A Most Beautiful Thing
A Most Beautiful Thing is an upcoming 2020 documentary film chronicling the history of the first US African American public high school rowing team, composed of young men from the West Side of Chicago, many of whom were in rival gangs. The film is narrated by Common, directed by filmmaker and Olympic rower Mary Mazzio, and produced by NBA athletes Grant Hill and Dwyane Wade along with 9th Wonder who also did the hip-hop score for the film.
| A Most Beautiful Thing | |
|---|---|
 Release poster | |
| Directed by | Mary Mazzio |
| Produced by | Common Grant Hill Dwyane Wade 9th Wonder Cameron Winklevoss Tyler Winklevoss Mary Mazzio |
| Written by | Mary Mazzio |
| Narrated by | Common |
| Music by | 9th Wonder Alex Laserenko |
| Cinematography | Joe Grasso |
| Edited by | Andrew Eldridge Tom Cole Mary Mazzio |
Production company | |
Release date | July 31, 2020 |
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Fifty percent of the film's profits will go to rowing groups focused on diversity and inclusion efforts as well as trauma research.[1]
Plot
A Most Beautiful Thing follows the story of the first African American public high school rowing team in the United States. Formed in the 1990s at Manley High School and based in Chicago's West Side, the team was made up of young men, many of whom were members of rival gangs.
Reuniting after 20 years, the team gets back on the water to prepare to race in the 2019 Chicago Sprints, the largest rowing regatta in the Midwest. In the process, Arshay Cooper, the team's captain, takes inspiration from the past and reaches out to the Chicago Police Department to show that rowing can bring even people with the most disparate of backgrounds together.
A Most Beautiful Thing features interviews with former US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Olympic coach Mike Teti, Olympic rower David Banks, and Olympic International Committee Member Anita DeFrantz.
Production and release
A Most Beautiful Thing was inspired by team captain Arshay Cooper's 2015 memoir Suga Water, which was republished June 30, 2020 by Flatiron Books under the name A Most Beautiful Thing.[2]
The film was executive produced by NBA athletes Grant Hill and Dwyane Wade along with 9th Wonder. Bill Hudson, John H. Carlson, Bill McNabb and Katie McNabb, Ginny Gilder and Lynn Slaughter, Bryan White and Christine White, Bruce Herring and Tricia Herring, Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss, Ted Dintersmith, Derek Dudley, Doris Casap, Ashley Bekton, Chaz Ebert, and Rick Lane are also listed as executive producers.
Originally selected as a Documentary Spotlight, A Most Beautiful Thing was set to premiere at South by Southwest on March 16, 2020 and premiere nationally with AMC Theatres March 27, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film's release was pushed back to July 31, 2020 when it opened on Xfinity. On September 1, 2020 the film will be showcased on NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock before being made available on Amazon Prime October 14, 2020.
Reception
A Most Beautiful Thing received positive pre-premiere reviews by critics. RogerEbert.com critic Brian Tallerico wrote,
“As I was watching the joyful and powerful “A Most Beautiful Thing,” I thought about how the event would have played out in Austin[...] and the likely standing ovation that would have followed[...] The warm reception I expect would have greeted Mary Mazzio's film in Texas will now happen elsewhere. But it will definitely happen[...] I adored the storytelling and compassion in Mazzio's approach. Not everyone could have gotten these guys to open up the way they do in “A Most Beautiful Thing,” and that's often an underrated element of documentary filmmaking. Common may do the narrating but Mazzio lets the people like the unforgettable Arshay give the film its momentum[...].”[3]
Deadspin said the film is "absolutely a must watch" and The Credits called the film "a must-see[...] exceptional."[4][5] The Chicago Sun-Times highlighted the film in their Sports Saturday, entitling the print edition of the article "All in the Same Boat."[6]
References
- "A Most Beautiful Thing | A Mary Mazzio Documentary". Retrieved 2020-05-14.
- "'A Most Beautiful Thing' Tells Of The First U.S. All-Black High School Rowing Team". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
- Tallerico, Brian. "The SXSW That Never Was: The Documentaries". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2020-05-16.
- Baud, Chris. "Story Of The First All-Black Rowing Team Is Absolutely A Must Watch". Deadspin. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
- Abrams, Bryan (2020-03-31). "A Most Beautiful Thing Director Mary Mazzio Films a Miracle on the Water". The Credits. Motion Picture Association. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
- Costabile, Annie (2020-03-28). "'A Most Beautiful Thing' shares story of first African American prep rowing team". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2020-05-14.