Livin' Large

media release:  USA | 1991 | 35mm | 96 min.

Director: Michael Schultz

Cast: Terrence T.C. Carson, Lisa Arrindell, Loretta Devine

Thirty-something delivery man Dexter Jackson’s (Carson) greatest dream is to be a television news anchor, a gig he spends every free moment practicing for. His big break comes during an active hostage situation where his heroic efforts earn him the respect of his community and a cushy reporting gig as the only Black newsman at a highly rated local network. Soon enough, though, he’s pushed by a craven, ratings-hungry producer to deliver sleazy exposés on his friends and neighbors, and he begins to see a grotesque, Dorian Gray-like transformation in his on-air appearance. In hindsight, Livin’ Large! looks like a stepping stone between Sidney Lumet’s Network and Spike Lee’s Bamboozled, a media satire as broad and crass as the industry it’s skewering, and another Schultz-directed winner that pins its wacky hijinks to an uncommon sensitivity regarding matters of race and work. Print courtesy Chicago Film Society.

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