REVIEW: ‘John Lewis: Good Trouble’
Photo: John Lewis, a civil rights leader and congressman, speaks before a crowd in the new documentary John Lewis: Good Trouble. Photo courtesy of official site / Provided with permission.
Magnolia Pictures’ powerful and painfully prescient documentary John Lewis: Good Trouble was released earlier this month, only a few weeks before the death of beloved Congressman John Lewis, a multi-term legislator who was also an important civil rights leader. He was 80 years old.
The new film, directed by Dawn Porter, follows Lewis’ life and career, combining recent interviews with archival footage of his protesting and marching during the 1960s with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In the modern day, he is seen campaigning for many other legislative candidates and governors, including Stacey Abrams in Georgia. He takes to the microphone and absolutely electrifies the crowd, time and time again, with a tried-and-true stump speech that calls for his listeners to start causing some “good trouble.”
The historic lessons are interestingly showcased in the 96-minute film. Rather than simply having the footage play out in montage form, the director broadcasts the films from Lewis’ early life on a big screen for the older congressman to watch and comment upon. It’s a bold and risky approach on how Porter weaves this intricate fabric, but the decision pays off because it builds definitive perspective into the retrospective film.
The most powerful images and stories come from Lewis recounting his time marching in Selma, Alabama, and facing resistance and violence on Edmund Pettus Bridge. Plus there are memories shared about his time organizing and speaking at the March on Washington with King and other civil rights leaders.
Lewis’ message throughout the documentary is peaceful and powerful, conveying the yearning for a better day and his nonstop fight to achieve equality for all. The news coverage over the past few days has offered Americans a chance to better know the man behind the headlines, and John Lewis: Good Trouble offers an even more authentic and thorough examination of a life lived and a passion unfurled.
He will be missed, but his lessons will live on.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
John Lewis: Good Trouble (2020). Directed by Dawn Porter. Running time: 96 minutes. Rating: 
