Watch Chameleon Street

Chameleon Street is a 1989 movie that tells the story of a young African American man named William Douglas Street, played by Timothy Alvaro. The film is based on the true story of a con artist who successfully impersonated various professionals, including a lawyer, a doctor, a reporter, and an Ivy League graduate. The movie starts with William's release from prison, where he served time for fraud. He returns to his hometown in Michigan, where he starts to plan his next big con. William is intelligent and well-spoken, and he uses his charm and wit to deceive people into believing that he is someone he is not.

William's first con involves posing as a reporter for a prestigious newspaper. He manages to convince a wealthy white family that he is an honest journalist who wants to write a story about their daughter, who has just been diagnosed with cancer. William manages to gain the family's trust and even goes as far as stealing some of their belongings, including a camera.

William's next con involves pretending to be a lawyer. He manages to win the trust of a wealthy African American family who ask him to help them with a legal problem. William uses his knowledge of the law to convince the family that he is a competent lawyer, and he manages to get them out of trouble. However, the family later finds out that William is a fraud, and they confront him.

The movie then follows William as he moves to a new city and starts a new life as a doctor. He manages to convince a group of doctors and nurses that he is a cardiac surgeon, and he even performs a successful operation on a patient. However, William's past eventually catches up with him, and he is arrested for his crimes.

Throughout the movie, William is portrayed as a complex character who is both admirable and despicable. On one hand, he is a talented con artist who is able to manipulate people with ease. On the other hand, he is a person who is driven by a desire to succeed and to be respected, and his cons are a way of achieving these goals.

The movie is shot in a documentary style, with interviews and reenactments of the events that took place. The film does not shy away from the racial tensions of the time, and it explores the challenges that African Americans faced in pursuing their dreams and ambitions.

Overall, Chameleon Street is a thought-provoking and engaging movie that explores themes of identity, race, and ambition. It is a fascinating portrayal of a con artist who defies expectations and manages to achieve a degree of success, albeit through dishonest means.

Chameleon Street is a 1989 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 34 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.0.