The movie takes place during one celebratory day – known as Park Day. Park Day is an annual late summer homecoming commemorating an early 20th Century mass exodus of the majority of the black community due to the lynching of several black men in the town square. The three main characters will intersect and intertwine throughout the day.

The movie opens with Steve having another nightmare. Steve struggles with responsibility and his father hassling him about college. It doesn't make matters better that his best friend John Eric is going nowhere fast. John Eric owes money to the local loan shark and has some serious maturity issues. Tamala is the dreamer that just simply wants to live her life and be happy, but she's surrounded by reminders of how hard that may be.

Overall I felt that movie really didn't decide what direction it wanted to go in until it was too late. Is this Steve's story or Tamala's? You never quite feel the pain of the main characters because all of them have character flaws. The one standout however is Lande Scott playing the role of John Eric. John Eric is the obvious bad influence caricature, but you actually feel his surroundings influence every decision he makes – both good and bad. There are a couple of side plots – Steve pledging to the local fraternity, John Eric and the loan shark and an old dream interpreter, but they don't add to the makeup of any of the characters. There is also a romantic tension between Steve and Tamala that is never fully realized until you're at the point of not really caring.

How Does It Look? - The movie is presented in its original aspect ratio of 4:3 full screen. It has a soft look to it, possibly due to budgetary constraints. The film is also grainy in spots. The night scenes were really the ones that suffered from the low budget feel.

How Does It Sound? - Presented in 4.0 Dolby surround, the movie has a very monotone sound to it. The center channel is non-existent, but the mix seems to be an even 4 speaker mix. This means that the rear channels are no different from the two fronts. The movie is dialogue driven, but there are some scenes that feature a lot of music that would have been better with a better audio mix.

Special Features :
Audio Commentary with director Sterling Macer.
Trailers for "The Gristle" and "Turn of Faith".
Park Day Retrospective Featurrette

Final Thoughts: - Park Day is one of those movies that could better if the acting was better. I just didn't have any buy in with any of the characters. There are several scenes that don't add to the plot and could be cut to drop the 106 minute run time. The movie never quite feels like it's anything more than a low budget drama. I thought Lande Scott did a great job in his first role as John Eric, but unfortunately since this movie's release in 1998 he hasn't done anything mainstream. Overall I think this movie deserves a rent it recommendation.