Search - The Pact on DVD

Life after Fame Begins

Jeffery Mingo | Homewood, IL USA | 09/14/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I haven't read the book, but this documentary is not a rehashing of that book. It really speaks about life after the book became immensely popular. You see the doctors going to speaking engagements and mentoring younger African Americans.

Like the book, this will really inspire viewers. For me, I liked how they "kept it real." None of them turned their backs on less fortunate Black folk. They still embraced African-American vernacular and culture. None of them said, "Now that I'm successful, I want to be like Clarence Thomas on Condi Rice!" Watching the doctors lift as they climbed will warm the hearts of many.

Having said that, I am still concerned about some of the things I saw here. The work shows the doctors at an event with Bill Cosby. In fairness, the doctors never say they wholeheartedly embrace Cosby's preachings. Still, even in the Black community, critics have said the Cosby is becoming conservative and somewhat classist. RuPaul wrote about how bitter and angry Cosby was when she met him. Cosby may have overestimated the impact that his sitcom was going to have on the nation. So to bring in Cosby muddies issues, rather than clarify them. This documentary might have been stronger without him.

At one point, one doctor changes shirts while driving to an event. Yes, it shows that he has a lot of demands on his time. Still, that was unethical to do as a driver. If he had killed another driver that way, then his medical career and ability to mentor would have been cut short. If you arrive to an event in your white lab coat, what's the big deal? I hope young viewers don't think they can take their minds off the road because this doctor did it. I was very disappointed seeing that.

The work does end showing that the doctors are going strong in their field, however, this work implies that they really want to mentor more than they want to practice. If they kept busy in the hospital, maybe they could become presidents of those hospitals. I'm worried that they reached a level and now just want to encourage others to do the same, rather than trying to reach even further heights. They are non-doctors who can tell young people to think big. They may open more doors by focusing on medicine, rather than trying to only do it part-time or on a limited basis."

The Pacy

T. Burton | Champaign, IL | 09/19/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This documentary was very helpful to my students. My 9th grade class had to read the book over the summer. The documentary made them visualize the doctors and also share their worlds'. Along with being helpful to my students, it was well done and gave you a glimpse of how the doctors lived now that they are men."