Brian Banks Parent Guide

All Brian Banks (Aldis Hodge) ever wanted to do was play football. Growing up in a disadvantaged neighborhood, he was used to facing opposition and tackling racial prejudice. Fortunately his talent on the gridiron presented a game plan for freedom. When he was offered a football scholarship at the age of sixteen, his dreams of one day playing in the NFL looked like they might be within reach.

Yet all that promise goes afoul when Brian accepts a flirtatious invitation from a fellow high school student, Kennisha Rice (Xosha Roquemore), to fool around in a quiet stairwell. After a few moments of kissing and fondling, the couple hears someone approaching their hiding place. Brian bolts, quickly forgetting the entire interlude. But Kennisha cries rape.

Her allegations results in Brian’s arrest, where some heavy-handed policemen drag him from his home. The seriousness of her claim, which now also includes kidnapping, leads officials to try the youth as an adult. The advice of his legal counsel persuades Brian to make a plea bargain that still gives him a long prison sentence, a lengthy parole period and being registered as a sex offender for life.

Based on a true story, Brian’s plight highlights some of the real injustices of the criminal conviction process. With dogged determination, the wrongfully incarcerated man asks for help from lawyer Justin Brooks (played by Greg Kinnear), founder of the California Innocence Project, to help him clear his name.

Although the legal battle and its associated challenges (which include some artistic license) contribute to an interesting script, the real power of this story is Brian’s personal journey to overcome the anger in his soul because of the unfair accusations. Grappling to make sense of his hopeless situation, Brian receives some mentoring while behind bars from a kind councilor (played by Morgan Freeman). His words, “All you can control in life is how you respond to life,” is advice that may have a powerful impact on movie viewers too.

Demonstrating both the tenacity of the human spirit and the good that can be done when one person is willing to fight against a broken system, Brian Banks is an inspirational film for teens and adults.

About author

Donna Gustafson

Donna Gustafson has been involved with her husband Rod's work since the beginning. Handling many of the behind-the-scenes tasks, she also creates preview pages for up-coming movies, acts as managing editor and occasionally writes reviews.