Anthony Winters wrote and stars as Joe, a forty-something working class loser who can't get his act together financially. He lives with his girlfriend Taco (Veronica Thompson), and is cooking up a plan to qualify for section 8 housing, so he can save money on rent. Things get complicated when Andre (Akeem Smith), Joe's estranged, college-bound son, comes to live in the tiny apartment. There is tension between Joe and Andre, as well as between Andre and Simone (Trisha Mann), Taco's daughter who has a big chip on her shoulder.

Section 8 started out as a play written by Winters, and was then turned into a "film." For a whole host of reasons, the term film can only be used in the most loose of contexts when describing Section 8. For one thing, it was filmed on video, which in and of itself is not any sort of cinematic crime, except it looks like it was shot on video. Cheap video at that. At best Section 8 looks like a soap opera, and at worst it looks like a poor cable access production. The entire movie takes place on a set that was built, which is exactly what it looks like: a set you would see during a stage performance. Which leads us to the performances by the actors. There is a huge difference between stage acting and screen acting, but apparently no one told this to director Carl Gilliard, who in turn never informed his cast. The result is a film that comes across just like a play. Not a play that has been adapted for the screen, but merely a play that was videotaped. The acting tends to be either flat and lifeless, or broad and projected, like the actors are playing to audience members in the back of the theater. There even seems to be moments where the cast is waiting for an audience response.

All of the problems that plague Section 8 would be forgivable if the script itself was better. And that's not to say that Winters' script is terrible, because it is decent, but it is not great, nor is it enough to redeem the production.

Video:
Section 8 is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen.

Audio:
Section 8 is presented Dolby Digital 2.0 surround.

Extras:
There is a short making of featurette that almost makes you want to watch Section 8, and certainly makes you feel guilty for not liking it because everyone involved seems so nice and earnest. There are also some deleted scenes, but I didn't bother to watch those, because the actual movie was more than enough.

Final Thoughts:
If I want to see a play, I will go see a play. If I want to see a film adaptation of a play, I certainly would not watch Section 8 again.