Being Married to a Black Woman is *Really* Exasperating!
by Guest Contributor SLB, originally posted at PostBourgie
I know it’s a little late to be bringing up Lakeview Terrace. Typically, reviews for feature films appear in publications the week the film opens. But let’s be real here: despite its Week 1 box office triumph, Lakeview Terrace is the kind of film you wait a week or two to see… at a matinee showing. And that’s exactly what I did. Frankly, though, I’m fairly certain I would’ve been better off waiting on the DVD release or the bad BET overdub on basic cable (You know it’s coming… in 2011).
But I’ve digressed.
I can’t imagine what drew audiences to this bizarre race film last weekend. Was it director Neil Labute’s arthouse reputation as a skilled provocateur? Was it the involvement of Will-and-Jada’s profitable Overbrook Productions? Was it Kerry Washington’s alleged “hotness?” Or was it simply that surefire, time-honored Sam Jackson delivery of the classic trailer line, “Ah’m the POE-LEASE! You HAVE to do what I say!”?
Maybe it was a little of everything. For me, morbid curiosity was the driving force. I took stock of the premise: black cop terrorizes the interracial couple who move in next door, simply because he’s anti-miscegenation and protected by the badge, and I decided that there was no way this could be executed well. But I certainly wanted to see folks try.
I’ll give you the short version of events here and please note that from this point on, there will be HEAVY SPOILERS. So if you still intend to support Will, Jada, Sam, Kerry, or Patrick Wilson with your box office dollars, STOP READING NOW.
So. Right away, we meet Sam Jackson as Abel Turner, a stand-up beat cop whose territory is a low-rent section of LA. We also meet his two children, Celia and Marcus. Abel, a widower, is trying his darnedest to raise these two little darlings to speak “properly” and to support Shaquille O’Neal over Kobe Bryant (we’re never told why, but we later come to assume it’s because of Vanessa’s non-Black ethnicity—that, or the rape charge… the interracial rape charge).
Abel’s relationship with teenaged daughter Celia is fraught with tension. She deliberately interjects “Ebonics” into her conversations and dresses less than chastely. It’s stock teen daughter/Daddy fare…. until he smacks her. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Abel is shown to have a decent relationship with the multicultural neighbors in the gated community of Lakeview Terrace, a breathtaking berg overlooking most of LA. The first of the neighbors shown is an Asian fellow, with whom Abel makes observations about the new couple moving in next door.
Of course, as is often the case in films and television shows like this, it isn’t immediately clear that Patrick Wilson’s Chris is married to Kerry Washington’s Lisa. See, Lisa first appears in a locked-arm stroll with Ron Glass. The cinematographer spends a lot of time here (and throughout the film) focusing on extreme close-ups of Sam Jackson. He narrows his eyes, as if passing judgment on the May-December couple strolling the perimeter of the palacial house, and barely takes stock of the sweaty White guy dutifully unloading boxes from a UHaul.
Within two minutes, however, Lisa slips her arm out of Ron Glass’s, flits over to Chris and kisses him passionately.
And then, Sam Jackson’s eyes REALLY narrow.
I should probably tell you right now that this movie isn’t about Abel Turner. It isn’t about Lisa. And it certainly isn’t about Ron Glass, who phones in a few scenes as her father, Harold Perreau.
In fact, this film treats all of its Black cast as tertiary in order to reveal its true intent.
This is a film about how hard it is to be a White man married to a Black woman.
See, if you’re a White guy, who’s been courageous enough to fall in love across color lines, your father-in-law will loathe you. Your Black cop neighbor will harrass you — particularly about your preference for really loud ’90s hip-hop and especially for your hot Black wife — and you won’t be able to do anything at all about it… because HE’S the POE-LEASE! And worse yet, when you show just a hint of reticence about readiness to have children, your Black wife (with whom you have little onscreen chemistry) will stop taking her birth control pills, trap you into fathering a biracial kid, and then get really pissed when you’re not absolutely thrilled as soon as she breaks the news… from the floor of the bathroom in your bedroom, as she cries and cradles the toilet.
Oh, and none of these Black people will have any discernable reason for being so vicious or duplicitous. Perhaps it’s just their baser nature as Black people that causes them to behave so uncouthly? Or, as in the case of Lisa, maybe it’s her insecurity about her skin color that forces her to force you into fatherhood. As she tearily claims in the requisite “I’m pregnant” scene, maybe it’s not that you don’t want to have kids. “Maybe you just don’t want to have them with her!”
It’s okay, though. In the end, you get to justifiably gun someone down and, while you bask in the glow of your own clever heroism, you also deign to forgive your weird-ass, over-enunciating, birth-control-pill-skipping wife. Because you’re just that magnanimous.
So that’s Lakeview Terrace in a nutshell, people. You may not want to see this if you’re Black. There isn’t a likeable soul in here for you to identify with — least of all Abel Turner, whose logic devolves more and more as the film goes on (really, dude gets stupider by the frame) and whose already reprehensible, one-note character turns positively cartoonish by his daughter-slapping, homicide-committing, “I’M the POE-LEASE!” denouement. You’ll also find nothing relatable in Ron Glass or the actors who play Celia and Marcus, because about 2/3 through the film, they all disappear, never to be heard from or referenced again.
If anyone among you has seen this flick and come away with a more favorable interpretation of its thesis, please feel free to enlighten me. As far as I can tell, there’s no equity (or realism) for Blacks in Lakeview Terrace.
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
merq wrote:
SLB,
I cringed at the trailer, and had no intention of seeing this movie, so thanks for the summary — looks like it was exactly what I expected.
The only thing I was happy about was that Ms. Washington had another #1 film credit to her name. I take offense to the quotes you used when referencing her “hotness.” Kerry Washington isn’t “hot,” she’s muthafucking hot, beautiful, and talented as all hell.
I fell in love with her when I saw her in “Our Song” a few years ago. It really showed how vastly talented she was (she was in her early 20s when she shot it, and she played a teenager) without her breathtaking adult looks serving as a distraction.
So yeah, mad Kerry love here. That is all.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 8:22 am ¶
Marcus Kwame wrote:
Thank you for posting this. I had a bad feeling about this flick and it’s handling of race when I saw the previews. Still, I had what you so accurately phrased, a morbid curiosity.
Most of the reviews I read were not written by black folk, so I was hesitant because the reviewers seemed to only have a glancing, superficial understanding of race politics. And this was around the same time reviewers were calling Robert Downey Jr’s performance in Tropic Thunder (which I refuse to see) “brave” and “courageous.” So needless to say, my faith in mainstream film critics’ ability to grasp the complexities of race in America was almost nonexistent.
Thankfully, I didn’t give in to my curiosity about Lakeview Terrace, and your review confirms what I had gathered. I’d be curious to know what attracted Samuel Jackson to this film, assuming it was more than just a dollar sign.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 8:33 am ¶
Thea Lim wrote:
Being a mixed race POC and having been in relationships with (wonderful) white people, it always turns my stomach when I hear it suggested that a white person is somehow noble, courageous, or long-suffering for dating a person of colour.
After I wrote my non-review of Lakeview Terrace (where I figured it was probably a racist-esque piece of poop, but for different reasons than you) I seriously considered watching it, just to see if I was right. Thanks for sparing me the pain!
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 9:07 am ¶
Free wrote:
White guy as martyr is what I thought as I watched this film. I also wondered what is up with Jade and Will. With this film and Hitch, it’s nice white folks having to put up with mean black folks.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 9:21 am ¶
Free wrote:
Oops typo: Jada not Jade
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 9:22 am ¶
Charlotte wrote:
I’m curious what folks think of Things We Lost in the Fire, which has a similar theme, but where the majority of the characters are white and the focus of the plot is not on race.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen it, but it might make for an interesting comparison.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 9:24 am ¶
Marilyn wrote:
[Mod Note - I can't tell if your comment was supposed to be sarcastic or serious. Please clarify. - LDP ]
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 9:26 am ¶
Eric Daniels wrote:
I told people this movie was going to be a disater and since it is based on a true story of an L.A. cop who did just that, I could assume from the previews that it was going to be a white male angst -ridden tale about modern Black Male racist pathology. If people could not discern that from the first highlight then they would be disapointed. White Liberals and some people in mixed realtionships will hail this as a “Brave look at Race” in modern American Cinema.
It must hard for a White Guy loving a Black Woman in modern America especially if you live in Southern California (wink ,wink)
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 9:28 am ¶
An Uninspired Muse wrote:
I missed all the previews about this movie with my schedule and blindly went into this movie for Sam L. Jackson’s standard acting which I love for reasons unknown.
…did I mention I went to the show with my friends who are an interracial couple or that I’m in an interracial relationship myself?
Needless to say it was uncomfortable to the point where it was almost humorous.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 10:11 am ¶
DEAF FEMINIST PUNK!! wrote:
lol. oh my god.
I think I’ll stick to watching the sizzling chemistry between Sanaa Lathan and Simon Baker in “Something New.”
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 10:19 am ¶
slb wrote:
Charlotte-
Dude. I *love* Things We Lost in the Fire (mainly because I’m deeply, deeply into Benicio Del Toro).
Bier could’ve made the film a race play like “Lakeview,” but it really would’ve undermined the story about the intoxicating, obliterating lures of death and grief.
Lakeview could’ve capably handled several themes, other than race: the insidious consequences of secrets in marriage; the generational divide between parent and child; the weight of in-law disapproval on married couples. All these issues were raised, but then they were dropped on the audience’s heads like Acme anvils.
merq-
I hear you about Kerry’s beauty. I already got a severe keypad lashing regarding my use of quotes over at PostBourgie.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 10:26 am ¶
KuriusJurge612 wrote:
Dont forget how Abel verbally abused the “wigger” and how that “wigger” was semi portrayed as a victim of Abel’s
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 10:49 am ¶
Free wrote:
@Eric Daniels – I didn’t know that the movie was based upon a true story. Thanks for the info.
I found two stories about Mellanie and John Hamilton and the harassment they endured from Irsie Henry, the former LAPD cop. It seems that Irsie had an issue with other “mixed race” couples in the neighborhood.
The Case (with nice photo of the Hamiltons): http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/?id=5033&IssueNum=87
About the film – reactions of the Hamiltons and Henry: http://pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/copping_out/6402/
After reading these stories, my opinion of the film remains the same: exploitative and race-baiting.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 10:56 am ¶
Jess wrote:
Don’t worry, you weren’t the only one who didn’t like this
http://www.avclub.com/content/cinema/lakeview_terrace
It doesn’t get into the racial politics as much. But it does note that Sam Jackson becomes a caricature at best, and that this film says more about its makers than anything else.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 11:05 am ¶
Carmen Van Kerckhove wrote:
Great write-up and analysis! I haven’t seen this movie but will wait to Netflix it — or honestly, I may just skip it altogether.
It’s interesting to contrast the treatment of Sam Jackson’s character’s racism in this movie (as in, no explanation of why he got that way) to the way Paul Haggis pain-stakingly explained/justified exactly why and how Matt Dillon’s character in Crash became so racist (his unemployed and ailing father).
Again, it comes back to pathologizing people of color. There’s no need to do character development when you assume that they’re fundamentally fucked in the head.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 11:06 am ¶
Marilyn wrote:
total sarcasm, yes
Mod Note – Please repost, and make that clear. Please keep in mind what kind of site this is – we get those kinds of arguments all day long. – LDP
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 11:17 am ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:
@Carmen –
Yeah, I concur. Like I’ve mentioned before (I should probably just do a post on the play), but I am really uncomfortable with Neil Labute’s race work – because it really isn’t much work.
It’s sad because I was actually kind of excited to see this movie when I caught the preview – it’s an interesting premise and in the hands of the right director, would have been amazing.
But Neil Labute doesn’t really give a fuck about characters of color (or women characters). And that shows in his work – everything focuses around the white protagonist, and he receives all the nuance and depth – everyone else in the story is just a prop to move the plot onward.
I know that a lot of folks here – self included – have issues with Crash, but I would have felt better about this project if Paul Haggis had helmed it. I feel like he would have at least tried to probe more of the issues involved in *why* these things happen.
I really just feel like this film was kind of a wasted opportunity to really explore this dynamic, especially toward interracial couples and their progeny.
Anyway, SLB, thanks for taking one for the team.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 11:30 am ¶
Thea Lim wrote:
@ Carmen and Latoya,
I thought I heard that at the end of the movie Turner’s racism is explained – like it turns out something terrible happened to his wife that had to do with white people.
Maybe SLB can confirm?
Though, personally I don’t think a throwaway explanation at the end of a film really justifies anything. I also don’t really buy that there is a justification for racism. See: argument that it is ok for McCain to use the word “gooks” because he was tortured during the Vietnam War. I disagree!!
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 11:35 am ¶
Thea Lim wrote:
Oops, want to correct something – I used the phrase “Turner’s racism” but really I think of it more as “Turner’s prejudice” because I don’t agree that reverse racism exists…
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 11:52 am ¶
Eva wrote:
I saw the previews for this movie months ago, and though I adore Samuel L. Jackson, I felt this movie would be a steaming pile of dung.
My thing was here’s this man, a single father with a full time job, raising two children and still he has time to harass people; people I work with who are married with children barely have time to brush their teeth.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 12:15 pm ¶
slb wrote:
Thea Lim-
Abel does give an explanation for his bigotry at the beginning of the film’s third act, but, though that explanation was two-prong, it was still flimsy at best.
I could go on to spoil the film even more and repeat it here, but I’m not sure I should. (Even typing SPOILER AHEAD in all caps in the comments section wouldn’t hide the spoiler enough for people who still may want to see this.)
Suffice it to say: the reason was lame. lol
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 12:41 pm ¶
Lleeo wrote:
It’s interesting to contrast the treatment of Sam Jackson’s character’s racism in this movie (as in, no explanation of why he got that way) to the way Paul Haggis pain-stakingly explained/justified exactly why and how Matt Dillon’s character in Crash became so racist (his unemployed and ailing father).
Carmen, would you mind clarifying your point here? I’m pretty new to critically analyzing race in our culture (yay white privilege!) and I’m wondering what, specifically, was wrong with the way both directors depicted the racism of these two characters. For example, were the portrayals too simplistic, too rationalized, too exceptionalized?
I’m guessing that you meant Samuel Jackson’s racism was shown as crazy and unreasonable and obviously the exception to the reasonable, non-racist norm (i.e. the White middle-class guy). Then I’m going to make another assumption and guess that you meant Matt Dillon’s character in Crash had his racism kind of downplayed and rendered less destructive because really, it wasn’t “his fault” according to the director.
Sorry if that was overly complicated but I just wanted to make sure I understood your points. The Crash example had never occurred to me and I think you made a really good point (if that was your point).
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 1:11 pm ¶
Carmen Van Kerckhove wrote:
Lleeo,
No problem! Check out this excellent article written a couple years back by Derik Smith in The Black Commentator:
http://www.blackcommentator.com/175/175_crash_scene_smith_guest.html
He does a much better job explaining it than I could in the space of a short comment.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 1:37 pm ¶
Tiffany wrote:
@Eva
“My thing was here’s this man, a single father with a full time job, raising two children and still he has time to harass people; people I work with who are married with children barely have time to brush their teeth.”
During slavery and after salvery white people had their own families jobs etc but still found time to harass cause havoc in black peoples lives.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 1:52 pm ¶
Lleeo wrote:
Thanks for the link, Carmen! I never heard anything but praise for this movie but never stopped to notice all the praise was coming from White critics and reviewers.
And I want to clarify a point I made because I think it was pretty presumptuous of me:
I’m pretty new to critically analyzing race in our culture (yay white privilege!)
Upon further consideration probably anyone of any race could be new to critically analyzing race in our culture.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 2:47 pm ¶
Vanessa wrote:
I’m keep my opinion about this film until I watch it and than I will come back later and say if what Carmen says to be true or not.
I hope many of the people posting would do the same thing before they start bashing the film or go on about how white clearly don’t understand or how the director is an idiot.
People…watch the film and make your decision….but don’t bash the film b/c of what one person says.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 3:13 pm ¶
KFlowers wrote:
Thanks for that Vanessa. I saw less than a handful of comments that came from actual viewers. They were the ones I would really like to hear from.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 3:44 pm ¶
atlasien wrote:
@Vanessa the Voice of Outraged Dignity: Step back, take a deep breath, and try to realize that people make pre-judgements all the time. If I see “directed by Uwe Boll” or “starring Sinbad” on a movie, I can be 99.99% certain it’s crap without wasting hours of my life actually watching it.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 3:47 pm ¶
Phil Deeze wrote:
I liked this movie the first time I saw it. It was called “Unlawful Entry” with Ray Liotta as Officer Friendly, Kurt Russell as the unsuspecting neighbor and the delectable Madeline Stowe as the Virgin Connie Swail.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 4:05 pm ¶
Jamerican Muslimah wrote:
@Vanessa, I saw the movie and I have to say I agree with SLB.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 4:18 pm ¶
merq wrote:
That’s it! I’m joining your fan club! Where do I sign up?
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 7:39 pm ¶
Westerly wrote:
Nicely said atlasien
(For me the words ‘directed by Lars von Trier’ have become a pre-emptive warning after I’ve had instinctive doubts – only to ruthlessly suppress them, watch them and lose hours of my life that I am *never* going to get back.)
People aren’t obliged to watch things that sound bad, unappealing or downright racist in the name of adhering to some faux-objectivity. Who on earth says “hey that sounds lousy, poorly plotted, implausible and discriminatory! Hmmm…Better go get my ticket!” If I’m walking along and I suspect that the brown pile on the sidewalk is dog poo, (because it looks and smells like it) then yeah, I’m going to make a judgment call. I’m not going to step in it in the name of ‘fair-mindedness’ and hope that it turns out to be chocolate instead.
The review hasn’t made my mind up for me – though I don’t see any problem with people using reviews to weed out films that they might want to see from films that they don’t – in part, that’s what reviews exist for.
That said, I thought that the premise behind this movie sounded like a series of singularly bad ideas all mooshed together. This review merely confirms my worst suspicions. In effect, a movie that I would never go out of my way to watch in the first place (partly because of the poor, botched, ‘whitely’ sounding premise, but also because it looks unimaginatively mainstream and just sounds plain uninteresting to me anyway) has now become a movie that I will go out of my to avoid.
No great loss there. It also doesn’t help that I click on links, read around and discover that it’s directed by Neil LaBute who (*snort*) is apparently responsible for the farcical Nicholas Cage re-make of “The Wickerman.” At this point, the only reason that I’d go watch it is to ruin my shoes.
Posted 16 Oct 2008 at 9:49 pm ¶
minke wrote:
I saw the movie. I liked it (mostly) and thought it was (mostly) intelligent and ambiguous enough to provoke thoughts. My main problem is with the pathetic ending.
I didn’t interpret the movie the way you did; I read Roger Ebert’s review of it right before I left for the theatre(http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080918/REVIEWS/809180303) and was guided by it. Interestingly, Ebert is a white man married to a black woman.
There are many, many situations in the movie that could be race-related, but then again could not: having children right away, Shaq vs. Kobe, Kerry’s in-laws telling her they love her a lot, etc. I thought it might be enjoyed by the editors of this blog that the film presents more subtle forms of (possible?) racism in addition to SLJ’s. I especially like the comment Kerry makes that her husband doesn’t “really know” SLJ; it’s thought-provoking.
I don’t remember the movie well as I did see it in the week it opened (judge away, please), but I think the Roger Ebert review is worth a read for a different take on the film.
Posted 17 Oct 2008 at 4:50 am ¶
Winn wrote:
atlasien wrote:
@Vanessa the Voice of Outraged Dignity:
atlasien, I’m with merq! You’ve got at least two members of your fan club (and lots more on the way I suspect). And remember, she has threatened to come back after seeing the film and “say if what Carmen says to be true or not”! Of course, since the OP came from slb, I’m wondering what Carmen has to do with it, but I’m glad to know we will be recipients of the “truth” about the merits and viewpoint of an artistic work. I always thought such interpretation to be inherently subjective, but what the hell do I know? Apparently, Vanessa has come to enlighten us all.
Vanessa, the majority of people contributing to this blog are intelligent, educated, sentient beings not new to the concept of filmgoing (or television-watching). Westerly’s post sums it up well, but subject matter, cast, directorial reputation and screenwriter worldview all influence critical reception and audience interest. I have must-see actors and directors, who can motivate me to see something I am only marginally interested in based on reputation. And similar artists who repel me with their technique, approach and skill level, so their name associated with a project is enough to make me ward it away with garlic and a crucifix. Last time I checked, everyone here is still free to see the film or not, based upon a myriad of reasons, only some of which may be the analysis presented here. And I hardly think anyone needs your lecture to compel them to do so. Please, get over yourself. Your schtick is becoming headache inducing.
Posted 17 Oct 2008 at 12:34 pm ¶
sheryl wrote:
I’m disappointed to hear that most of you here didn’t like the movie. I was planning on seeing it.
Now to slightly off topic…
I haven’t seen a discussion here about Tyler Perry’s movie, “A Family that Preys.” This was my first Tyler Perry movie that I’ve gone to see. He just isn’t my cup of tea. I was promised that this movie was very different from his other movies, so I reluctantly went along.
To make long story short, I ended up walking out of the movie when the (interracial) relationship between Sanaa Lathan’s character and the White leading man (can’t remember his name) was revealed. It was just way over the top in a very negative way. I don’t want to get into any details right now, but did anyone else have that same feeling?
Posted 17 Oct 2008 at 9:28 pm ¶
Joseph wrote:
Dear Kerry Washington,
I am willing to take on the exasperating challenge of loving you even though, because of my fair skin, I know that eventually Samuel L. Jackson will try to kill me.
Yes, I am very brave.
@LDP: that was sarcastic
@Kerry Washington: No it wasn’t. I love you. Call me!
@atlasien: “Directed by Uwe Boll” Bwah-hahaha…
Posted 17 Oct 2008 at 10:31 pm ¶
Kendra wrote:
@ sheryl:
I saw it and I agree.
It also reminds me of the snippets I’ve seen from his new play, “The Marriage Counselor.”
The interracial coupling in that stage play is purely for laughs and encourages stereotyping, featuring one of the most well-known statements: “Once you go white, your credit is right.”
It was something along those lines. I haven’t seen the entire play, but clips are available on YouTube (and another site online).
That portrayal plus what was featured in his newest film tells me that he’s really not for black/white couplings on a serious level. Plus, in his mostly black universe, those are the only interracial couples that even exist.
Now, I’m not sure if he encourages a black-segregated paradise, based on his constituency, but I hope that he never deals with interracial couplings because things become inconsistent and stereotypical (or rather completely negative). An interracial relationship in Tyler Perry land can’t be positive? It just had to be an affair?
I remember his negative portrayal of a black Muslim man, and his female follower (lady love), in “I can do bad by myself” (stage play). It made it seem like only crazy, arrogant, misogynistic, and sexist people were Muslim.
(I got that slow down message. But thank goodness . . . I forgot to add my name to my message.)
Posted 18 Oct 2008 at 7:41 pm ¶
Witchsistah wrote:
I had no desire to see this movie, and from what I’ve read about it, it seems I made the right decision. I’m sick of movies portraying interracial relationships as problematic, dyfunctional, struggling and filled with nothing but one “teachable moment” after another. Hell, sometimes we just go to Costco and chill out at home to WarCrack and the History Channel!
When I heard about Samuel L’s character constantly engaging the White guy in the movie, I knew that no Black folk were in on writing the script because any sista who’s ever been in an interracial relationship knows that Black men totally ignore her non-Black companion and get all in HER face about her choice of date for the evening/sex partner/significant other/spouse.
Posted 19 Oct 2008 at 5:18 pm ¶
Spinster wrote:
Saw this with a friend. We didn’t like it at all. We didn’t discuss the deeper meaning of the movie as you did in this post; we just thought it was a weird movie with no likeable characters. However, the deeper meaning of the movie is clear. Thanks for pointing it out.
Posted 19 Oct 2008 at 8:32 pm ¶
bdsista wrote:
Witchsista, got it right, and although I haven’t seen it, in real life if he had harrassed her, if her family wasn’t dead, they would all show up ready to throw down on Samuel J. especially her parents!
Side note: there is going to be a CRash series
see:
Crash Starz
Director and producer Paul Haggis has adapted his Oscar-winning feature film Crash into a television series for the premium network Starz. It will be the network’s first original drama series. The show premieres October 17, 2008, and will star actor Dennis Hopper in a leading role.
Um, am I the only person really uncomfortable with this idea? The movies is intense and complex enough, I have many trepedations that this will not do well.
Posted 20 Oct 2008 at 8:59 am ¶
bdsista wrote:
I meant the Movie is not movies is, I can spell damnit!
Posted 20 Oct 2008 at 9:00 am ¶
minke wrote:
“any sista who’s ever been in an interracial relationship knows that Black men totally ignore her non-Black companion and get all in HER face about her choice of date for the evening/sex partner/significant other/spouse”
There is a small exchange in the movie in which SLJ’s daughter discusses with Kerry Washington how black girls who date white girls are treated by other black girls versus how black guys that date white girls are treated.
Posted 21 Oct 2008 at 1:56 am ¶
annalouise wrote:
Haven’t I seen this movie before? I think it had Julia Stiles in it and was about ballet or something?
It’s interesting that Hollywood only talks about harrassment and social pressures that interracial couples face when the harrassment comes from POC. White people in these movies never seem to have a problem with couple.
Posted 21 Oct 2008 at 9:16 am ¶
Kenny wrote:
Annalouise said the same thing I was thinking. Hollywood is so full of it . The Black folks are always the racists in these films(and tv shows) Which is not the actual norm in a White society, sorry. Hollywood will also more readily show a couple with a woman of color and White guy than the opposite even though that is not reflecting reality.Is it just me or has Sam Jackson become less discerning inhis film choices? He defended “Jackie Brown’s” use of the N Word , did the film where he has the young White lady chained and now this?!
Posted 21 Oct 2008 at 2:36 pm ¶
Kimberly wrote:
Wow, SLB, thanks for taking one for the team. Just the trailer made me apoplectic. And now I learn that Neil Labute directed? Save us all. He’s an unrepentant misogynist who’s upset he missed the Judd Aptow & Co boat.
I had the misfortune of seeing his play “Fat Pig” in London and it was, as you can guess, miserable. Even seeing it for free didn’t make it any less woman-hating. Of course, white men never come out looking that great either, so Labute’s an equal opporunity hater.
Posted 26 Oct 2008 at 2:01 pm ¶
George wrote:
Dang, I’m glad I never saw that film. The previews put me off. I haven’t experienced it in real life either, so thank God for that.
I have been in an interracial relationship since 2005 when I moved in with my black GF. On Labor Day Weekend 2008 we got married! We’re very happy and we have a great time together.
We wanted to do something for the interracial community, so we started a free forum/message board for people to discuss issues, post comments, view relevant videos + stories, post a personal ad and have some fun. It’s at http://www.mixedcouples.info so please check it out.
Posted 12 Dec 2008 at 11:29 pm ¶
concreteRoze wrote:
kerry washington is particularly hot, and that means alot coming from a straight black female. Her features are somewhat Somali/ east african to me, especially the bone structure. saw her on bill maher, she has the brains 2. Have not seen the movie though !!
Posted 18 Jun 2009 at 12:04 pm ¶