"Our Song" is a tamer, barely more tolerable "KIDS" (the horrid 1995 film about a teenager whose goal is to deflower as many virgins as possible) for the new millennium. It's a film that tries so hard at being life like that it forgot to also be entertaining-- a characteristic every film should focus on.
"Our Song" is the "realistic story" centering on three Brooklyn teens that are all best friends in the local city marching band. There is Maria, a 15-year-old who just found out she is pregnant; Lanisha, her best friend who recently had an abortion and Joycelyn, who is just trying to find a way out of inner-city life, even if it means losing her friends in the process. As we follow these three teens during the closing weeks of summer, we witness how fragile friendships-and life-can be.
The three main actresses in the film, "Save the Last Dance"'s Kerry Washington and newcomers Anna Simpson and Melissa Martinez, do the best they can to save a film with no direction. They play their parts with a realness that may seem over-the-top for a suburban audience, but actually does represent inner-city life fairly accurately. However, despite a few interesting and emotional moments, "Our Song" has virtually no closure, no climax and no reason for audiences to sit through it. The plot just goes in circles and we never see anything come of Maria's pregnancy-in fact we don't even see her transforming from your everyday 15-year-old to someone who looks remotely pregnant. Maybe if "Our Song" wasn't a feature-length promotional video for the Jackie Robinson Steppers Marching Band-- which is actually credited after the three girls during the opening credits-- director/writer Jim McKay ("Girls Town") could have been able to spend more time developing his main characters. Instead, the only development the audience witnesses is when the marching band masters a new song and routine for the Labor Day Parade.
Another one of "Our Song"'s many downfalls is the jerkiness of the camera. While it was intended add to the realistic feel of the film, it only leaves the audience with a headache. Those who had a hard time sitting through "The Blair Witch Project" for this same reason will find "Our Song" intolerable to watch.
While "Our Song" may not be as in-your-face as "KIDS" (which is actually one of its better features), viewers will lack a connection with these characters on any level. As we wait for something-anything-to happen, we are only let down when the ending credits roll. Despite the film's unofficial theme song (The Five Stairsteps' "Ooh Child," which plays a handful of times during its mere 96 minute duration) telling us that 'Things are gonna get easier,' they don't. "Our Song" only gets more painful to watch, and by the ending credits will have you feeling cheated out of $8.
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