Dear White People (2014)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The acting in this movie is really good.

I found myself thinking that this film felt less than realistic (because it was a farce) or less than current (because it borrowed so heavily from Spike Lee's 90s joints). But then the credits roll and you remember: we're still here...we're still having this conversation about our identities and ourselves. There's nothing post-racial about 2015, and this film prods and pokes and laughs and jokes until we get that. It's not realistic, but it is real.

Writing this again on this page, so more people are aware of what is happening in this movie&it's series: Disgusting, vile, and racist. The world is so upside down. We are taught to be accepting, kind, and never judge others because of the color of their skin. Unfortunately, All over America, it is ACCEPTABLE to be A RACIST,IGNORANT member of Society because of the color of your skin. The Privileged few who feel the need to spread hatred and discrimination wherever they go and are free to do so because it is Socially acceptable due to our history.This is a prime example. God forbid if a White person did this to a Black person or an Asian person, etc. There would be NO chance this would be allowed to be a show or shown on TV. Instead, because they aren't white, they are given a Pass to behave in this manner. Disgusting. Is this is what we are teaching our kids? America,STAND UP AND STOP THE RACISM AGAINST ALL. NO ONE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO BEHAVE THIS WAY. NO ONE SHOULD GET A PASS TO BE RACIST. ENOUGH OF ALLOWING THIS TO FLOURISH! If this was a "DEAR BLACK PEOPLE" movie and white's behaved in this manner, I'm sure all you positive reviewers would NOT BE HAPPY OR SUPPORTING IT- UNDERSTANDABLY.TAKE A MINUTE&REFLECT ON WHAT YOUR MORALS&VALUES ARE,IF YOU THINK THIS IS ACCEPTABLE!

Some thoughts: (1) The filmmakers do far too much hiding of their own opinions in the various opinions presented here. (2) I bet however, that they do believe things like "black people can't be racist". Exposing the ever-self-serving corresponding absurdity, being as simple as looking up the word "racist" in the damn dictionary. Instead of putting up a highly-specialized/strawman definition, only to pretend that it's THE definition. (3) There are actual slaves in the world. Right now. Millions of them. Moreover, even in the US, there is both very real slavery and very real racism. Not dumb college kids responding to faux-civil-rights-crusader bait and wearing some dumb costumes at some dumb private party. No. People are actually being forced away from their health and freedom based on race and class - in the US - as we speak. Black people, brown people, Asian people, even white people (see: Eastern European sex trafficking), etc. Exceedingly few of these grim realities, have very much to do at all - with what's depicted here. And if one is really concerned about such matters - one would find a way to reflect (at least SOME of) them in one's film. If however, one is selfishly concerned instead with the minutiae of one's own exceedingly-privileged (by world and even US standards) existence, while wanting to disguise oneself as a hard-issue-tackler - one would make a film just like this. (4) And if burying one's head this far up one's own rectum is an absolute must - I'd at least ask that there's a clear corresponding point. Which brings us back to (1) above.(5) Perhaps I'm being too harsh, but when people pretend to care about higher ideals, while their efforts are all too obviously aimed instead at merely serving themselves - I have trouble seeing anything else. Whether it's Fox News with their constant cry-bullying. Or what madness Nazi atrocities and such have been used to justify in the middle East. Or such, admittedly-milder, yet all-too-similar cases.

Despite its title, this film is really not about white people per se – well, it is, but this is not where it is at its strongest. The narrative is formed form the news stories we have all seen of blackface frat parties which, at best, could be described as insensitive; the film uses such 'insensitivity' as part of its story but really this does feel like a device just to give the film a point to build to and through. Actually story is probably the film's weakest element, and there isn't a wholly satisfying arc to the film as a whole. Instead though the film is best as it explores the black experience of those students in the film.As such the film is surprisingly nuanced for a satire, because as biting as it is, and as usual in making points as its characters are – it doesn't really ever feel like it is caricature but rather they come over as people, with complexity, confusion, and a general sense of not really knowing where/how they should be. As I am neither black nor American, I can't say how true to real life this is, but the film certainly convinces with this world. Impressively the film manages to do this within a package of slick delivery, snappy and funny dialogue, and effective satire. It is far from perfect though, and the overall narrative is not really what sticks in the mind, even if the characters do. The cast deliver on this well thanks to the good writing; Williams, Thompson, Parris, Dobies, and Bell, lead the cast well – with Thompson, Williams, and Parris in particular making good on the promise of the material.It isn't a film that will hit the mark with everyone, and it does have those issues in the story; however it is stylishly presented, smartly written, funny, slick, and engaging throughout.