Forest Whitaker Movies
Born July 15th, 1961, the hulking, unmistakably burly
Forest Whitaker initially got into college on a football scholarship, but upon transferring to the University of Southern California, he majored in music, winning two more scholarships in
that field. Still another scholarship, this one in the name of
Sir John Gielgud, came
Whitaker's way when he entered the drama program at Berkeley. A seasoned stage veteran at 21, the baby-faced
Whitaker appeared in his first film,
Fast Times at Ridgemont High, in 1982, coincidentally making his debut in the role of a football player.
Four years later,
Whitaker attracted critical attention in the role of the young pool player who flummoxes Fast Eddie Felson (
Paul Newman) in
The Color of Money (1986). He was subsequently selected by director
Clint Eastwood for the prize role of jazz great
Charlie "Bird" Parker in
Bird (1988), which won him the Best Actor award at Cannes. In 1992,
Whitaker gained further fame for his role as a captured British soldier whose prior relationship with the mysterious Dil (
Jaye Davidson) catalyzes the plot of
The Crying Game.
Whitaker went on to work steadily throughout the rest of the decade in films of almost every possible genre. For
Robert Altman's meandering, often-reviled fashion exposé
Prêt-à-Porter (1994), the actor portrayed a fashion designer who has a tryst with fellow designer
Richard E. Grant; the sci-fi thriller
Species (1995) featured him as an empath on the trail of an alien; while in
Smoke (1995),
Wayne Wang's fine adaptation of several of
Paul Auster stories,
Whitaker portrayed an errant father confronted by his long-estranged son. He ended the century by portraying the title character in
Jim Jarmusch's
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), and began the 21st century by starring, appropriately enough, in the futuristic action flop
Battlefield Earth (2000).
In addition to his work in front of the camera,
Whitaker has also stepped behind it, surprising many by choosing to direct relatively unchallenging chick-flick scripts. In 1995, he made his feature directorial debut with
Waiting to Exhale, the popular adaptation of
Terry McMillan's novel of the same name. Three years later, he was at the helm of
Hope Floats, another melodrama starring
Sandra Bullock as a woman who moves back to her Texas hometown. In 2004, he directed the comedy
First Daughter, starring
Katie Holmes as the daughter of the president, played by
Michael Keaton.
Although the first half of the next decade found
Whitaker working primarily in independent films, he did stay in the public eye thanks to a part as a sympathetic burglar in
David Fincher's thriller
Panic Room (2002). Fortunately for fans of the versatile actor,
Whitaker achieved one of the great successes of his career playing the grandstanding dictator
Idi Amin in 2006's
The Last King of Scotland, a film that earned him numerous industry and critics' awards, including the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama, and a long-overdue Oscar for Best Actor. Whittaker continued to be active throughout 2008 by taking on roles in The Air I Breathe and thrillers Street Kings and Vantage Point.
~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

- 2013
- PG13
Director Lee Daniels (Precious) teams up with Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Danny Strong to tell the remarkable story of White House butler Eugene Allen (played by Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker), who served eight U.S. presidents over the course of 30 years, and witnessed sweeping social change during his three decades of service at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Inspired by Wil Haygood's Washington Post article, The Butler features Robin Williams as Dwight D. Eisenhower, James Marsden as John F. Kennedy, Liev Schreiber as Lyndon B. Johnson, John Cusack as Richard M. Nixon, and Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan. Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Jane Fonda, David Oyelowo, Lenny Kravitz, Melissa Leo, and Vanessa Redgrave co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Forest Whitaker

- 2013
-
Filmmaker Ryan Coogler makes his feature directorial debut with this drama centered on the tragic shooting of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan), a vibrant 22-year-old Bay Area father who was senselessly gunned down by BART officers on New Year's Day in 2009, and whose murder sent shockwaves through the nation after being captured on camera by his fellow passengers. Octavia L. Spencer, Melonie Diaz, and Kevin Durand co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- 2012
- NR
Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker narrates this documentary following world-renowned cyclist Jock Boyer as he trains the first Rwandan National Cycling Team to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics. An essential part of life in Rwanda, the bicycle played a crucial role in helping thousands of Rwandans escape certain death during the 1994 genocide. Many of the cyclists Boyer trains for the Olympics were too young to remember that horrible atrocity in detail, though its specter still haunts them in the form of brothers they will never see again, and stories passed down from their elders. Over the course of six years, Boyer transforms these young men into athletes with the talent to compete on the global stage. Meanwhile, filmmaker T.C. Johnstone captures their inspirational stories for all the world to see. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- 2011
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- 2011
- R
- Add Catch .44 to Queue
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Three ruthless female outlaws scheme to intercept a lucrative drug shipment for a notorious crime boss, and get drawn into a dangerous series of double crosses. Tes (Malin Akerman), Kara (Nikki Reed) and Tara (Deborah Ann Woll) are the kind of criminals who always get the job done. But when their boss Mel (Bruce Willis) dispatches them on a dangerous mission, a quiet diner becomes the scene of a tense confrontation. Shea Whigham and Brad Dourif co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Forest Whitaker, Bruce Willis, (more)

- 2011
-
- Add Serving Life to Queue
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Director Lisa Cohen's gritty yet heartfelt documentary Serving Life takes viewers inside one of the most brutal of all U.S. prisons, the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola. It's a maximum security facility conceived and designed for violent offenders, and most residents end up serving sentences in excess of 90 years - which means that 85% of them die behind bars. Intriguingly, though, a wellspring of compassion exists inside of the prison, which forms the narrative basis of Cohen's film. This is a hospice program, where jaded, seemingly unreachable criminals are assigned to care for fellow inmates on the prisoners' deathbeds. The result is often a journey of personal and spiritual transcendence that may give participants the only conceivable possibility of rehabilitation. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
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- 2011
- PG
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Their dream vacation in Paris proving to be an unmitigated dud, three women find the adventure they've been searching for after one of them is mistaken for a rude British heiress and pampered like royalty. Arriving in Paris to find that the City of Lights has lost its luster, a girl, her tightly wound stepsister, and her best friend ditch their tour guide and find themselves drawn into the lavish lobby of a world-class hotel. The next thing they know they're on a posh private jet to Monte Carlo, where romance and excitement await. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester, (more)

- 2010
- R
- Add The Experiment to Queue
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Das Experiment screenwriter Mario Giordano works with writer/director Paul Scheuring to craft this remake based on the notorious Stanford Prison Experiment. A team of scientists are conducting a psychological experiment that requires the participation of 20 subjects. The rules are simple: one group of subjects will be assigned the role of prison guards, while the others will be assigned the role of inmates. Though the guards are specifically instructed to maintain order without the use of force, no one is prepared for what happens when mutiny erupts, and civility erodes. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Adrien Brody, Forest Whitaker, (more)

- 2010
- R
- Add Repo Men to Queue
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Writers Eric Garcia and Garrett Lerner team with director Miguel Sapochnik to adapt Garcia's novel about a repo man named Remy whose body has been constructed almost entirely of artificial organs. When Remy (Jude Law) fails to keep up on payments for his recent heart transplant, his former partner vows to take back the organ by force if necessary. Meanwhile, Remy finds an unexpected ally in the form of his long-lost wife, Beth (Alice Braga), who has also been retrofitted with numerous artificial organs. Now, despite the fact that they haven't seen each other since Remy joined the army ten years ago, the desperate repo man and his sympathetic wife attempt a daring escape from a man who holds the lives of millions in the palm of his hands. Forest Whitaker and Liev Schreiber co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Jude Law, Forest Whitaker, (more)

- 2010
- PG13
Forest Whitaker and Carlos Mencia headline this culture-clash comedy centered on the conflict between two headstrong fathers whose children are about to be married. With just two weeks to go before the big day, the disagreeable dads struggle to put aside their differences long enough to plan the perfect wedding. America Ferrera, Regina King, and Fred Armisen co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
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- Starring:
- Forest Whitaker, America Ferrera, (more)

- 2009
- PG
- Add Where the Wild Things Are to Queue
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Visionary director Spike Jonze brings Maurice Sendak's beloved children's book to the big screen with the help of hipster icon Dave Eggers, who teamed with Jonze to pen the adapted screenplay. A mixture of real actors, computer animation, and live puppeteering, Where the Wild Things Are follows the adventures of a young boy named Max (Max Records) as he enters the world of the Wild Things, a race of strange and enormous creatures who gradually turn the young boy into their king. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Max Records, Catherine Keener, (more)

- 2009
-
A singer consumed by grief discovers the power of divine intervention when a troubled woman barges into his hotel room, locks herself in the bathroom, and refuses to leave. Back in the day, when Sam (Rupert Friend) would take the stage at a local bar, the crowds would go wild. But when Sam's wife Josephine died, his dreams turned to dust along with her. Now, Sam spends every night alone in the hotel room where he and Josephine first met. His only friend is George (Forest Whitaker) the doorman, who also happens to be Sam's guardian angel. George isn't prone to making mistakes, so when he hands Pi the keys to Sam's room it's no wonder the singer begins to experience a sudden reawakening. As soon as Pi appears in Sam's room, however, she locks herself in the bathroom, and refuses to come out. Later, Sam convinces Pi to open up, and together the two lost souls forge a powerful bond. Together, they agree to meet on the opposite sides of the same door each night, and to bare their souls to one another until they day they fall in love. Only then will they open the door, and start living the rest of their lives together. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Rupert Friend, Clémence Poésy, (more)

- 2009
- NR
- Add Toys in the Attic to Queue
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A mysterious attic packed with long-forgotten items of decades gone by serves as the starting point for this imaginative and visually dynamic fantasy from Czech director Jiri Barta and screenwriter Edgar Dutka. Done with a combination of live action and stop-motion animation, the tale concerns Buttercup, a beautiful doll who falls into the clutches of the Plaster Head, ruler of the Land of Evil. In response, an army of abandoned toys who hold Buttercup dear in their hearts stage a valiant rescue effort. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Boris Hybner

- 2009
- PG
Visionary director Spike Jonze brings Maurice Sendak's beloved children's book to the big screen with the help of hipster icon Dave Eggers, who teamed with Jonze to pen the adapted screenplay. A mixture of real actors, computer animation, and live puppeteering, Where the Wild Things Are follows the adventures of a young boy named Max (Max Records) as he enters the world of the Wild Things, a race of strange and enormous creatures who gradually turn the young boy into their king. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Read More
- Starring:
- Max Records, Catherine Keener, (more)

- 2009
- PG
Visionary director Spike Jonze brings Maurice Sendak's beloved children's book to the big screen with the help of hipster icon Dave Eggers, who teamed with Jonze to pen the adapted screenplay. A mixture of real actors, computer animation, and live puppeteering, Where the Wild Things Are follows the adventures of a young boy named Max (Max Records) as he enters the world of the Wild Things, a race of strange and enormous creatures who gradually turn the young boy into their king. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
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- Starring:
- Max Records, Catherine Keener, (more)

- 2008
-
Plenty of professional sports stars have had to overcome adversity to achieve success, but few have had to struggle against the harrowing circumstances that met Kassim "the Dream" Ouma in his childhood. Born in Uganda in 1978, Ouma was one of 13 siblings; he was born into poverty and sent to a boarding school where, at the age of six, he was abducted along with most of his classmates by rebel soldiers under the leadership of Yoweri Museveni. The soldiers taught Ouma how to kill, maim and torture others, and he was forced to inflict punishment under the threat of death. Museveni became Uganda's president in 1986 and Ouma was drafted into the military as soon as he came of age; while a soldier, he began taking boxing lessons. Ouma had a great natural talent as a fighter, and became a star on the army's boxing team. But Ouma dreamed of a better life, and when Uganda's national team traveled to compete in America, he defected, seeking asylum in the United States. Despite having no money and not speaking a word of English, 18-year-old Ouma was welcomed by Africans in the American boxing community, and manager Tom Moran took Ouma under his wing and into his home. Ouma went on to become Light Middleweight champion and a top middleweight contender in a professional career that saw him win 24 of his 29 fights. Filmmaker Kief Davidson tells Ouma's remarkable true story in the documentary Kassim the Dream, in which Ouma talks about his ravaged childhood, coming to America, his return to Uganda, and how boxing became his therapy as he deals with the demons of his past. Kassim the Dream was an official selection at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
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- 2008
- PG13
- Add Vantage Point to Queue
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Forest Whitaker, Dennis Quaid, William Hurt, and Matthew Fox star in director Pete Travis' Rashomon-style thriller in which an assassination attempt on the president of the United States is detailed from five unique perspectives. As the president arrives in Salamanca, gunshots ring out. An American tourist (Whitaker) has captured footage of the would-be assassin on videotape, and now, as the stories of the other four witnesses unfold, each essential piece of the puzzle quickly falls into place. Only when all of the stories are told will the chilling truth to this shocking crime finally emerge. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, (more)

- 2008
-
- Add Crips and Bloods: Made in America to Queue
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Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker, Dogtown and Z-Boys director Stacy Peralta's unflinching documentary chronicles one of the longest-running civil wars in the history of America though a deeply humanistic lens. The Bloods and Crips are two of South Los Angeles' most notorious African-American gangs. While many outsiders simply cannot understand the decades-long cycle of despair and destruction that has come to define their daily lives, the individuals who comprise each gang are not simply mindless, gun-toting thugs, but real people with real families who have become caught up in a struggle from which the only escape is often death. Beginning with an illuminating look at the genesis of L.A.'s gang culture, Crips and Bloods: Made in America follows the bloody feud that would stretch on for a grueling four decades, revealing the turf wars, hierarchy, family structure, gun culture, and stringent rules through interviews with gangsters past and present, as well as experts, activists, and academics. Throughout the film, the numerous issues blanketing the streets of South L.A. with a deep sense of dread are reflected upon by gang intervention experts, former gang members, writers, and academics in an effort to examine the erosion of identity that helps to perpetrate black self-hatred, prison culture, and the disappearance of the black father in the home. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Forest Whitaker

- 2008
-
- Add King to Queue
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Celebrated newsman Tom Brokaw headlines this feature-length, eponymous documentary portrait of the life of revered civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.. A program originally produced for cable's History Channel to commemorate the 40th anniversary of King's death, it affords equal attention to King himself, the myths and legacies that have gestated in the wake of his assassination, and the enduring messages from King that will live on permanently, passed down to successive generations. A who's who of interviewees also turns up for rare insights and revelations, including President Bill Clinton, Bono, Condoleezza Rice, Harry Belafonte, and King's son, Martin Luther King III. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Tom Brokaw, Andy Young, (more)

- 2008
- R
- Add Street Kings to Queue
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In the wake of the L.A. riots, an LAPD vice detective who always went above and beyond the call of duty to keep the streets safe receives a startling wake-up call that leaves him convinced he can no longer employ the tactics that made him so effective in his work. LAPD veteran Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) has borne personal witness to the worst that the streets have to offer, and when his partner, Detective Terrance Washington (Terry Crews), is killed the violence strikes a bit too close to home. Now Ludlow is on a mission to bring his partner's killer to justice, though Captain Walker (Forest Whitaker) is concerned that the hotheaded detective is taking the case too personally. Now, as Captain Walker attempts to convince Ludlow to work within the confines of the law, Internal Affairs Captain Biggs (Hugh Laurie) begins following the vengeful lawman's every move. In order to accomplish his mission, Ludlow recruits fresh-faced Robbery Homicide Detective Diskant (Chris Evans) to trace Washington's killers through the winding streets of Los Angeles. Later, when Ludlow and Diskant come face to face with the remorseless cop killers, they must chose between upholding the law and seeking bitter vengeance. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, (more)