The subject of being included in a family takes a clever turn in this unique classic. Directed by Max and Sam Eggers, The Front Room is a dark comedy that offers unexpected gems hidden below the surface. The writing of the film has plenty of twisted humor. It leaves the audience wondering how much tolerance there is for the situation. Brandy Norwood makes her return to a one-of-a-kind dark comedy. The Front Room will leave its viewers gasping with laughs and shocks. This is by far one of the craziest and most massive achievements I have seen from the Eggers’ brothers.

The film gears on Belinda (Norwood) and Norman (played by Andrew Burnap). They are a couple waiting for the arrival of their newborn baby. Their lives as a growing family begin to get more complicated. Norman’s stepmother Solange (played by Kathryn Hunter) moves in with them. She is rude, belittling, condescending, and obnoxious. Hunter plays the role of an old naggy woman extremely well.  Solange has no filter and is machine of negative words. As Belinda is trying to tolerate Solange, their home begins to hit all sorts of plateaus due to the aggravation that Solange causes daily. She constantly talks about respect and uses that as the reason she frequently puts Belinda and Norman down. She is also a religious fanatic. With Belinda and Norman awaiting their first-born child, how much of her abuse and unexpected, dramatic episodes can they tolerate? Solange is wicked and acts like a queen witch in their home which once belonged to her.

Given the frequent and repeated terror caused by Solange, The Front Room never stops exploring what reality would be like if people were in the same situation as Belinda and Norman. The film is a cinematic jolt of dynamic adrenaline. The sense of entitlement is on full display in the ongoing disagreements throughout The Front Room. The witch goes full throttle and her persistent effort to do everything she can to make Belinda lose her mind makes The Front Room a cohesive journey of bashing heads.

Audiences will get angry at Solange. They will feel her wrath. They will also feel the frustration of Belinda as she keeps struggling to put up with the bipolar patterns of Solange. Norman feels like he cannot do much, since Solange is his stepmom. It is clear, however, that he does not like her much. It is a situation where there are two against one, but Solange is very strong with her words and quirkiness which are enough to mentally burn Belinda and Norman out. The question is how their newborn will be raised around Solange and her intense personality and weird religious notions. The writing and continuity of disturbing cycles is at a championship level in The Front Room. The question is, can everyone just get along? Find out in The Front Room. It is a cinematic gem where the comedy lies within the cycle of tolerance. Four out of four stars.