In director Sean Baker’s Prince of Broadway, an unwanted baby bestows a certain innocence on a milieu that would otherwise be looked upon as seedy and distrustful. Lucky (Prince Adu) works as a hustler for a low-rent, New York City retail shop that sells knock-off clothing and accessories out of a back room. One afternoon, while Lucky nudges a pair of older women toward the store, a former girlfriend (Kat Sanchez) shows up, plops a toddler (Aiden Noesi) in Lucky’s arms, tells him the boy is his son, and takes off. If you’re fearing something like Mr. Mom n the Hood, Baker—who wrote the film with Darren Dean—shows far more sophistication and sensitivity than that. There is cuteness, to be sure, but also an honesty about dirty diapers, runny noses, and the sheer exasperation of the situation. (“Life sucks with you!” Lucky yells at the kid at one point.) The film’s MVP is Karren Karagulian, who had a bit part in Baker’s Take Out and would go on to play crucial supporting roles in Tangerine and Anora. Here, Karagulian plays Lucky’s boss, who is boorish to his younger wife (Victoria Tate), yet shows a surprising softness whenever Lucky brings the boy into the shop. “Hold on nicely,” he corrects Lucky early on, adjusting Lucky’s grip on the child, then gently fixing the angle of their hats. Baker was quickly becoming an auteur of grittily noble moments like that.
(2/22/2025)
