''All Things Fall Apart'' is a 2011 American

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Mario Van Peebles Mario Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is an American film director and actor best known for directing and starring in ''New Jack City'' in 1991 and '' USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage'' in 2016. He is the son of actor and filmmaker Melvin Va ...

and starring Ray Liotta,

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

, and

Lynn Whitfield Lynn Whitfield (''née'' Smith; born February 15, 1953) is an American actress. She began her acting career in television and theatre before progressing to supporting roles in film. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a ...

. It was filmed in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

and premiered at the

Miami International Film Festival The Miami Film Festival (formerly Miami International Film Festival) is an annual film festival in Miami, Florida, that showcases independent American and international films with a special focus on Ibero-American films. The competitive film fest ...

Plot

Deon (50 Cent), a skilled college

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

falls ill from a genetic disease just when he was about to go into the championships of the NFL. Though idolized for his athletic ability, Deon shares the glory on and off of the football field. His mother Bee (Lynn Whitfield) is incredibly proud and his younger brother Sean (Cedric Sanders)—understandably jealous. Eric (Mario Van Peebles, Deon's stepfather), sees the football star as a winning lottery ticket. Deon’s doctor, Dr. Brintall (Ray Liotta) informs him that he can’t play football again, but there is always hope. While fighting cancer, Deon seeks to finish what he started. In the end, while at a catering party, he runs towards the football field just like the good old times and raising his arms pretending that he hit the touchdown while the screen fades black as the credits roll.

Cast

* Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson as Deon * Ray Liotta as Dr. Brintall *

as Eric *

as Bee *

Ambyr Childers Ambyr C. Childers (born July 18, 1988) is an American actress known for her portrayal of Susan Atkins in the NBC crime drama ''Aquarius'', Ashley Rucker in the Showtime crime drama ''Ray Donovan'', and Candace Stone in the Lifetime/Netflix th ...

as Sherry * Elizabeth Rodriguez as Mrs. Lopez *

Cedric Sanders Cedric () is a masculine given name invented by Walter Scott in the 1819 novel ''Ivanhoe''.Sir Walter Scott, Graham Tulloch (ed.), ''Ivanhoe'', vol. 8 of The Edinburgh Edition of the Waverley Novels, Edinburgh University Press, 1998, , "explanator ...

as Sean *Tracey Heggins as Sharon *

Steve Eastin Steve Eastin (born June 22, 1948) is an American character actor. He has appeared in nearly 150 television and film roles throughout his decades long career. Early life and education Eastin was born in Colorado, where he began to study acting a ...

as Coach Harper *Chanel Farrell as Carey

Controversy over film title

The movie was produced under the same title as Chinua Achebe's 1958 novel ''

Things Fall Apart ''Things Fall Apart'' is the debut novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, first published in 1958. It depicts pre-colonial life in the southeastern part of Nigeria and the invasion by Europeans during the late 19th century. It is seen as the ...

''. After being contacted by Achebe's legal team, 50 Cent offered $1 million to keep the title ''Things Fall Apart'' for the film. The author of the 1958 novel took this as an insult. The foundation that manages Achebe's copyrights said: "The novel with the said title was initially produced in 1958. It is listed as the most-read book in modern African literature, and won't be sold for even £1 billion." The film was renamed to ''All Things Fall Apart''.

Production

50 Cent, who based his character on a childhood friend who died of cancer, lost up to 54 pounds in order to accurately portray his emaciated character, dropping from "214 pounds to 160 in nine weeks after liquid dieting and running on a treadmill three hours a day" according to the Associated Press.

References

External links