Mixed Feelings Still trying to process my feelings about this movie. On the one hand, it's been awhile since I've seen an independent movie, like this. In today's era of blockbusters dominating the majority of movies to get made, I was excited to check this out.
Similarly, this really seems like an independent movie from the early 90's-and in a strange way, it dates the movie, in a negative way (for me).
As someone who came of age during that era of independent film, I probably would have loved this, in my Gen X twenties. There are many familiar Gen X messages, that are peppered throughout the plot.
Things like class equality, the evils of capitalism, selling out versus personal success, existential angst, racial stereotypes, etc. I know these issues aren't exclusively the domain of Gen-X, but again, as someone who fondly recalls that era, the presentation of them in this film, is very familiar.
Not to mention the writer/director Boots Riley is a few years older, then me. As I say, this is familiar territory.
But now, in my mid-forties, I noticed many aspects to this story, that felt forced, or trying to be clever in ways that seem a little too on the nose.
I specifically think to the scene where Cassius is made to rap in front of a soulless crowd of minions, despite his insistence that he, in fact, cannot rap. The only reason he's asked to perform, is because he's black, so 'of course' he must know how to rap. After stumbling through some awkward verses, he switches to shouting a series of emphatic n-words, over and over again, and the crowd roars in approval.
Obviously, this is a comment on the minstrel ish many people of colour, especially Black people, have to endure to be accepted/successful by a largely Caucasian power-structure, but the entire scene was full of eye rolls because it was performed in such a lazy manner.
This movie finds itself entering into several of these predictable traps.
The kind of trap a high-school play often falls into. Where it feels like you're speaking truth to power, on stage-but out in the audience, you're slow-clapping at the effort.
Which begs the question, am I out of touch with those youthful ideals, or is this movie-with the benefit of age-just pretentious in its arc? Maybe it's both.
5.5/10