Oh Boy, where do I start with this one?
A lot is going on for You People. Jonah Hill and Lauren London are charming actors and, overall have great chemistry. The problem? The parents. Eddie Murphy is always a joy to have on screen in any movie, but maybe he’s running out of gas, or perhaps the script wasn’t written in a way that would show his comedic side. It’s probably the latter as his character Akbar is a man who discriminates against his daughter’s boyfriend because of the color of his skin. Ezra (Hill’s character) is Jewish therefore he is white, yet he gets the butt of every joke, and frankly, you feel bad for the guy. It’s not his fault he’s a white guy, and though they were trying to show in the end, Akbar was being too harsh on him for no reason, the resolution was too rushed for no legitimate reason.
Jonah Hill and Kenya Barris teamed up on the script, with Hill as the lead actor and Barris directing the film.
For such a hefty topic in a rom-com setting, you would think they would let the message of intermixing marriages marinate. Instead, it feels rushed– an afterthought. Akbar’s character brought valid points of Ezra borrowing black culture, yet this is not fully discussed, and it ends up just being a joke. When it has enough substance characters bring up uncomfortable conversations between two different social, religious, and racial backgrounds. And yet, it’s wasted. The only time the film is given a chance to breathe is at the dinner table when the parents meet each other, but it goes nowhere except a fire gag.
Here’s what it has going for it: it starts a discussion between the differences between Black and Jewish people– how similar yet extremely different it can be in the diverse world of America. But that’s it. There was a build-up of genuine conversations between Ezra and Akbar during their final confrontation. Amira (London’s character) and Ezra’s mother, Shelley (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) fall completely flat as well. It never shows us a resolution, just that the parents were sorry about their blatant prejudice towards the other and then the two lovebirds get married rushingly.
Between the two main leads, Ezra and Amira begin difficult conversations but never resolve them, which only reflects our society. We aren’t ready for conversations that can lead to heartbreak.
Do not get it twisted. There are some laugh-out-loud moments. Hill is a fantastic actor, and he shines in the comedy genre, and the jokes hit– not ALL, but most of them do. And when things do get ‘serious,’ he natural portrays a man defeated by the world. At the end of the day, all he wants is his girl.
Here’s what’s not working—the characters. Nia Long and David Duchovny are both famous actors with a LONG list of extraordinary acting abilities. Still, they are completely sidelined and are only there as a buffer to their married counterparts– in fact, most of the side characters are only shown sparingly which makes the world inside You People not round enough. Eddie Murphy is an icon for crying out loud; however, his character is a snooze-fest, and for the most part, is a one-dimensional prejudiced man, which makes him heavily unlikeable. And maybe we are supposed to not like his character, but besides the fact he doesn’t think white and black go together, there should have been a moment where he and his daughter had a heart-to-heart about what kind of man he wanted for her. Most of his misdeeds are simply not liking Ezra because he’s white and does cocaine.
The main problem with this film is, it’s no longer relatable. We live in a world where almost every family has an interracial couple. This is not to say that racism doesn’t still exist— we have hate on all sides of the spectrum, but since the argument, of white and black can alone is not answered, we are left feeling like the whole purpose of the film is lost. If this movie was made a decade ago– then yes it would definitely workout, but since the timeline is now and it’s set up in the LA area of California with an improper ending, it feels more like an interesting idea of a film than an actual proper rom-com movie.
2.8/5
It’s not a bad film, but it’s not necessarily a good one. It’s mid at best, simply from the rushed ending and acting prowl of the main four.
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