Storyline
Based on the true story of teenager James Burns who goes from a suburban street gang to a maximum-security prison cell surrounded by hardened criminals. He turns his life around in prison thanks to the unexpected friendship he forms with a convicted murderer who becomes his mentor.
Directors
Cast
Trailer
Reviews
50
The Dissolve
Jamesy Boy has its heart in the right place, and first-time director Trevor White shows some skill with actors, but the film lacks a compelling reason to exist, except perhaps as a public-service announcement.
50
The screenplay by Lane Shadgett and director Trevor White relies far too much on telling rather than showing.
38
The poems — and the film as a whole — fail to flesh James out as a whole and complicated human being worth rooting for.
30
Village Voice
Director Trevor White frames the former teen gang member's life as an uplifting coming-of-age prison drama that feels entirely disconnected from the realities of incarceration.
30
Every word of the story may be true, and if it happened to someone you knew, you'd be captivated. In Jamesy Boy, though, it's hard to see why we should care.
