The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete

The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete is a 2013 American drama film directed by George Tillman, Jr. and written by Michael Starrbury. The film stars Anthony Mackie, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks and Jeffrey Wright. Coming of age story about two inner-city youths, who are left to fend for themselves over the summer after their mothers are taken away by the authorities. Skylan Brooks and Ethan Dizon star in the title roles as Mister and Pete, respectively.

Plot
During a sweltering summer in New York City, 13-year-old Mister’s (Skylan Brooks) hard-living mother (Hudson) is apprehended by the police, leaving the boy and nine-year-old Pete (Dizon) alone to forage for food while dodging child protective services and various hostile residents while awaiting a child actor casting call. Faced with more than any child can be expected to bear, the resourceful Mister nevertheless feels he is an unstoppable force against seemingly unmovable obstacles. But what really keeps the pair in the survival game is much more Mister’s vulnerability than his larger-than-life attitude. Plus he and Pete have to figure out how to do all of this without money.

Cast

 * Skylan Brooks as Mister
 * Ethan Dizon as Pete
 * Anthony Mackie as Kris
 * Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Pike
 * Jennifer Hudson as Gloria
 * Jordin Sparks as Alice
 * Jeffrey Wright as Henry
 * Julito McCullum as Dip Stick
 * Adam Trese as Alice's Boyfriend
 * Michael Chmiel as Clerk
 * Chandler Frantz as Paul Finch-Audition Boy
 * Marcus Carl Franklin as College Kid

Production
In July 2012 Jennifer Hudson and Jordin Sparks joined the cast. In May 2013 CodeBlack Entertainment acquired the US rights for the distribution of the film.

Release
On August 1, 2013 Lionsgate announced the limited release date October 11, 2013 for the film.

Box office
In its opening weekend, the film opened in 147 theaters in the United States and Canada and grossed $254,279, ranking #24 at the box office. Mister & Pete was in release for 3 weeks and has grossed $494,608 domestically.

Critical
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 90% approval rating with an average rating of 6.9/10 based on 30 reviews.