Critics are at times hesitant to scrutinize a film such as this too closely, as if criticizing the film somehow tarnishes the subject matter. This is the film the junior high school kids are going to get to watch when they have a movie day in social studies: a solid entry in the safe-for-students historical drama canon, but sadly not a great piece of filmmaking. This is particularly unfortunate because Cynthia Erivo turns in a powerful and nuanced performance as the titular hero. It’s not clear why Kasi Lemmons, who’s never shown the chops to helm such a film, was given the reigns, but this is a classic example of why a writer ought not to also direct. Lemmons and writing partner Gregory Allen Howard neglect most of Tubman’s remarkable life. Her time in the Union Army is a brief last scene with no mention of Harpers Ferry and only an endnote on suffrage. Instead there are far too many shots of Erivo doing windsprints through field and forest, without the film truly conveying the terror of that. Spoiler. We ALL know Harriett Tubman got away, find a better way to tell the story. In a most unfortunate choice, Lemmons stitches together an almost comic montage of Tubman’s ever-growing groups of slaves being delivered to Philadelphia. When an otherwise adept Lesley Odom, Jr.’s William Still falls out of his chair in response, one fears there will be Benny Hill music soon. A poor choice. The film is a heavy-handed, sophomoric biopic of an American hero who deserves much better, worth seeing because Erivo carries it throughout. Last note, “Stand Up” is a great song, but not IN the film. Can we PLEASE stop nominating tacked-to-the-end anthem songs from historical pieces for film awards? They’re NOT in the damn films!