‘Selah and the Spades’ can’t stick the landing

Posted on April 24, 2020

By MARK VIOLA

Over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself stuck in a not-so-great pattern of watching movies with disappointing conclusions. First was the Netflix original “Uncorked,” followed by  “Trolls World Tour.”

The latest is the Amazon Prime original film, “Selah and the Spades,” set in a  boarding high school whose social structure is dominated by five factions. The movie takes a tried-and-true storyline — an accomplished figure takes on a fresh newcomer and shows them the ropes — and puts an interesting and fresh spin on it. Boasting solid acting from its young cast,  “Selah and the Spades” was on its way to being one of the better films I’ve seen since the movie theaters closed.

Unfortunately, this movie suffers from the same issue I had with “Uncorked,” and that is an ending that seems to arrive in between story beats, leaving character arcs feeling incomplete and the overall story unsettled.

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