I've got to hand it to screenwriter Robert Lipsyte. This movie spends the vast majority of its runtime seeming as if it's entirely too perfect - a huge band, a major (and as of yet just rising) star, a tried and true tale of trying to maintain one's soul while resisting a surging tide of schlocky conformity, and substantial, important themes about the dehumanizing corruption of (the music) business and capitalism set against the vibrant, pulsing heart of real people and real culture. Given the characters, the dialogue, and the (sterile, soulless, boot-licking) song that are set up to represent the quagmire of iniquitous, destructive forces, and in contrast the band (Earth, Wind, & Fire) and music that are centered as the heart of the real and good and true, from the outset the story seems entirely too easy, simple, neat, and clean. Superman is arguably troubled as a character because Perfectly Good plus Perfectly Powerful equates to Perfectly Boring, and in much the same way, 'That's the way of the world' seems primed to tell us exactly everything that we know, and everything that we want to hear, and primed to therefore fall flat in the process. In every way, it really seems like the feature is going to choose Option A or at most Option C in its storytelling - and I'm so very pleased that Lipsyte instead turns the tables and goes for Option Z. I'm not saying that this is flawless, but for those who are patient and willing to see where the journey takes you, it is, after all, a terrific film.
It would have been all too basic to take the path of least resistance and tell precisely the story for which the stage seems to be set from the start. Less obvious, and only slightly less basic, would have been telling a bleak story of a man yielding to that corrupting influence of conformity, and losing himself in the process - Option A, and what I like to call Option C. What we get instead is Option Z, the long game, a narrative that's the least expected and the most satisfying. It's literally only within the last five minutes that Lipsyte gives us the payoff of the plot and shows us what it is he's actually been building all the while. That resolution is delicious, however, and a total joy as a viewer. I can honestly say that I spent most of these ninety minutes preparing to write scathing remarks lambasting lazy writing and film-making, and so I'm all too happy at the harder, smarter direction that the feature ultimately takes.
It still has issues, mind you. Despite the prominence of Earth, Wind, & Fire in marketing and retrospective, and their presence in the soundtrack, they don't have very much time on-screen. This is only in accordance with the nature of the plot, but I was still rather surprised. More meaningfully troublesome is that 'That's the way of the world' does feel imbalanced when all is said and done, for we are given very different ideas at one point or another of where the narrative is going; for the strength of the emphasis of these discrete notions, it almost comes across that the picture didn't actually know what it wanted to be, as though Lipsyte had a last-minute revelation of an ending that would totally change the tone. Clearly this isn't true, but I say this only to speak to the unevenness in the presentation. And to that point as well, we get glimpses of still other story ideas that just aren't earnestly broached at all, specifically the rot that can lie underneath the most wholesome of images ("All-American," indeed), and the despoiling power of fame.
Lastly - I don't specifically blame director Sig Shore per se, but it's also noteworthy that the acting here just doesn't make much of an impression. We know well what Harvey Keitel is capable of, but he mostly just seems to coast by in his starring role, and the same very much goes for pretty much else on hand. Earth, Wind, & Fire is highly esteemed for their music, and deservedly so, though for what time they have in front of the camera, I can't necessarily speak as well of their performances. To be frank, I'm as astonished as anyone that it's Cynthia Bostick, who seems to have very few credits to her name, who in my opinion gives the most dynamic and praiseworthy performance of the movie. So far as I can tell 'That's the way of the world' marked her debut as an actor - in a considerable supporting part no less - so it says a lot about her that she handled the role so well.
So no, at length, for good and for ill this isn't perfect: not in the way we hope, but thankfully, also not in the way we fear. It's a little bit of a rough ride, all told, to the point that I wonder if I'm not being too generous in my assessment. Yet even if there is very little to stand out about the production - well done though it may be - the music, Keitel's involvement, and above all Lipsyte's storytelling are unquestionably worth reflecting on, with the latter turning out to be the strongest bit after all. For as bumpy as the viewing experience is overall I can't begrudge anyone who regards the picture more poorly, and in fairness, for most of the runtime there isn't necessarily a lot to particularly hold onto. Still, for those who are willing to take whatever may come and let films tell their stories in their own time, the destination is well worth the trip we're taken on. Unless you're an utmost fan of someone involved you maybe don't need to go out of your way for 'That's the way of the world,' but if you have the chance to watch, this is splendidly enjoyable and worth checking out.
