Plot
The movie focuses on Antwone "Fish" Fisher (Derek Luke), a temperamental young man in the navy with a violent history. His father was killed before he was born and his teenage mother, Eva Mae Fisher, ended up arrested soon after and put in jail where she gave birth to him. He was then placed in an orphanage until she got out to claim him. When she never claimed him, Antwone was placed in a foster home at two years old ran by a religious couple Mr. and Mrs. Tate (Ellis Williams and Novella Nelson). There, Antwone faced abuse by Mrs. Tate mentally and physically for many years until he finally left the home at age fourteen. Living out on the streets for the next few years he decided to join the U.S. Navy to make something out of his life. However the rough life he had as child caused him to have a violent temper at this point.
After getting into a fight with a fellow sailor, Antwone is sentenced to be demoted, fined, and restricted to the ship for 45 days. His commanding officer also orders him to go to psychiatric treatment. Antwone goes in to meet Dr. Jerome Davenport (Denzel Washington). Davenport attempts to get him to open up, but Antwone is at first extremely resistant. During his sessions, Antwone develops feelings for a fellow Naval personnel, Cheryl (Joy Bryant). Still getting into altercations, Davenport tries to explore Antwone's feelings for Cheryl to channel Antwone's feelings into something positive. Antwone finally goes on a date with Cheryl and establishes a relationship with her.
While on leave in Mexico, Antwone's sexuality is called into question by a fellow personnel he had previously called an "Uncle Tom". The personnel's comments have an impact on Antwone and he gets into yet another fight. Antwone's thrown into jail. Davenport meets him in jail, where Antwone confided he was sexually abused as a child by Nadine Tate (Yolonda Ross), a member of the Tate household. Later on, Antwone eventually reveals to Cheryl that he sees a shrink and they share their first kiss.
At Thanksgiving dinner, Davenport advises Antwone to find his real family. Antwone refuses, but thanks Davenport before inviting him to a graduation ceremony. Following the graduation ceremony, Davenport tells Antwone he's ending the sessions and feels Antwone needs to progress on his own. Antwone breaks down and feels everyone has abandoned him. He reveals his best friend was killed during an attempted robbery and he resents his friend for leaving him behind. Realizing he needs to find his parents to find closure, Antwone asks Cheryl to go with him to Cleveland. After a dead end at social services Antwone decides to return to the Tate household. There he confronts an older Nadine and Mrs. Tate about their abuses toward him. Mrs. Tate ultimately reveals Antwone's father's name: Edward Elkins.
After looking through multiple telephone books, Antwone comes into contact with his Aunt Annette (Vernee Watson-Johnson) and visits her. Antwone learns his mother (Viola Davis) lives nearby, and goes to visit her. She sits in silence after he reveals to her that he's her firstborn. Antwone finds closure, forgives her, and leaves. When he returns to the Elkins household, he finds a feast prepared for him and finds the family he lost.
At the end of the film, Antwone visits Davenport and thanks him for everything. Davenport then replies that it is he who should be thanking Antwone. Davenport reveals to Antwone that he was slowly shutting down his life until the day he met Antwone. The movie draws to a close as Davenport and Antwone go to eat.
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Famous quotes containing the word plot:
“We have defined a story as a narrative of events arranged in their time-sequence. A plot is also a narrative of events, the emphasis falling on causality. “The king died and then the queen died” is a story. “The king died, and then the queen died of grief” is a plot. The time sequence is preserved, but the sense of causality overshadows it.”
—E.M. (Edward Morgan)
““The plot thickens,” he said, as I entered.”
—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930)
“There comes a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given him to till.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)