Having Damon Wayans in the cast might attract viewers to “Harlem Aria,” but they’re bound to be disappointed by the amateurish drama.
Wayans is Wes, a street hustler estranged from his wife and young daughter.
Then he meets Anton (Gabriel Casseus), a 28-year-old African-American who has run away from home and his protective Auntie and possesses an amazing tenor voice ready made for the Met Opera. (If you believe that, you’ll believe anything.)
Wes is a lot of things, but he’s no dummy. He recognizes the mentally slow Anton as an easy mark, and cons him out of the $183 he’s been saving to go to Italy and become a famous singer.
Added to the mix is Matthew (Christian Camargo), a white, classically trained pianist playing for spare change in Washington Square Park and staying at his girlfriend’s plush apartment.
Implausibility is heaped upon implausibility as the three bond. Then Matthew’s girlfriend catches him smoking pot and partying with Anton, Wes and a couple of hookers. Presto! Matthew, too, is on the street.
Wayan provides a laugh or two, but he overdoes the street vibe. Other performances are no more than adequate, as is the direction by William Jennings. The script is laughably inadequate.
“Harlem Aria” has been gathering dust since it screened at the Toronto Film Festival in 1999. Why it is now getting a release is something Congress should look into.