User reviews

Please watch this film. If you enjoy courtroom dramas it should at least interest you although you wont find the thrilling battles you find in Goliath or other of the same ilk. The story forcuses more on the pitfalls of the foster care system and the broken corporations that back it.

The characters are a bit one dimensional outside of Jamal. His pain and performance is undeniable and the main reason I stuck around.

Definitely worth a watch.

A 19-yr-old boy has been in a series of troubles with the law, to the extent that the judge recognizes him. He is a failed product of the foster system, starting when he was 8.

Now he is suing the large corporation that has been running the placement system. He doesn't want a financial award, he wants the company and its guilty to be prosecuted and the system cleaned up. But he can't afford a lawyer.

Set in Chicago, the judge corrals a high-profile L.A. lawyer to be his pro bono lawyer, against his will. First just wanting to settle the case and get home for Thanksgiving, he gradually learns what all the boy has been through.

The movie is "inspired by real events" but the closing credits state that parts of the story were fabricated and some characters are composites. Still it is a good look at how the foster system can fail the kids when money is paid out without enough regard to the health and safety of the kids.

My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library.

Its a long time since my last courtroomdrama, and this flick did not motivate for further binging on this genre. the story is important enough, but an inconsistently storyline and plot, where the judge is like a piece of garbage, and the sabotaging done by the case counterpart, are completely ruled out of explanation. i guess the makers have slept through the court tv-series that rumaged in the 1990's and 2000', and where the real action should be aim't

its a piece of terrible caracter building, and the actors doesnt contribute at all. very uninspiring and flat, its a no recommend from the grumpy old man

This movie was very enlightening. I wasn't at all surpised that this kind of stuff happens, but its good to let the world see how trashy a supposed care system for children can be. This is based on something that actually happened. Granted, I am sure not all foster care businesses are this shady, but you know there are definitely so many businesses of all shapes and sized that are comprised of soulless individuals who hold the almighty dollar way above human lives. Its especially bad to choose profit over the well being of a child. The movie was fantastic and I hope that maybe this movie will motivate the appropriate types of authorities to monitor foster care systems and make sure that no kid has to suffer and become scarred and traumatized all because someone wants to make another buck.

Imagine Matt Modine reading this script and saying to himself, "Yeah! This script looks fantastic."

Nope, that didn't happen. He must be very hard up to agree to this one.

I really enjoyed this movie, it isn't a waste of time!!, this is a real topic matter in today's world; watch it, you won't be disappointed.

Idea of movie was great but movie itself is poorly executed, poorly acted and it looked like cheap budget movie with first time working movie director.

Not sure how movie managed to get awards with poor execution and acting.

This film was so boring I fell asleep twice. The acting is terrible and almost laughable. The Director obviously have no comprehension on making films or how to direct actors. YAWN

This is a great movie! It's aggravating, annoying, intense, emotional, terrifying and sad all at the same time.

It's so sad that people rating this movie are so heartless - it's based on a true story and they are saying this boy's life isn't interesting enough for them...

Humanity sucks - this movie is GREAT! Don't go by the ratings.

The premise of this film is the sick side of the foster industry, which got my blood boiling; personally it could of used more of that context, painting us a more gruesome picture of that reality.. but I don't think I will chip away at the rating for the director's discrepancies. Overall it's very uplifting and makes you want to join the fight - I know I have!

My wife and I have watched a lot of movies, and noticed a trend: newer movies often don't portray known actors. So we rate movies in three categories (to allow horrible B- glitches): story, acting, dialogue (flow). This movie scored 9+ in all three. Sure, in this case the story is (hopefully) predictable, but it's a true one, which makes it all that much more pertinent (relevant). It's a good movie. The first for which I'm writing a review (yeah, I've watched better, but nothing better in all three boxes, atI least recently), and the first I'd offer to to friend on a USB stick (um, thank you?)... It's a good movie, through and through.

This Film really picks up steam as the Story of Corruption and Greed unfolds. Excellent work by Matthew Modine as Michael Trainer a High Powered Corporate Attorney forced to take a Pro Bono Case by Judge Taylor (Louis Gossett Jr) equally excellent ! Jamal Randolph (Shane Paul McGhie) the young man suing the Foster Care Corporation is Stubborn as Heck and initially he and Trainer don't see eye to eye, but as their relationship grows and the Investigation of the Facts reveals the shocking Truths, they become a team. The Courtroom scenes are Cat and Mouse and Big Part of the Movie, as the Corporate Lawyers are fairly convincing as well. The Soundtrack is Outstanding, be sure and watch credits til end. Shout out to SHAQ for Producing Film and Helping the Foster Care System. Thug and Three Piece Rap

Matthew Modine did an excellent portrayal of super lawyer Michael Trainer, you felt his characters pains, joys and frustration. Louis Gossett Jnr is always a pleasure to watch on screen and I'd pay good money to see him continue a role as a judge.I haven't seen Shane Paul McGhie other works however I will be keeping an eye out as his performance in this was outstanding, he was able to convey the conflicting feelings of his characters victimisation. Julie Benz's acting was the cherry on top of this awesome ensemble.

One of the most moving movies I've seen in a while. The harsh reality is that this is happening now. You never really know someone until you understand who they are.... Thank you for this masterpiece

This is a movie that truly effects so many children all around the world. I found the story and acting emotional and real. I kept wanting justice on so many levels. I think the acting was very good. Parts of the story line felt rushed a bit. But I will be adding this to my amazing movie list. Great job and God help those children.

This movie has everything which defines a sleeper HIT. Content is strong. But story is true. The truth is raw and undeniable. Thank you Shaq for using your platform to present this story

"Three-piece" and "thug" deliver powerful performances in this gem of a story.

This has a story's obligatory conflict ramped up beyond the limits of endurance. Undeserved misfortune meets callous indifference, corporate greed and government incompetence.

Thankfully, this movie doesn't preach at its audience. It doesn't have to. The evil is obvious, and the good is, too. But now for my own soap box...

This movie is a commentary on the broken nature of our modern society -- people increasingly turning to government and corporations to offload their own responsibility. But in the end, we end up less free. This is because individual freedom demands us to be responsible. Without that responsibility, we lose everything.

Big, Publicly-Traded Corporations are all evil, by definition. Both the Left and the Right don't understand this, except perhaps for a very few. They have a fiduciary duty to be egregiously selfish, and the Antagonist in this movie is no different. Ironically, such Big Centralized power in corporations loves Big Centralized power in government, and do their best to betray their clients for more profit. Leftist Capitalism is naked in this movie for all the world to see. Liars, betrayers and selfish to the bone. And such corporations hate Free Market Capitalism, taking over the government to protect their industry advantages and to hide their corruption. This movie even shows the lawyer for the Big Publicly-Traded Corporation attacking the small, Free Market Capitalist family farm for making their own profit. Profit is never bad; what a company does with that profit can be pure evil, or divine good. Publicly-traded corporations don't have a choice; privately-owned corporations do.

We need more movies like this to help wake people up.

I came to this film expecting to be touched and moved by the spotlight on deficiencies in the foster care system and "Foster Boy" delivered. I did not expect to be totally absorbed in the legal thriller surrounding the social issue.I saw this film in a packed theater and at times, you could not hear a pin drop. The next scene, the audience would be clapping and cheering. Newcomer Shane Paul McGhie is brilliant in the title role, and I hope to see much more of him in a long career."Foster Boy" is a film that is satisfying on many levels.

This film was incredible. The character development of the lawyer and main character was nice to watch. It makes you think how corrupt the foster care system is. the acting and story telling was great.

Black centric movies get such a bad rep but I love court room dramas and this was excellent. Forever will be one of my favorites. The main lawyers transformation was predictable but rewarding. The client was a grrat actor and I hope to see him in more movies in the future. Kiesha was the standout.because she was every black woman in America today. You can see the prize but can you grab it in this crazy game of who knows who? Really enjoyed her performance. Overall a great court room drama about serious issues in our society. Like a great law and order episode but better. Don't let the Bet tag scare you off.

I gave it a 10 because it was that good. I watched it on a tv station that showed it with most of the inappropriate words deleted. The acting was spot on by everyone in the cast. It was a powerful story. I recommend it to anyone who wants what is best for all children.