"American Society of Magical Negroes" (good film, movie theater, script)
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It isn't often that I'm tempted to actually go to a movie theater anymore; mostly I prefer to wait and watch on cable. But this movie is tempting.
I hope if any of you go to see it that you reflect on it here.
Thanks!
The stated premise: "What's the most dangerous animal on the planet? White people when they feel uncomfortable."
From reading the synopsis in Wikipedia and seeing a few reviews, it appears that the first problem is lack of danger. It shows no real reason why there needs to be such a society. The white people are not shown to be particularly dangerous. The Society is making white people comfortable, seemingly, only because white people deserve to be comfortable.
There are ways this movie could have been better.
One, would be if it had been set 70 years in the past where they could have set up some genuine Emmett Till moments of real danger. Then the ASMN would have had a reason to exist, coming into the clutch just before a real tragedy was about to occur. Taking place in the present mainly to prevent microaggressions just isn't captivating.
But the movie could have been better if that had been the point. Maybe it was the point in some vague, clouded way. It could have been the point that 70 years ago the ASMN was important and necessary, but isn't necessary any longer
Spoiler
(given that it was actually dissolved by the end of the movie).
Then again, the actual movie trope of the "magical Negro" was never in the first place about making dangerous white people more comfortable. If you look at the movies the trope actually appears, it's always about making feckless white people more effective.
They kind of do that in this movie as well, and that's another way this movie could have made sense.
The white guy that our black antagonist is assigned to make comfortable was certainly no kind of threat to black people...he was ineffectual and the task of the antagonist was to make him effective. But the problem with the actual magical Negro trope is that the actual reason it exists is to make white movie audiences more comfortable with a black person on the screen. It otherwise has no relevance to the plot. Hmm. Scratch that "making sense" part. They accurately displayed the magical Negro trope, but still failed to make it make sense.
So, there is a way this movie makes sense...but it's not the way the movie intends to make sense. At least not the way it stated its intention in the beginning.
The "experienced reality of being black" claimed by the biracial protagonist was vapid from my viewpoint as a 70-year-old black man. The boy had experienced nothing of the sort. He was just a vapid Gen Z kid uncomfortable in his own skin that had nothing to do with any way anyone treated him as black. Someone told him that racism was a rationalization of his own fecklessness.
The stated premise: "What's the most dangerous animal on the planet? White people when they feel uncomfortable."
From reading the synopsis in Wikipedia and seeing a few reviews, it appears that the first problem is lack of danger. It shows no real reason why there needs to be such a society. The white people are not shown to be particularly dangerous. The Society is making white people comfortable, seemingly, only because white people deserve to be comfortable.
There are ways this movie could have been better.
One, would be if it had been set 70 years in the past where they could have set up some genuine Emmett Till moments of real danger. Then the ASMN would have had a reason to exist, coming into the clutch just before a real tragedy was about to occur. Taking place in the present mainly to prevent microaggressions just isn't captivating.
But the movie could have been better if that had been the point. Maybe it was the point in some vague, clouded way. It could have been the point that 70 years ago the ASMN was important and necessary, but isn't necessary any longer
Spoiler
(given that it was actually dissolved by the end of the movie).
Then again, the actual movie trope of the "magical Negro" was never in the first place about making dangerous white people more comfortable. If you look at the movies the trope actually appears, it's always about making feckless white people more effective.
They kind of do that in this movie as well, and that's another way this movie could have made sense.
The white guy that our black antagonist is assigned to make comfortable was certainly no kind of threat to black people...he was ineffectual and the task of the antagonist was to make him effective. But the problem with the actual magical Negro trope is that the actual reason it exists is to make white movie audiences more comfortable with a black person on the screen. It otherwise has no relevance to the plot. Hmm. Scratch that "making sense" part. They accurately displayed the magical Negro trope, but still failed to make it make sense.
So, there is a way this movie makes sense...but it's not the way the movie intends to make sense. At least not the way it stated its intention in the beginning.
The "experienced reality of being black" claimed by the biracial protagonist was vapid from my viewpoint as a 70-year-old black man. The boy had experienced nothing of the sort. He was just a vapid Gen Z kid uncomfortable in his own skin that had nothing to do with any way anyone treated him as black. Someone told him that racism was a rationalization of his own fecklessness.
Okay, okay, okay.
But what I want to know is: is it an entertaining and interesting movie. From your post, I can't really tell if you actually saw the movie or not. Please clarify.
But the movie could have been better if that had been the point. Maybe it was the point in some vague, clouded way. It could have been the point that 70 years ago the ASMN was important and necessary, but isn't necessary any longer
Eh, I think that kinda misses the point. The point as I understand it is to show the degree of psychological accommodation required by Black people to fit into a society where they are seen as an "other." The whole idea is to expand the conception of "violence" beyond the literal violence where people are getting blasted with water hoses, extra-judicially murdered, etc. Though you could also say that there is a literal violence (i.e., police brutality) that this accommodation helps Black people escape as well.
Deon Cole had a skit that addressed the accommodation piece but it obviously doesn't couch it in the same language as this movie does.
But what I want to know is: is it an entertaining and interesting movie. From your post, I can't really tell if you actually saw the movie or not. Please clarify.
I haven't seen it but the reviews are not good. I try to skip the reviews that slam movies for political reasons ("Racist!") and read the ones that are well-written and well-thought out. Even those don't paint a very promising picture.
21st century movies seem to have this problem where even if an idea is novel and interesting, the execution is trash. I've said this before in other threads but I think part of the problem is that we reward filmmakers for making films about obscure subject matter but not necessarily for making good films. I look at a movie like THE FLORIDA PROJECT and see a movie that gets more praise for shining a light on an important issue (childhood poverty) than it does for its script quality and acting. If anything, I think the fact it is an "important movie" makes people believe the acting is better than it actually is. I thought the same thing about MOONLIGHT.
Eh, I think that kinda misses the point. The point as I understand it is to show the degree of psychological accommodation required by Black people to fit into a society where they are seen as an "other." The whole idea is to expand the conception of "violence" beyond the literal violence where people are getting blasted with water hoses, extra-judicially murdered, etc. Though you could also say that there is a literal violence (i.e., police brutality) that this accommodation helps Black people escape as well.
I remember the 50s and I saw what my parents endured. I remember having been taught to beware white people as immediate physical dangers to my very life, and that was absolutely true. I also remember the riots of the 60s. And I remember being "the first black" or "the only black" through most of my working life.
I categorically reject the concept of "expansion of violence beyond literal violence." Those people have not had firehoses and dogs set upon them. Those people have not lived in a situation in which any white person could actually murder them for no reason...and walk away free. Those people have not had a gun barrel put to their bodies.
That actor, the character he represents, and the writer of the screenplay all have white mothers. If they can't psychologically handle code-switching between black and white, that's their personal failure. Moderately successful (not to mention highly successful) black people are handling it every day without even a mother at home to give them tips. I have no sympathy for him.
Quote:
Deon Cole had a skit that addressed the accommodation piece but it obviously doesn't couch it in the same language as this movie does.
He's talking about code-switching. Practically everyone code switches. A Hispanic (from whatever Hispanic country) who speaks Spanish at home is code-switching in an American workplace. Chinese immigrants, Indian immigrants...everyone is code-switching. Most whites are even code-switching at work.
And there is nothing wrong with that. There is nothing wrong with having an overarching "American" culture that everyone code-switches into in diverse social situations. Any intelligent human being should be able to function effectively in at least two, if not more, different social environments.
It does appear, however, that Generation Z across the board seems unable to code-switch. Even white Gen Zers can't seem to speak "American office" when they go to work.
Last edited by Ralph_Kirk; 03-18-2024 at 07:36 PM..
I categorically reject the concept of "expansion of violence beyond literal violence." Those people have not had firehoses and dogs set upon them. Those people have not lived in a situation in which any white person could actually murder them for no reason...and walk away free. Those people have not had a gun barrel put to their bodies.
And you have the right to do so. But you're also 1 of 46,936,733 Black Americans. There is no one opinion on the matter.
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