A witty, self-aware script, and Jeffrey Wright, at the centre of almost every scene, gives a fantastic performance portraying the emotions of a man who for much of the film is trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to keep a lid on his anger. The subject matter is interesting... and yet... it is really two interwoven films in one - a broad social satire and a family drama.
Unfortunately, while the family drama tries to pull the film in a serious direction and give it depth (I think the director really wants this to be the heart of the film), it disappoints me. Sterling Brown is great fun as a ne'er-do-well brother when he is playing for laughs, but the other family members and his new love interest, while acted competently, are given cliched roles I feel I have seen before. And in the end, while it takes a poke at race representation in film and books, I don't feel it really wrestles with the issues it raises, preferring to poke fun at the worst excesses.
I enjoyed the film throughout - it is certainly well worth watching - but I couldn't help wishing it went deep as well as broad in its social satire and hadn't tried also to show a little heart.
Review by Dr BrakeVIP 4BlockedParent2024-02-09T14:39:38Z
A witty, self-aware script, and Jeffrey Wright, at the centre of almost every scene, gives a fantastic performance portraying the emotions of a man who for much of the film is trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to keep a lid on his anger. The subject matter is interesting... and yet... it is really two interwoven films in one - a broad social satire and a family drama.
Unfortunately, while the family drama tries to pull the film in a serious direction and give it depth (I think the director really wants this to be the heart of the film), it disappoints me. Sterling Brown is great fun as a ne'er-do-well brother when he is playing for laughs, but the other family members and his new love interest, while acted competently, are given cliched roles I feel I have seen before. And in the end, while it takes a poke at race representation in film and books, I don't feel it really wrestles with the issues it raises, preferring to poke fun at the worst excesses.
I enjoyed the film throughout - it is certainly well worth watching - but I couldn't help wishing it went deep as well as broad in its social satire and hadn't tried also to show a little heart.