jeweled encrusted torch. Norton named Max appears to help in stealing the jewel, and Nick wants no part of it. After being roughed up by one of Nick's cronies, Max and Nick agree to help each other gain enormous wealth by stealing this precious jewel.

The jewel locates at Custom House, where Max works as a janitor, acting like a mentally challenged individual. Max works alongside and senior Jewish janitor. Who sees him as his son? The problem is getting the jewel is with high-tech security and how the treasure is sealed in a safe, requiring extensive dismantling.

The most effective scene in the movie is when Nick was getting necessary information. Of the security password of the Custom House building. The man who has the information is with a relative. The relative threatens them with a gun.

The clock is ticking to get the password info before the time permitted to put in the pass will expire. Nick and Brian discuss the risk that Nick is committing a crime where the city he lives in and trusting a guy he doesn't know beforehand. Nick and his girlfriend discuss doing one more heist, in which he can retire, much to the dismay of Basset's character. Basset wanted more information on why he needs to do one more heist.

It’s also good to see the great Jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson singing in Nick's nightclub. To that end, the best aspect of the movie is the orchestrational score by Howard Shore. The music fills with horns, which adds to the suspense of the film. De Niro and Norton are good, especially Norton, who plays a man who is a little more dangerous than the movie suggests. Brando is pleasing in his final role.

My main problem with the film that there is little screen time for the Bassett character. She only has two scenes. I believe most of her scenes with De Niro are edited out. Bassett's character is weak in character development.

I wish she had more say and maybe a little more involvement with the heist between her and Nick's name. There is a twist that I did see coming toward the end. Norton and De Niro's performances in The Score are tight under the intense direction by Oz to make this film a good, not a great thriller.

RATING: ***

CONCLUSION

Thank you again, Lafronda! You are welcome anytime. Friends, if you see a movie that I don't see and want to be featured on my website, hit up my website's Facebook page and you can be my next GUEST CRITIC!