Reviewed by Suzanne Petrofsky, Library Assistant
Waves is the story of a suburban African American family, in which the father’s quest to make his son excel becomes an obsession that rocks the family to its core. Sterling K. Brown of TV’s This Is Us 
plays the father, Ronald, who is always after his son, Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), to study longer, run faster, work out harder, and become the top wrestler on his high school team. Tyler’s stepmother, Catherine (Renee Goldsberry), offers moral support but avoids intervening in the father-son relationship. Ronald’s daughter, Emily (Taylor Russell), is almost an afterthought in the family until Tyler’s life starts to unravel.
Waves is a well-acted film, with a plot full of twists and turns. It is a dark drama, exposing family flaws that lead to disaster for Tyler. Although it is eventually a story of family redemption, the road to get there can be hard to watch.
I found some elements of the plot to be far-fetched, but the story moves along well and kept my interest. In the end, it is the neglected Emily who begins to put the family back together after Tyler’s hard fall. Waves is a drama worth seeing but is not for the faint of heart.
Waves is rated R and is available to reserve for Curbside Pickup from Herrick Library. To make a reservation for this title or any other:
- Place a hold at the library catalog at https://tinyurl.com/herrick-catalog,
- Send an email to info@herricklibrary.org,
- Or call 619-825-5010 to reserve a copy.
