Last night I walked out of the movie "The Wackness".
This was a disappointment for three reasons.
First of all it was a date.
Secondly, we planned on watching it for the last two weeks.
Thirdly, I had moderate hopes for the movie, as circa 1994 hip hop
played a prominent role in the film.
The gist of the story is that the main character, Luke, is a
18 year old virgin who is spending the summer before college
selling weed, listening to Biggie, navigating his parents dysfunction
and trying to have sex for the first time.
A modern coming of age story.
The movie also reminded me of Brandon Soderberg's analysis of
Judd Apatow's usage of hip hop in his films. Soderberg's theory is that
Apatow uses hip hop to illustrate the more dysfunctional and or pathological
aspects of his characters. Soderberg writes,
Apatow's producer/director/writer filmography contains a weird trend of using hip-hop as either a quick throwaway joke or as a way to reduce a character or scene to absurdity. Recall the intro to 'Knocked-Up' which uses Ol' Dirty Bastard's classic 'Shimmy Shimmy Ya' (Armond White: "white boys clowning to Old Dirty Bastard’s “Shimmy Shimmy Ya”) with emphasis on Dirty's "Ooh baby I like it raw" hook to make it really obvious and funny what this movie's already going to be about. Think of the constant hip-hop slang used by everyone but Steve Carrell's character in 'The 40 Year-Old Virgin' and how it's essentially used to represent just how vulgar and crass everyone's become and how stupid white people are for adopting any part of this culture.
Back to walking out.
I walked out of the movie when Ben Kingsly's character, Dr. Squires,
is giving Luke advice on life, love and sex in college and beyond
and suggests to him, hopefully, "Try and Fuck a Black Girl".
The take away from that is that we are easy. We are exotic. If you are
having a hard time try the Black girls. We are willing.
I am not lying y'all, he said it. I said "The F*ck is this?" I told my date,
"Uh, I'm leaving".
The issue for me wasn't just that Dr. Squires said it, it was the fact that people,
many of whom were white women, laughed.
It wasn't funny.
I wondered if they would have laughed if the character said
"Try and fuck a Jewish girl?"
I also wondered if writer, director Jonathan Levine, thought twice
about keeping that line.
Related
Soderberg has a thorough, with a capital T, analysis
of the role that rap music plays in white movies.
25 comments:
Hm.
You know, I don't think that line would cause people to view (or continue viewing) Black women as easy or willing, only because he said "try."
I think it just pushes the stereotype that our pussies are mystical, magical, life-changing, something to be experienced.
But, I didn't see the film.
I don't think that's why the white women laughed, though. I don't know why they laughed. I don't want to explore that. But, for some reason, I think you would've heard some laughter if he'd suggested a Jewish chick instead.
Really enjoying your blog.
Did your date walk out too?
Hey B.
Luke had just had his heart broken by Squires' daughter.
The notion was, hey if things get really hard, "try a black girl".
I think you should email this post to Jonathan Levine so he can explain it...by inserting this line in the scrip did Levine mean that in 1994
black girls were easier to fuck or did he mean if the lead character fucked a black girl he would get an automatic injection of sass?
instead of the lax injection he was receiving from just listening to hip hop.
I'm sure the casual genius that is Jonathan Levine could share some insight.
Hello No Star,
Squires was Luke's sexual mentor.
At one point, earlier in the movie, Squires offered to by him a prostitute, at another time they were in a bar together, both contemplating trying to awkwardly hit on Mary Kate.
The intended mean was hey, if shit gets ruff, try and fuck a black girl.
As if Black girls are the safety schools of women.
Good lawd...did I just say/think that?
This came to me because Luke mentioned that he is attending his safety school in the fall.
===================
@ Kitty.
My date left too.
Dang girl, that movei already looked crazy disgusting and embarassing - but this is a whole other level.
I woulda walked out too. Thanks for the warning homie.
Meanwhile, there's supposed to be an independent film called "I'm Through With White Girls" that seems interesting, but I ain't seen it yet.
M.Dot...
as I figured a movie selling the myth of us being a consolation prize for some lax white guy who can't lock down a Barbie.
going back to bed to dream angrily.
@mk,
I heard of Im through w/ white girls too. Thank you for reminding me.
There is a new Woody Allen coming out that looks Bananas.
@NSJ
consolation prize for some lax white guy who can't lock down a Barbie.
======
Yikes
yep
sounds wack
wow. that's crazy. what's even more disturbing are the laughs of the audience as if they agree black girls are easy.
*sigh*
when will we get over THIS shit?
You know my date agreed with BP thatit wasn't necessarily a "Black Girls are easy", that it was a "Hey, be exploratory, try one of these",
and I am willing to concede that this may in fact be a more accurate read that my initial "Black girls are east".
Even still its fucked up. Just in a different way.
Instead of being easy we are "exotic".
If you all see it let me know what you think
Well the movie does live up to its name, who would've thunk it possible?
Nonsense. *walks out*
I think its messed up. I agree with "B" who stated that its definitely holding the stereotype that we are something to discover (read: exotic) but I am not sure if they are saying Black women are easy. All in all, we are still being perceived as objects which is unsettling to me.
Wow!!
-BP
P.S. I gotta stop using initials. Haha!! I think you thought that the first post in this strand was me.
Holy shit.
B ISN'T BP.
LOLCATOMGROTLF.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
@ m.dot:
I'm going to do a companion blog to yours as soon as I see "The Wackness". Being the internet pirate I am that won't be too long from now. I'm also gonna throw in a parralell to my personal feelings about the film "The Departed" and why I gave up on it after about 15 minutes of viewing it.
Expect major linkage soon.
One.
I remember you putting me on Soderberg's anayis of Hip Hop in film and I must say it was on point, which would make it another sad but true facet of our entertainment industry.
"We are exotic. If you are
having a hard time try the Black girls. We are willing."
wondered if they would have laughed if the character said
"Try and fuck a Jewish girl?"
-----------------
Allight... just clarify for me please are you equating exotic with willing?
I will agree with that alot lot of white guys find black women exotic, but that is just the same thing as black men finding spanish women exotic or spanish dudes being intrigued by white women. (lest not even talk about how Asian women feel how they are viewed by non asian males) People are often times attracted to what is different and men are definitly suseptipal to that.
Now I can concede that the whole concept of "conquest" can be viewed or might just be plainly wrong, but it is a male trait, so in the movie that line wasn't a reflection of white men perceiving black women as being easy.... It was more of, a inside male conversation of "try to scratch that off of your to do list"
Crass? Yes Truth? Yes.
While things are changing at a fast pace...on average...there are other groups of women it would be easier for a white man to get at then a black women.
If the line would have been "A Jewish Girl" the joke, if it was meant to be a joke, not a representation of a possible realistic conversation, would have flopped because, Jewish Identity in all, unless they are holding some serious prejudice, white people people perceive Jewish people as white, so it would have been akin saying have sex with basically one of your own group as far as "race" is concerned
Note*
After writing the above I been reading the comment section and saw you said how the line was ment to be placed.. I have mad faith in your word, but I always leave things up to my own interpetitation, so I mos def gotta get a quick dl of the flick and see that scene.
You where right about Phonte tho :)
Since I haven't seen the movie and can't really talk about the context of the scene or the film. I'd be weary to judge the entire film upon the actions or words of ONE character.
Ben Kingsley implying that black girls are "easy" or "exotic" does not necessitate that the director or even the film believes that. Just simply the character believes that and it might be an integral part of the story or his characterization.
Getting upset by a solitary out-of-context line in the film is kind of foolish. I'm a big proponent of judging a piece of art by it's entire context and not it's pieces.
Granted you could be completely right and there is no redeeming value in that scene or in that movie, as I said I haven't seen ite yet but the way you describe your experience watching it seems to suggest that walking out over one line and other people's misguided reactions to it seem rather silly.
I have a rule about commenting on art I haven't experienced/seen.
I don't.
Ironic that you could bring your lips to criticize me for providing my analysis, yet you haven't seen the movie.
The line was not out of context.
Even if you haven't seen the movie, you could have read my comments and determined the role between the doctor and Luke made the line stand out.
I personally, wonder if people will laugh at that line at a theater in Brooklyn. Its kinda like White people saying the N*gga AROUND negros.
While it may be foolish to you, I along with other women on the street are treated like property on a daily basis. So someone saying "try and fuck a black girl" is going to raise a flag.
To me, in MY opinion, about what I saw with my eyes, if the line wasn't intended to say that Black girls were easy, it certainly said, "be exploratory....try and fuck a black girl", which is offensive for another reason.
Getting upset by a solitary out-of-context line in the film is kind of foolish
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Why is it foolish for me to analyze and provide my take of a movie that I saw?
And trust me. Just like Soderberg said about Apatow, Luke loves hip hop, until he "grows up" at the end of the movie and then you no longer see any weed selling or hip hop for that matter.
M. Dot-
I'm not suggesting that you are incorrect with your analysis about that line. The context of the way you describe your story is what makes me feel suspect about your critique.
You describe it as if you were excited to see the film, are enjoying it relatively well enough, and then suddenly the "Fuck a black girl" line occurs, you become offended and then leave in the middle of the film without seeing it's conclusion which seems rather silly.
I'm not questioning whether or not, the line is as offensive as you say (From the way, you are describing the scene, I think your absolutely accurate in your intrepretation of the line.) but I'm questioning if the film as an entirety is making the suggestion that black girls are easy or exotic or rather just a character in the film is making that suggestion to illustrate a particular facet of that character's personality. Like the film is making the point that Ben Kingsley is a fetishing racist.
An example to illustrate this is often in a Scorsese or Tarantino films like Goodfellas or Pulp Fiction, white characters often casually make racist statements but that's more of a reflection on the type of characters being presented than any implicit approval the film or filmmaker has towards the statements being made. (Although, I find Tarantino's "dead black n****" speech in Pulp Fiction to be one of the most gratutious and casually racist scenes ever to be placed on celluloid. Why Tarantino felt his character had to be so casually vile and racist in a movie like that, I'll never understand. It's like a glaring black eye in an otherwise phenomenal film.)
I feel that one should always make a distinction between the characters being presented in the film and the way the filmmaker treats the characters. It's not the same thing.
crazy experience. how did that survey go that several did for your site last week?
I'm questioning if the film as an entirety is making the suggestion that black girls are easy or exotic or rather just a character in the film is making that suggestion to illustrate a particular facet of that character's personality.
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Yo.
Of course I am not. The film is AMAZING. I MEAN. Methods character hands Luke a tape, a BIGGIE TAPE, and said yo, this is going to change the game.
The film is amazing.
FOR THAT REASON.
The alienation that he felt as a teenager. FUCK OUTTA HERE. DUDE I was there. A BLACK GIRL, IN FRISCO , IN PREP SCHOOL, dude, trust, I felt it. I really did. HENCE my disappointment with the BG comment.
Also tha GOO-LEE-ANI-shit, is another reason why it is dope.
On the other hand, I am a b girl,
YOU KNOW WE GO LINE FOR LINE, so for someone to POINT OUT THAT I AM TRIPPING OFF "A LINE" is ridic. Thats WHAT WE DO. We trip off dj's, off lines, off disses, I mean subtly in HIP HIP may be a LOST ART form but thats what the fuck I CAME UP ON.
I find Tarantino's "dead black n****" speech in Pulp Fiction to be one of the most gratutious and casually racist scenes ever to be placed on celluloid.
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I don't fuck with Trntino for this reason. NEVER have and prolly "never" will. On mommas. Fuck that. A WB who writes characters that say "nigga" that much need to come correct. IF I CAN ACKNOWLEDGE MY DYSFUNCTION ASSOCIATED WITH LISTENING TO/LOVING MOBB DEEP, then his ass can to. FEEL ME?
You are right about the distinction. And if you read the comments I said that I "stood corrected". That I wasn't that BG's were easy, it was that WE SHOULD BE "TRIED" out, which is its own set of KAAKAA.
But it is what it is. Feel me?
Hi there M-Dot,
I wrote a post two weeks ago about the fetishization of black woman and how black women do not always pay attention to the oversaturation of fetishization of our sexuality.
This is a prime example of how we are being assassinated with off-handed comments that reveal a MUCH larger and sinister representation of us.
Hmmmmph!
Why aren't black women picketing the theatres? Remember how Christians picketed theatres for showing Jesus having sex with his wife in the fictional movie, 'The Last Temptation of Christ?"
When white folks do not like something in a movie, they start openly and loudly and visibly expressing outrage... and what do our people do...
{shaking my head}
Lisa
Why aren't black women picketing the theatres? Remember how Christians picketed theatres for showing Jesus having sex with his wife in the fictional movie, 'The Last Temptation of Christ?"
When white folks do not like something in a movie, they start openly and loudly and visibly expressing outrage... and what do our people do...
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Your comments just reminded me that the non profit needs a media watch element.
First, 1st time reader/commenter. I made my way here from Dart's post. So there's a couple of things here that I'd like to talk about as I've recently seen the film.
First, I agree that it probably was extremely uncomfortable to hear a bunch of white folks laugh at that line especially if none understood the context of the line. With that being said however...
...I don't think that you fully understood the context of the line in the script either. Please allow me to explain and do not take this as me belittling your intelligence, feelings or opinion in any way shape or form.
Before I get into the whole context thing, first we gotta accept that alot of black folk are going to see this movie having already made it up in their minds that it's going to be negative, awful or demeaning to black folks due to its heavy use of Hip Hop in the film. Even though Hip Hop is our creation [meaning by black folks] it is a culture that is inclusive of any and everyone that seeks to be apart of it. Your use of the Judd Apatow piece in your post goes to underscore that you had reservations about the writer/directors use of Hip Hop in the film already. We gotta learn to check these types of things at the door and go into films like these more objectively and pass judgement later after having seen the film 2 or even three times to fully understand what is going on in the world that the writer/director is trying to present.
On to the context of that particular line....
...I think that if Levine were trying to say that Black women were/are easy or that you are seen as exotic Madonna goddess that are generally out of the reach of white men he would have written it into the script. Levine doesn't come across to me as a writer who's trying to be P.C. or is worried about stepping on a few toes to tell a story. The actual context of the line stems from the fact that Luke's point of reference is Black culture and because of that he doesn't have anything in common with the white women he fantasizes about and pursues, in particular the step-daughter.
While most of the Doc's advice to young Luke is crass and based on bullshit, he's reading of Luke's charachter is spot on. Levine was writing the Doc's advice from the standpoint of a white male who is unaware that there are other white folks around who listen to and are passionate about Hip Hop as much as Luke is. In the Doc's mind, Hip Hop is a Black thing and therefor if this thing defines and empowers you so much, then obviously Black folks are who you should be kicking it with. This is made apparent in the relationship between Luke and Percy: Percy isn't just Luke's weed connect, but someone that Luke respects enough to ask advice from and listen to. And on the reverse side, obviously Percy respects Luke as he never treats him as some white kid trying to act Black. They are kindred spirits connected through music.
I'm sorry, but I have to disagree that Levine was trying to imply that Black women are easy or exoctic and more worthy of pursuit for the purpose of losing one's virginity. Hell, if that was his purpose, he would've just wrote in a scene in which the Doc shows Luke just how "easy" Black women are. I think too often we try to find negativity where there isn't any. I'm sorry that you walked out (and made your date leave) without finishing the rest of the movie (which is really excellent and very complex BTW). I think as writers it is our duty to sit through and finish things to the end even if they do make us feel uncomfortable. It makes for a more objective review based on fact instead of feelings and stereotypes. I strongly urge you to watch the film again (it's floating around on the Net [The Wackness LIMITED DVDSCR XViD-mVs] so there's no need to spend $10 at the AMC...Google it).
Frank Lanzkie
@ M. Dot:
I saw the flick and I could see your point but I saw it a different way. However, I saw the film "King Of The Gypsies" as a kid and it was all good until the end when the main character kills his main adversary in broad daylight in the middle of the street and when the cops show up a minute later and ask who did it they respond with:
"It was a Black guy! A Black guy did it! Gypsies don't do this to each other!"
All I could focus on was the fact that some Black guy got picked up, beaten and arrested for a murder he didn't commit and no one would believe that he was innocent. Fucked the whole movie up for me and it happened right at the end.
I was six years old and that seeing the end of that movie made me want to write and make movies so that people wouldn't end flicks like that again.
I STILL haven't seen "The Departed"...don't care to either.
One.
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