Young. Wild. Free.
2023 American film
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Young. Wild. Free. is a 2023 American drama film written by Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier, directed by Thembi Banks and starring Algee Smith. It is Banks' feature directorial debut.[1][2][3]
Tony Rettenmaier
- Charles D. King
- James Lopez
- Poppy Hanks
- Tommy Oliver
- Baron Davis
- Tracy "Twinkie" Byrd
| Young. Wild. Free. | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Thembi Banks |
| Written by | Juel Taylor Tony Rettenmaier |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Cary Lalonde Dennis Zanatta |
| Edited by | Lindsay Armstrong |
Release dates | |
Running time | 113 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
A teenager struggling to provide for his younger siblings in Compton finds his life turned upside down when he's held at gunpoint by the girl of his dreams.
Cast
- Algee Smith as Brandon Huffman
- Sanaa Lathan as Janice Huffman
- Sierra Capri as Cassidy
- Mike Epps as Lamont
Production
According to Banks, the first day of filming occurred on March 11, 2020 and then filming was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] In August 2022, it was reported that production on the film was underway in Los Angeles.[5]
Release
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the Library Center Theater on January 22, 2023.[6][7]
This BET+ original produced by MACRO premieres on BET+ June 27.[8]
Reception
The film has a 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 17 reviews.[9] Tomris Laffly of Variety gave the film a negative review and wrote, "An Uncertain Script Saddles a Stylish Coming-of-Age Movie Full of Los Angeles Love."[10] Esther Zuckerman of IndieWire graded the film a C− and wrote, "Trust me, you’ve heard this one before."[11] Patrice Witherspoon of Screen Rant awarded the film four stars out of five.[6]