robert23-1 Although I disagree with most of the reviews, the movie's rating is spot on!. Yes, licence has been taken when telling a true life story as it should be and I'm sure that the real "Jamesy Boy"(James Burns, one of the producers), would be proud of the "final cut" as was I. Yes... some of the "gang" scenes were drawn out but they were important to show how a young boy gets sucked in for the money and lifestyle. This is NOT a true "prison movie" such as the Shawshank Redemption. The flashbacks to "Jamesy's" incarceration and eventual redemption are vital to the plot development. The performance of the lead actor, Spencer Lofranco(Jamesy) was outstanding. Yes, another Canadian like me! Yeah! True, his so called love scenes, albeit limited by the writing, were not the strongest but they were NOT the essence of this wonderful movie! Fortunately, Spencer was surrounded by a great supporting cast led by James Wood's superb performance as the warden, Ben Rosenfield(Jamesy's inmate friend), Michael Trotter(Roco) and of course, one of the finest African-American actors, Ving Rhames.Robert Thompson, Victoria, B.C. Canada

Tss5078 I have always been a huge fan of real life drama, because lets face it, some of this stuff you just can't make up. Even the best writers couldn't imagine some of the things these people have had to endure, and it makes for some amazing films. On the other side of that, there are other stories, which just aren't that unique or interesting, and in my opinion really don't warrant a full length feature film, Jamesy Boy is an example of this. James (Spencer Lofranco) is your typical rebellious kid from a single parent home. He's not poor and has a lot of opportunities, but for whatever reason, he's turned to drugs and crime. He's living the gangsta life on the streets until the inevitable happens, and he winds up in jail. Once there, James witnesses a crime, and meets a man who helps him unlock a talent he never knew he had, but will James turn to the straight and narrow or will his friends pull him back into his old life? This is a true story and newcomer Spencer Lofranco was fantastic, but haven't we seen stories like this done over and over again? To be honest the only reason I kept watching it was to see which path James chose after prison. I wanted to see how his life turned out, but either way, we've seen films like this many times before and Jamesy Boy doesn't stand out in any type of significant way. If you want to do a film that has been done over and over again, true story or not, there has to be something about it that makes it stand out from the pack, and that doesn't happen here. The bottom line, Jamesy Boy is decent and it's fine if you're just looking to kill a couple of hours. It features a pretty good up and coming young talent and some old familiar faces, but beyond that, there's nothing really special about it.

david-991-303220 This movie might not be for everyone, when I read some of the reviews I can understand your point of view when remembering it in hindsight but I must tell you I was unable to notice any of the small mistakes while I was watching.Maybe because I've been in the same situation at the same age, made all the same mistakes with the feeling of it being right at the time, like you had no other choice.If you lived the life of a child believing it was full-grown surrounded by vicious criminals whose "standards and morals" you thought was real and you believed it like this kid did and had to go trough it the hard way to finally realize, or if you can relate to that, then this movie might be for you.Not because it will make you feel good or not because it is portrayed in a way that makes "thug life" seem cool like these movies I grew up with and became classics.In a way that made me feel as the main character went through life making decisions, I could understand and relate to his choices, it wasn't always spelled out why he took upon himself to do some of the things he did.His standards and morals, he stood up for them even though it is a rare thing in that world, a very rare thing I must say knowing what I speak of. And when he was old enough to realize that he had to pay the price knowing he was trying to hold up this "standard and moral" that does not even exist in that world and the one who payed the price was him.I liked this film and the main character, it made me feel through the whole movie as the decisions was made and I reminisced on my own life from an adults point of view gone through hell and back.Best luck to you James, best luck.

Theprestige82 I usually like prison flicks, but this, jeez. Where do I begin. The movie skips back and forward with nothing but the awful artificial aging as a clue. And age yes, its a problem. He is suppose to play an fourteen year old in the flashbacks. Ehm, no. Just no. I don't believe it. And neither should you.Nothing is believable. The gang members are not scary. The cringe-worthy mom-son scenes are, well cringe-worthy. And the love story are so extremely shallow. So in conclusion. Bad acting. Bad casting. Bad writing. Bad directing. Bad movie. If we add that the real James Burns never changed for the better, and still lives hustling and steeling another day, its really no reason for anyone to watch this crap.