Entertainment Binge

By Isaac White.

So, I decided to watch a movie for this week’s edition of Entertainment Binge. You People is a Netflix comedy that was recently added to the lineup. I’ve read quite a few reviews for the film, and to be honest, they’re mostly negative. This critic disagrees in a big way, and I’ll explain further.

The movie’s basic plot has been explored before in the last 25 years. Two people of different races meet, fall in love, and find the divide between their cultural differences too difficult to overcome, but this finally results in their eventual reunification. While the gist of the movie is very familiar, the way it is done was satisfying for me.

Jonah Hill plays Ezra, a white Jewish 40-ish man who is enamored with black culture. His best friend and podcasting cohort is a black woman and they discuss cultural trends and societal issues. There is no doubt some will see him as at least in part trying to appropriate black culture.

Not being African American myself, I won’t say that he is or isn’t as an authoritative statement. My view is that Ezra does not come off as a culture appropriator. I think his character is authentic and shows how generational differences have led to some progress in racial and cultural awareness and respect.

Ezra talks about his love for hip-hop culture and the effect the music and people who made the music’s impact in the genre had upon him as a child. It feels authentic and respectful, and because Jonah Hill co-wrote the movie with Black-ish creator Kenya Barris, I suspect this is truthful to who Hill is in his personal life.

Lauren London plays Amira, a black woman who is strong and determined. Amira is a costume designer, very self-assured and the meet-cute in this movie does a good job of foretelling some of the social commentaries the writers decided to include.

Ezra hops into the back of Amira’s car, assuming she’s the Uber ride he called for on his phone. Amira rightfully tells this strange man to get out of her car and when Ezra tells her he thought she was his Uber driver, she justifiably becomes indignant at the notion he would assume she’s an Uber driver because she is black.

It turns out the mistake is truly understandable when Ezra shows Amira the picture of his Uber driver from the app, and she looks shockingly alike to Amira. It’s a brief and funny way to introduce the love interests, as well as a nice way for the movie to start its commentary on race in the U.S.

We see the relationship progress, and this is the part where I find the film drags the most. I know that Eddie Murphy is in this movie and that’s what drew me to it in the first place. I kept thinking to myself, I get it, they’re falling in love, WHERE’S EDDIE?

The social commentary in the movie appears long before Eddie Murphy hits the screen, particularly when Ezra brings Amira to meet his mother, Shelley, played by Julia Louis Dreyfuss, and his father Arnold, played by David Duchovny. Let me just say that the two of them, along with Molly Gordon, who plays Ezra’s sister Liza, are wonderful in this movie, as is the rest of the supporting cast.

In this introduction we see Ezra’s mother and father be the cringiest of cringy white folks. Barris, as director, did a wonderful job of making this initial awkwardness quite funny to watch. While this movie is about a family that is black and Muslim, while the other is white and Jewish, I think that anyone who has blended two different races into their family dynamic will see some general tropes familiar to them.

The more thought-provoking portions of the movie begin when Ezra decides now is the time to meet Amira’s parents for the first time. For what reason, I don’t know, though I found it hilariously awkward, Ezra invited Amira’s parents, Fatima, played by Nia Long, and Akbar, played by Eddie Murphy, to Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles.

We learn from this first meeting that aside from Amira and Ezra’s different racial backgrounds, Amira’s family is Muslim. I don’t think it’s necessary to try and rehash a history of the tensions between Muslims and Jewish folks, but the religious differences added another element to the movie aside from race. The difference in religion isn’t necessarily the main focus of the movie, however, I think it adds to the overall commentary on social and cultural differences in America.

It was interesting to see discussions on race being had between the writers of this movie through the characters they created in the dialogue. The uncomfortable questions and realities of race and culture are discussed throughout the movie, clearly to the audience without taking the viewer out of the film.

In the end, we have a resolution, one which should satisfy those wishing to watch a nice rom-com. This movie also offers something for those who want to see racial tensions being discussed respectfully and truthfully to eventually resolve them. This film is a couple of hours where the viewers witness two writers from different backgrounds create characters that are working through those problems on the screen. Does it solve racial tensions in the U.S.? No. Is it nice to see these topics being discussed through film in a manner that is honest and hopeful? Yes.

I found this movie to be great. Eddie Murphy and Julia Louis Dreyfuss most definitely put in the best performances in the film. Hill and London do a good job of making the main characters likable and believable. Is Jonah Hill without his fame ever able to marry Lauren London in real life? Well…. whatever, it’s a movie, right?

Ezra’s best friend and podcast co-host Mo, played by Sam Jay was awesome. I’ve never seen her in anything that comes to mind, but I loved the way she played the role. Mo’s character was a huge factor in moving along the discussions of race and facing up to how difficult it will be to overcome those issues. Without Mo, I think the movie would have struggled to balance out the dialogue on these heavy topics.

Overall, I found this movie to be awesome. I’m sure some of you have seen other takes but if you’re looking for something to watch, give this a chance. This isn’t a movie trying to solve all the world’s problems. This movie seems as though the filmmakers and writers are looking to initiate discussions and that is great. While there is clearly a message in the film, it’s still very funny. It’s also quite touching and genuine. Just like anything else in life, give it a fair opportunity and you may be surprised.