After watching the trailer for Kenya Barris’ debut film “You People,” which was released on Netflix Friday, I rolled my eyes.
Barris was a writer for one of the most iconic Black-led films this decade, “Barbershop: The Next Cut.” This was not his first time writing a comedy, however I was skeptical that he could direct something funny with a cast like this.
I thought this was going to be another one of those lame rom-coms with a bunch of stereotypical “Black guy vs. white guy” jokes that have been done so many times before.
But after sitting down and watching the movie, I was impressed.
“You People” stars writer and actor Jonah Hill as Ezra, a white Jewish financial analyst who aspires to be a podcaster who talks about Black culture.
He falls in love with Amira, played by actress Lauren London, a Black Muslim painter who is trying to find stability in her relationships.
Ezra and Amira eventually move in together, but come to the realization that they have to eventually introduce each other to their parents who couldn’t be more
diametrically opposed.
Ezra’s mother Shelley, played by iconic actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, tries too hard to relate to Amira and comes off as racist.
Amira’s father Akbar, played by legendary actor and comedian Eddie Murphy, doesn’t approve of Ezra because he believes he needs to protect his daughter from white men.
Many comedy movies in the past have poked fun at stereotypes that go with interracial relationships such as “Romeo Must Die,” “Guess Who” and “Our Family Wedding.” But what makes “You People” different is that the characters were genuine.
In other films, the characters seemed like caricatures rather than actual people who have to deal with the ramifications of dating outside their race.
The audiences often see the stereotypical angry Black dad from the south who tries to intimidate and scare away their child’s interest, or the accepting mother who tries to rally all the families together to accept their kids’ new found love.
“You People’’ is more realistic than that. The disapproval of the marriage was more subtle and the racism that Ezra and Amira went through was more indirect which is representative of the
type of racism we commonly see today.
Though the movie has a serious undertone, there were still a plethora of jokes that made me question if I should have gone to the bathroom before turning on the movie.
Hill’s “matter of fact” attitude blended well with Murphy’s more indirect personality. I had doubts that their chemistry would actually work in a film like this, but they meshed well throughout the film.
Historically, Hill has made comedy for the millennial stoner who still lives at their parent’s house in their mid-30’s.
Murphy, one of the true greatest of all time, or “G.O.A.T.” in comedy, has historically starred in either super edgy dark comedy like “Tower Heist” or funny family flicks like “Shrek” and “Daddy Daycare.”
Louis-Dreyfus plays the role of the “too woke” white liberal woman perfectly. The concept of woke has changed over the years, but conservative media has coined the term to mean someone who cares so much about social issues that they come off as racist according to a Jan. 20 ABC article.
One of the best comedic elements of the movie is how it’s evident to viewers that she’s not trying to be racist, but comes off even more racist than she wants to be.
What I liked most about the movie was that it wasn’t a generic Black vs white movie where the plot line could be seen in the trailer leading up to the film. The story touched on the intersections of race, religion and class very well.
Serious topics like those were joked about in a creative way that I think people born in Generation Z would appreciate.
The only knock that I had on the movie was that for a rom-com, there wasn’t much romance between the two main characters.
I counted about six times Ezra and Amira actually kissed in the film and I was even counting casual pecks on the cheek.
I’ll be the first to say that Jonah Hill making love to Lauren London wasn’t an image I ever imagined to see in a film. It was hinted several times in the trailer, but didn’t happen, making it seem as if they didn’t really show affection to each other in the first place.
As a person who is an interracial relationship, I immediately related to all the awkward family gatherings and conversations that were shown in the movie.
I found all the little cringe-worthy moments where Amira and Ezra’s family had an awkward silence around the dinner table relatable to some of the experiences I had in my relationship.
I didn’t know what I was going to get from this movie, but in a weird way, I did like it. The chemistry between the characters surprisingly worked in a way that made me think to watch it a second time.
Secretly, I’m hoping a sequel is on the way, but I’d settle for another comedy flick with Hill and Murphy.
