
On the Come Up
2022

2006
Director
Debbie Allen
Runtime
88 minutes
Average Rating
No ratings yetSynopsis
In the Lifetime® movie, THE FANTASIA BARRINO STORY: LIFE IS NOT A FAIRYTALE, a single teenage mother overcomes all odds - sexual abuse, poverty and illiteracy - by relying on her spectacular singing voice. She ultimately gains national prominence as the winner of a hit talent show. Fantasia Barrino plays herself in this modern true Cinderella story. Also starring Loretta Devine, Kadeem Hardison and Viola Davis.
Overall Score
Good
Category Breakdown
LGBTQ+ Representation
The narrative focuses on Fantasia Barrino's personal and professional journey. There is no visible engagement with queer identities or critiques of heteronormativity within the primary thematic focus.
Gender Representation
The film prioritizes female agency by centering a woman navigating single motherhood and historical trauma. It disrupts traditional hierarchies by focusing on her resilience rather than male-led success.
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
This story provides meaningful representation by centering the Black female experience. It explicitly addresses systemic socioeconomic hurdles like poverty and illiteracy to highlight intersectional identities.
Religious & Cultural Diversity
The film deconstructs conventional social norms by emphasizing non-traditional family structures. It portrays systemic struggles and the insufficiency of traditional support structures through the protagonist's lens.
Disability Representation
The mention of illiteracy suggests the inclusion of invisible cognitive or educational challenges. These hurdles appear to be treated as lived realities rather than simple plot devices.
Strengths
Areas for Improvement
AI Analysis
The film serves as a powerful narrative of empowerment that challenges socio-economic and gender-based hierarchies. By centering a Black woman's agency against systemic adversity, it moves beyond mere tokenism to offer a nuanced, intersectional portrait of survival. High marks in racial and gender representation reflect the intentional focus on a protagonist overcoming poverty and trauma. The story disrupts the sanitized tropes often found in biographical dramas by embracing the complexities of her lived experience. While the film excels in intersectional storytelling, it lacks visible engagement with LGBTQ+ identities. The representation of disability is present through the lens of illiteracy but remains limited in scope.

2022

2007

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1972

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1999

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