Review of "Disappearing Acts," DVD version

Review of

Disappearing Acts, DVD version

Four out of five stars

 To a first approximation, this is a man meets woman, fire at first sight love story. Wesley Snipes plays Franklin Swift, a very talented and intelligent construction worker that has big ideas but lacks the drive to deliver the goals. Sanaa Lathan plays Zora Banks, a woman with considerable music skills that also has big dreams. The setting is in New York and Franklin’s goal is to get a contractor’s license while Zora’s is to be a professional singer.

 They meet by chance and it is not long before they are a couple. It turns out that Franklin has the baggage of a wife and children, but that is not the biggest obstacle to their relationship. As the movie progresses, Franklin repeatedly demonstrates what a low-life he is, constantly taking offense and making what happens about him instead of what Zora wants out of life or the man he should be.

 There are times in the movie where the viewer despises Franklin, hoping that he will simply be taken out of Zora’s life. At the end there is closure, yet you wonder if the end result was worth it for both of them. The performances by the two leads are excellent and Lathan is supported by superb performances by the women that play her two BFFs.