Loudmouth

This is a movie that observes Sharpton; it does not try to explain him or measure his impact. Those who are not already aware of his history may find it superficial or confusing.

As straightforward as it appears, Loudmouth also invites an engaged but necessarily judicious scrutiny.

There is little in the film that offers insight into what makes him tick as a person.

Fascinating as it is to see the sheer drive and determination of a man who builds his persona with unwavering dedication, Loudmouth can appear somewhat hagiographical in its approach. Sharpton is too fearless for such a style and has never shied away from confronting those who are angered by his words, for, as Dr. King once said, “In order to love your enemies, you must begin by analyzing self.”

Loudmouth is better when it operates along parallel histories of strife and battle: galling incidents that expose America’s racial fault lines, and how Sharpton’s activism affected those spaces.

The film, at two hours, still feels padded out with recent history. I would have liked, instead, to see some other dimension of Sharpton — who he is away from the protest marches. “Loudmouth” feels highly controlled, almost overly focused on Sharpton’s political identity at the expense of everything else.

A sense of admiration and responsibility courses through the doc, an orientation that eventually curdles the narrative.