Cover (film)

Cover
Cover
	DVD Cover
Directed by	Bill Duke
Written by	Aaron Rahsaan Thomas;
Produced by	Michael A. DiManno; Bill Duke; Warren Kohler; Corey Redmond;
Starring	Aunjanue Ellis; Razaaq Adoti; Vivica A. Fox; Leon; Louis Gossett Jr.; Paula Jai Parker; Patti LaBelle; Mýa;
Cinematography	Francis Kenny
Edited by	Cari Coughlin
Music by	Kurt Farquhar
Production; companies	Duke Media; Redmond Enterprises; Redwood Palms Pictures
Distributed by	American Cinema International
Release dates	October 28, 2007 (American Black Film Festival); February 22, 2008 (United States);
Running time	98 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$79,436

Cover is a drama thriller film produced and directed by Bill Duke and starring Aunjanue Ellis, Razaaq Adoti, Vivica A. Fox, and Leon. It opened at selective theaters on February 22, 2008.

Plot[]

A woman accused could be either a killer or a victim in this psychological drama from director Bill Duke. Valerie Mass is a God-fearing housewife and artist who one day finds herself in a situation she never imaged possible—being questioned on murder charges by no-nonsense police detective Hicks and Simmons, a district attorney eager to close this case.

As Valerie repeatedly insists she's not a murderer, she tells the story of the last several months of her life. Valerie's husband, Dutch, is a psychiatrist with a practice in Atlanta who was offered a high-paying job by his old friend Monica, who works at a hospital in Philadelphia. Dutch takes the job and Valerie dutifully follows, and she seeks solace in the women's support group at local church.

Dutch spends more and more time with drug-abusing Monica, her wealthy but uninterested husband, Kevin, and obsessively womanizing musician Ryan Chambers. As Valerie's marriage begins to fall apart, she suspects her husband is being unfaithful, but she's shocked to discover the truth is more complicated than she imagined.

Cast[]

Aunjanue Ellis as Valerie Mass
Razaaq Adoti as Dutch Mass
Vivica A. Fox as Zahara Milton
Leon Robinson as Ryan Chambers
Louis Gossett Jr. as Detective Hicks
Paula Jai Parker as Monica Wilson
Roger Guenveur Smith as Kevin Wilson
Richard Gant as Robert Mass
Mýa as Cynda
Obba Babatundé as Attorney Miller
Victoria Gabrielle Platt as Charlotte
Clifton Davis as D.A. Simmons
Patti LaBelle as Mrs. Persons
Clayton Prince as Greg
Tomorrow Baldwin Montgomery as Nicole Mass

Reception[]

On review aggregator website Metacritic, the film holds 30 out of a 100 based on 5 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".^[2]

Peter Debruge of Variety criticized the director Bill Duke for "aims[ing] for social awareness, but deliver[ing] second-rate melodrama instead".^[3]

Lou Lumenick of the New York Post said that "[the film w]ould be a candidate for the year's most unintentionally funny movie so far - if it weren't also the most homophobic".^[4]

References[]

^ "Cover". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
^ "Cover". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
^ Debruge, Peter (February 26, 2008). "Cover". Variety.
^ Lumenick, Lou (February 22, 2008). "Down Low and Dirty". New York Post. Retrieved July 15, 2021.

External links[]

Cover at IMDb
Cover at AllMovie

[1] "Cover". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved July 15, 2021.

[2] "Cover". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 15, 2021.

[3] Debruge, Peter (February 26, 2008). "Cover". Variety.

[4] Lumenick, Lou (February 22, 2008). "Down Low and Dirty". New York Post. Retrieved July 15, 2021.

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