Reviewed by Melissa Antoinette Garza
I wanted to see this film since it came out. I saw the trailer and thought it was going to be a lot different than what it turned out to be. Don’t get me wrong, that’s not a bad thing, but I was expecting more of an all out comedy with a serious message. Instead, this is a far more serious movie. There were funny scenes. I’m always for one making fun of Tyler Perry and this movie did it at least twice.
The movie surrounds a film student named Sam (Tessa Thompson) who hosts a radio show pointing out discriminatory behavior, she feels, African Americans face. That said, my favorite character was Lionel (Tyler James Williams), so if the article drifts off in that direction and towards his character more, my sincerest apologies.
Sam has many bones to pick with White America. Some I agreed with and understood. I remember this one time I was working at a certain company that shall remain nameless and was on break. There was this young black woman sitting on break as well. I didn’t know her too well as she was new, but we were talking. Out of the blue, a black man who was drunk and appeared homeless appeared. First, he tried to flirt and failed miserably and then he started threatening to show his penis and kept calling the woman the N word. The woman being fairly new didn’t want to go to one of the bigwigs and complain, but I’ve never been impressed with titles so I went over to the first person in charge that I saw who was three levels above myself. Bare in mind this manager was a Caucasian, middle-aged man who resembles Glenn Beck a bit. I went to him and took him aside, a way from the other employees and said, “there’s a man outside threatening to show his genitals, unbuckling his pants and yelling the N word at one of your employees.”
He said, “Okay, I’ll take care of it and call security. What does this person look like..”
So I answered, “He’s apparently drunk. He’s about 6 feet, ragged clothing, African American…..”
As soon as I said African American, this white manager says to me, “SHHHHHH” like it was a bad word. I must’ve given him the biggest “What the Fuck…” look I’ve ever given anyone. He stumbled and told me that was enough info and walked away, but I was at a point where I was laughing but in shock as if to say, “what in God’s name did he want me to say?”
Now, in this film, Sam who is portrayed excellently by Tessa Thompson says that white people who say African American rather than Black are really thinking the N word. That’s one of the points I disagree with. Perhaps, my manager, was thinking that while using the term as he seemed to react as if I said some racial slur, but it’s just a different way to say ‘black.’ I’ll use either though other than reviewing a movie about racism, talking about racism, or describing someone’s appearance , I usually don’t use terms like Caucasian, White, Black, African American, Hispanic, Mexican, etc. Judging someone by what you believe them to be thinking is insane to me. Unless you have ESP, or the person saying it is wearing a top hat and has a long mustache he likes to twirl, “African American” just means “African American.”
I live in Massachusetts. I have all my life. People presume we are the most liberal-minded individuals on the face of this planet. I have seen more racism
here than in my husband’s hometown right outside of Atlanta. It’s awful. It reminds me of the song by Phil Ochs, Love Me I’m a Liberal. The Liberals (white women specifically)I have encountered have become more racist and separatist while they proclaim to be the exact opposite.
Back to the movie, so Sam who is half-white has a white semi-boyfriend Gabe (Justin Dobies) who really cares for her. She cares for him too but because of the strange looks she had as a child when she was out with her white father, she hides the fact that she’s sleeping with Gabe from her friends. She ends up running for leader of the fraternity house against the current leader, son of the dean Troy Fairbanks (Brandon P. Bell) and she wins. The Dean everyone will recognize as Dennis Haysbert or the man always trying to sell you Allstate Insurance. Dean Fairbanks is angry at his son for losing but decides its an opportunity for him to run for Student President of the school. Troy is definitely under-pressure and doesn’t know what he wants. He ends up smoking pot, having tattoos, etc. which his father thinks will ruin his political chances.
The Dean also has a rivalry with the President Fletcher (Peter Syvertsen). The President and Dean went to school together but as the dean worked harder and achieved good grades and was Summa Cum Laude, Fletcher barely graduated yet was able to obtain a better position within the school due to him being white.
Fletcher’s kid also goes to college and is a homophobic, racist douche-bag. Kurt Fletcher (Kyle Gallner) says racist things, tortures poor Lionel even though he’s a member of the house. Lionel is made fun of horribly because he’s gay.
Kurt ends up organizing a horribly racist party to get back at Sam who he believes is causing unnecessary trouble. Troy who wants to make nice with Fletcher, actually helps plan it but has a change of heart and tells his father. Coco (Teyonah Parris) who wants to be a famous actress, and actually did a response to Sam’s show degrading it arrives at the party in a blonde wig, but quickly regrets her decision though she oddly defends it to Sam. Still, the look on her eyes makes it clear she is angry with herself.
Now we come to Lionel. Lionel reminds me of myself and so I was cheering for him from the get-go. He was teased in high-school and was an all around misfit that didn’t fit anywhere. Desperate, to fit in he would look past bigoted comments and actions made by those who are nice to him. It takes the party to bring out the real Lionel and when he comes out, it’s amazing. It’s like when you keep pushing someone so far that they’re either going to breakdown and never recover or they’re going to fight the fuck back. In my family, we have a group that my brother always says, “is thick as thieves.” We got that way because we were the outcasts. We were the ones who were told we’d never be anything and were dis-invited to parties and were trashed while others were praised for nothing. We could have turned to drugs or suicide (suicide was definitely an option until I was like 16 – thankfully I lived) or worse murdering everyone who fucked with us. I am so happy that we didn’t take any of those paths as we have come so far now, are all successful and all have great lives, great spouses and great jobs. So seeing Lionel go through that transition was fantastic.
The movie as a whole isn’t perfect. It’s a little slow but one has to know going in that it’s telling a long story that is following multiple characters and the choices they make to either fit in, fight the fight, or just disappear into the background.
The acting is topnotch and it is certainly a subject that needs addressing. Much like Dancing in September (2000) it holds the media’s feet to the flame. I have said for years that Maury Povich is a scumbag racist who looks down on his guests, ensures he gets the worst people possible on the show and then displays it as though, that represents an entire culture. I cheered when the first thing that played was “You’re not the father.” I hate that show. People defend it as “good TV” but no it isn’t.
I loved the show THE SOUP with Joel McHale. Even then, if they showed Maury Povich, I fast-forward through it. THE SOUP showed a lot of horrible TV, but even with McHale who makes great jokes, every time I see Povich I want to punch him in the face.
In conclusion, one may completely disagree with the ideals. Some may find it isn’t tough enough on the PC culture and how detrimental political-correctness is to society as a whole; but that wasn’t the story it was meant to tell.
Just recently, NETFLIX announced a TV show based on this film. I’m not as angry or heated as some of my conservative friends, but I get why this pissed them off and the movie didn’t. The movie came out at time when it didn’t seem politically driven. It was an organic film and nothing was forced.
Now it seems as though, NETFLIX wanted to jump onto the PC bandwagon. Though some of the scenes shown are reenactments of ones from the movie there are subtle differences, especially in tone. Once again it seems like an attempt to piss off the right and show how everyone who is conservative is a crazy racist douche-bag. Even if that wasn’t the intention, that’s how it feels and that’s why NETFLIX is getting the heat.
Remember, this is just a few months after the MTV commercials got pulled for condemning white people and men.
Right or left, I’d recommend the film. The plot was interesting. You don’t always have to agree 100% with what you watch to enjoy it. That said, I can understand the anger toward the show. It’s not marketed well and definitely seems to be trying to pump up the PC culture rather than fight against it like the film did.
Scared Stiff Rating: 8.5/10
