USA TODAY International Edition
Inspiring ‘ Queen of Katwe’ is good across the board
Fine filmmaking is in the corner of this chess drama
It deals in a world of pawns rather than punches, but Queen of Katwe is just as uplifting and feel- good a sports drama as any Rocky movie.
Directed by Mira Nair ( Monsoon Wedding), the film ( eeeE out of four; rated PG; now showing in 17 cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Atlanta and New Orleans; expands nationwide Friday), offers a family- friendly, inspirational take on the unlikely real- life glory of Ugandan chess champ Phiona Mutesi. There is no lack of Disney- fied melodrama, for sure, yet Queen fights through all that with outstanding acting, deft filmmaking choices and the introduction of a new talent in Madina Nalwanga.
The movie begins in 2007, with the film’s quiet heroine Phiona ( Nalwanga) selling corn on the streets of capital city Kampala, trying to help her single mother ( Lupita Nyong’o) make ends meet for the family. Theirs is a ramshackle existence in the Katwe slums, where simply keeping a roof over their heads is a struggle.
Phiona’s brother ( Martin Kabanza) starts taking chess lessons as part of a sports outreach program run by a local teacher, Robert Katende ( David Oyelowo), who himself sacrifices a good job so he can help children. Curious about this game, Phiona gets involved — she’s initially mocked by the boys because she smells bad but soon gains respect when she starts beating them all.
As Phiona’s confidence grows, so does her chess acumen. After she wins smaller competitions, Phiona and her teacher head to national events and even go global for tournaments. ( They do have to get her mother’s permission, which doesn’t come easy.) She goes on a hot streak but isn’t infallible: The movie shows how pride can take even gifted prodigies down a peg, and Nair successfully tracks a rise and fall before the inevitable happy ending.
Through it all, Nalwanga proves her mettle in capturing the emotions of a reserved teenage girl — the character has a tough road, but when she smiles, the youngster lights up the screen. If she’s the queen, then Oyelowo is the king of Katwe, bringing generosity and kindness but also a disciplining demeanor to his role. In many ways, it’s Robert’s movie as much as it is Phiona’s, and he plays Mickey to her Rocky, telling her, “You must consider the other side of the board.” It’s a lesson he’s teaching about the chess match at hand but also not so subtly about life in general.
The movie can’t quite escape the inherent sports drama clichés, but what Nair does exceptionally well are the chess- playing scenes. Done badly, they could be a snoozefest, but Nair films them as if they were football or boxing, with exciting montages, quick edits and interesting close- ups, showing Phiona deep in thought above the table and her feet nervously shaking underneath.
Plus, it’s entertaining to watch smug boys get owned by a girl. For fans of plucky underdogs, those scenes will capture their hearts, check and mate.