The Reading Room

These comments are from the perspective of a literacy educator and teacher educator. I found this movie by accident as I was doing the normal flip through the channels until I find something worth watching. I missed the first part of the movie and joined in when a teacher brought a student who 'couldn't' read to the Professor for help. While the movie is a nice, heartwarming story, it really a movie that moved me to begin to look for opportunities to provide a reading room in my little town. My little town may be too small for one similar to his but the premise will be the same - a safe place to come if you can't read, want to learn to read, need help with exams and test-taking, or any literacy issue. The Reading Room shows us how to do something - give something back - for our own communities that is more than give some money. It promotes the democratic ideals of our nation by providing access to and opportunities for engaging with books. In our poorest neighborhoods it is the limited access to and extremely limited funds for books and literacy resources in general that help create and perpetuate disconnections between academic success and under served populations.

The Reading Room is another example of good writing, directing and acting without the need for provocative dress or behavior or language that makes even sailors blush. The movie jacket description although enticing did not do the film justice. I expected a mediocre film that was interesting and found myself enthralled in a well written story that made me feel as if I were a tourist visiting the inner city for the first time. As I "evesdropped" beside the unnamed tattooed man who stood outside the Reading Room beneath the lamppost (who IS that man?) the entire movie unfolded before "us" as we stood mesmerized by the happenings and how each character interacted with the others. There was one disturbing scene of "injury" that may be upsetting to a young child or persons in abusive relationships but over all the movie is interesting without being offensive and provides a good life lesson for all.

This actually wasn't bad for a Hallmark Campbell soup pre-Christmas sentimental tale, which of course is a lot a caveats. James Earl Jones is a retired African-American businessman who returns to the ghetto where he grew up to open a free "reading room." This was his dying wife's last wish, and its prescience is revealed to him, and to us, as time goes on. The protagonist is surprised to find that, though a native, he is regarded as an unwelcome outsider by many elements within his old neighborhood. James Earl Jones gives an outstanding performance which saves the film from being merely sappy, and Douglas Spain, as his young and often reluctant protégé, is a real stand-out. The limited budget of a made-for-TV movie is evident, but it was used prudently and the result is a warm story that's easy to watch.

A widower respects the wishes of his deceased wife and clears out all of the books from his home library in order to open a reading room in an underprivileged community. The film chronicles the struggles and success stories of William Campbell (James Earl Jones) to support young people to engage their minds in the peaceful learning environment of the reading room.

This thoughtful film demonstrates why James Earl Jones is one of the finest actors on the planet. From start to finish, Jones provided the rock solid foundation for the human dramas of those young people affected by William and his reading room.

A fine supporting cast, including Joanna Cassidy in a sensitive performance as a caring teacher, and the brisk pacing of the film by director Georg Stanford Brown make this made-for-television film a moving and memorable experience.

The film offers an important message about the importance of reading, addressing learning disabilities, and the central role played by teachers in the developmental lives of our children. The motivation of Jones's character in opening the reading room was inspired by the words of his late wife, "More Care, Less Hate." In today's world, those words could not be more timely or more important.

This is a wonderful film for the whole family. Could also be used as a launching platform in a high school/college sociology class for development of many lessons. One can always hope that communities can and will come together to overcome bullies in all shapes and forms, as effectively as is shown in this film. We have to realize however that it will take longer than two hours, or even the number of days in the first calendar per the film. The techniques are good. The actions are up to the society of which we are all a part.

James Earl Jones plays the lead with his innate strength and dignity. The other cast members superbly act their characters per the script. In other words they do a masterful job, with so little time to develop it. Sad to say the high school principal probably exists too often.

Loved the few shots of the main character's home and garden. It was a great foil.