THE all-black Providence St. Mel School is situ ated on Chicago’s im poverished and gang-infested West Side, yet it is noted for its high academic standards. For nine years it has sent 100 percent of its graduates to college.
The documentary “The Providence Effect,” directed by Rollin Binzer, attributes this achievement to one man, Paul Adams III, the African-American activist who has headed the school for 30 years.
Adams and the school’s students and teachers deserve an A-plus, although the film rates a much lower grade. It unfolds lifelessly, as Binzer parades a contingent of talking heads before the camera in what could pass for an infomercial.
Running time: 92 minutes. Rated PG (thematic elements). At the Quad and the Empire.