Hip-hop is not just a style of music, for it comes associated with an attitude, an attitude that notoriously does not wholly reject the ghetto from which it springs. Whether the music, and culture, should thus be seen as the free expression of the dispossessed, or as one of the chains tying them down, is this a moot point (though it's worth noting that every revolution in popular music over the last half-century has been seen by respectable society as the end of the world). 'Black and White' is a celebrity-studded collection of small stories about characters living the hip-hop life, its focus on the interplay of the white community with this essentially black form of music. It's not badly executed, although it's hard to get very interested in any of the characters. One peculiarity, though, is how little hip-hop there actually is on the soundtrack, a strange vacuum at the heart of the film; also, we see little in the way of everyday life in the world from which the music emerged. The result is watchable, but there are no real insights, sociological or musical, to be had.
87 Reviews
Lost in translation
ramsri00721 October 2015
This James Toback movie is about Hip Hop culture & the influence it has on the American Kids while growing up. The way Black & White panned out, it seems to me that the scrip was written extemporaneously. Many parts felt disjointed and just did not gel well with the overall story. Or was there a story? Toback touches on a lot of issues and topics but he failed to fit them well into the story and therefore the final feel of the movie is more documentary like. He tries a little too hard to be cutting edge.
There are quite a few cameos in this movie - Mike Tyson, Brooke Sheilds, Joe Pantoliano, Jared Leto Robert Downey Jr. Had Toback worked more on the script and the screenplay, we would have had a great film about teens, race relations and cultural impact.
Although I loathe the pace of the movie and the story, I would surely watch it just for Downey Jr. He plays a documentary film maker, Terry who along with his wife, Brooke Shields, follow a group of rich white kids who are desperate to match their black hip-hop heroes.
The best moments in the movie belong to Downey Jr and his interactions with the characters. He hits on every guy in the movie including Mike Tyson! In the movie, a visibly nervous Downey sidles up to Tyson and mentions a dream he had about him that involved Tyson 'holding' him. At which moment Tyson, in pure rage, slaps Downey and grabs his throat. One can see the terror in Downey's eyes. This exchange is definitely electrifying and funny in a sense. Another moment is when Downey Jr confesses to his wife that he is gay towards the end of the movie & also his exchange with Jerad Leto at the club.
There are quite a few cameos in this movie - Mike Tyson, Brooke Sheilds, Joe Pantoliano, Jared Leto Robert Downey Jr. Had Toback worked more on the script and the screenplay, we would have had a great film about teens, race relations and cultural impact.
Although I loathe the pace of the movie and the story, I would surely watch it just for Downey Jr. He plays a documentary film maker, Terry who along with his wife, Brooke Shields, follow a group of rich white kids who are desperate to match their black hip-hop heroes.
The best moments in the movie belong to Downey Jr and his interactions with the characters. He hits on every guy in the movie including Mike Tyson! In the movie, a visibly nervous Downey sidles up to Tyson and mentions a dream he had about him that involved Tyson 'holding' him. At which moment Tyson, in pure rage, slaps Downey and grabs his throat. One can see the terror in Downey's eyes. This exchange is definitely electrifying and funny in a sense. Another moment is when Downey Jr confesses to his wife that he is gay towards the end of the movie & also his exchange with Jerad Leto at the club.
An exploitive, demeaning muddled mess of stereotypes.
=G=28 September 2000
"Black and White" exploits and demeans black and white racial stereotypes in a mess of sensationalistic and pointless subplots. The film manages to almost sort itself out by the end though few will care. This steaming dogpile of cardboard cutout characters and pointless drivel is film making at it's worst and a good example of why right-wing conservatives are gunning for Hollywood.
Watch this one for Downey
erxnmedia27 September 2004
Robert Downey Jr. is fantastic in all of his 60 or so seconds in this film. I think he is one of the best comic actors of all time.
Brooke Shields also does a spot-on amateur documentary film-maker shtick. I didn't even recognize her in her dreadlocks in the first half of the film. She and Downey trail a bunch of rich white high school kids half their age, trying to be one of them as they go slumming. Shields best moment is when she meets a recently married old friend on the Staten Island ferry, and you feel the disparity between Shield's refusing-to-grow-up character and her ordinary, grown-up old friend.
Downey's best moments are when he tries to pick up Mike Tyson and when he tries to pick up one of the high school students, reprising his character in Wonder Boys. It's too bad Hollywood has an insurance clause against him now, because everything he does is exceedingly knowing.
The flattest moments are the James Tolback Obligatory Sex In Central Park scene, apparently a rehearsal for an identical one in this year's "When will I be loved?", and in the contrived Typical Banker's Family Dinner with the Sullenly Rebellious Daughter While The Manservant Ladles the Soup. Please. We know Tolback has a lot of celebrity friends; they're all in his movies. I doubt he has met a single real banker in his life.
Also we are treated to the same flaw which is in Black and White, namely the highly implausible plot devices that tie all of the characters together, wherever they live in the movie and whatever their social strata. He is a big buyer of the Deus Ex Machina.
He's also a big buyer of improvisation. In the DVD he says almost all the films are improvised except the one where Claudia Schiffer impersonates what one critic called "the world's most unlikely graduate student", and another called "a surprisingly believable turn as a faithless brainiac". Whatever. She looks hot for the most part except towards the end where they're one outdoor shot in a riverside park where her lips just look too big and she looks like a squeaky and insufficiently made-up skinny yin-yang. What can you do. Her funniest moment was the split second sitting next to and conversing with Robert Downey Jr. when he turns to compare perfume notes with the young man sitting next to him, and she figures out she's no longer the center of attention and suddenly gets up and walks away. Her least likely moment is when she is about to have sex in a bathroom with her boyfriend's best friend. Not that the premise is unlikely: She is just too Teutonic and awkward beneath all that prettiness to look like she's about to tongue-wrestle with a big sweaty gangster. (Much more believable is the news story about her I read the other day where she is applying to private schools for her unborn child.)
Tolback cast himself as Tolback pretty much, as usual. If you're the director, why not throw yourself a cameo? It's just a stone's throw from there to writing in a sex scene with the lead actress, but if he did that he'd have to write himself a lead part and then he'd be Vincent Gallo, but he's not, he's more of a voyeur; enough to write those Central Park scenes and shoot them in closeup with full improvisatory rein given to the actors. Let them really get into the moment, keep the cameras rolling.
Am I boring you with this review? Is it running on a little long? Does it seem a little disconnected?
If you think this is bad, go see the movie.
Brooke Shields also does a spot-on amateur documentary film-maker shtick. I didn't even recognize her in her dreadlocks in the first half of the film. She and Downey trail a bunch of rich white high school kids half their age, trying to be one of them as they go slumming. Shields best moment is when she meets a recently married old friend on the Staten Island ferry, and you feel the disparity between Shield's refusing-to-grow-up character and her ordinary, grown-up old friend.
Downey's best moments are when he tries to pick up Mike Tyson and when he tries to pick up one of the high school students, reprising his character in Wonder Boys. It's too bad Hollywood has an insurance clause against him now, because everything he does is exceedingly knowing.
The flattest moments are the James Tolback Obligatory Sex In Central Park scene, apparently a rehearsal for an identical one in this year's "When will I be loved?", and in the contrived Typical Banker's Family Dinner with the Sullenly Rebellious Daughter While The Manservant Ladles the Soup. Please. We know Tolback has a lot of celebrity friends; they're all in his movies. I doubt he has met a single real banker in his life.
Also we are treated to the same flaw which is in Black and White, namely the highly implausible plot devices that tie all of the characters together, wherever they live in the movie and whatever their social strata. He is a big buyer of the Deus Ex Machina.
He's also a big buyer of improvisation. In the DVD he says almost all the films are improvised except the one where Claudia Schiffer impersonates what one critic called "the world's most unlikely graduate student", and another called "a surprisingly believable turn as a faithless brainiac". Whatever. She looks hot for the most part except towards the end where they're one outdoor shot in a riverside park where her lips just look too big and she looks like a squeaky and insufficiently made-up skinny yin-yang. What can you do. Her funniest moment was the split second sitting next to and conversing with Robert Downey Jr. when he turns to compare perfume notes with the young man sitting next to him, and she figures out she's no longer the center of attention and suddenly gets up and walks away. Her least likely moment is when she is about to have sex in a bathroom with her boyfriend's best friend. Not that the premise is unlikely: She is just too Teutonic and awkward beneath all that prettiness to look like she's about to tongue-wrestle with a big sweaty gangster. (Much more believable is the news story about her I read the other day where she is applying to private schools for her unborn child.)
Tolback cast himself as Tolback pretty much, as usual. If you're the director, why not throw yourself a cameo? It's just a stone's throw from there to writing in a sex scene with the lead actress, but if he did that he'd have to write himself a lead part and then he'd be Vincent Gallo, but he's not, he's more of a voyeur; enough to write those Central Park scenes and shoot them in closeup with full improvisatory rein given to the actors. Let them really get into the moment, keep the cameras rolling.
Am I boring you with this review? Is it running on a little long? Does it seem a little disconnected?
If you think this is bad, go see the movie.
THEY SHOULD PAY YOU TO SIT THROUGH IT....
kd4soccer2 January 2002
I rented this title because I saw Elijah Wood was casted in it, my favorite actor. Make a notation that I use the word "title" rather than movie because it isn't deserving enough to be called that.
From the very beginning to the very end it was nothing but a major disappointment. I had no idea that Wood would even be in a movie so bad. I never even knew a movie that he was in could be bad! He had very little lines, and was the only decent character in it.
As for the film... IT HAD ABSOLUTELY NO PLOT!! None at all. There was no major internal conflict, or external for that matter.(Well at least that the movie was based on, just small disagreements). Everyone in this film played a static character, making no change within the movie. It starts off with white kids wishing they were black, and ends the same way. Many small plot strands were thrown together to make a meaningless, unsubstantial, stupid film. It was thought out like something a 5 year old could do, that is, a 5 year old with a terribly sick mind. Even if there was a plot there was too much swearing and cheap sex (which pertained to nothing at all in the movie) to even get a message across. I would rate this movie a perfect 1 on a scale from 1-10. And I think many would agree.
These white kids were not "hip-hop culture", they were a bunch of winey teenage posers who couldn't see how good they had it, middle class suburbs, so they stooped down a level where they had their own fantasy world of being black and from the ghetto, which they weren't either.
As for the "rappers" in the movie, their parts were thrown in for nothing. They did nothing accept waste time on the screen. Maybe (that's a BIG maybe) if as much thought went into emphasizing the the white kids (whom I thought it was about) the movie could have been semidesent.
The last 2 minutes of the film were the worst. It ended with an unpredictible twist that in no way pertained to anything that was seen during the other 97.
From the very beginning to the very end it was nothing but a major disappointment. I had no idea that Wood would even be in a movie so bad. I never even knew a movie that he was in could be bad! He had very little lines, and was the only decent character in it.
As for the film... IT HAD ABSOLUTELY NO PLOT!! None at all. There was no major internal conflict, or external for that matter.(Well at least that the movie was based on, just small disagreements). Everyone in this film played a static character, making no change within the movie. It starts off with white kids wishing they were black, and ends the same way. Many small plot strands were thrown together to make a meaningless, unsubstantial, stupid film. It was thought out like something a 5 year old could do, that is, a 5 year old with a terribly sick mind. Even if there was a plot there was too much swearing and cheap sex (which pertained to nothing at all in the movie) to even get a message across. I would rate this movie a perfect 1 on a scale from 1-10. And I think many would agree.
These white kids were not "hip-hop culture", they were a bunch of winey teenage posers who couldn't see how good they had it, middle class suburbs, so they stooped down a level where they had their own fantasy world of being black and from the ghetto, which they weren't either.
As for the "rappers" in the movie, their parts were thrown in for nothing. They did nothing accept waste time on the screen. Maybe (that's a BIG maybe) if as much thought went into emphasizing the the white kids (whom I thought it was about) the movie could have been semidesent.
The last 2 minutes of the film were the worst. It ended with an unpredictible twist that in no way pertained to anything that was seen during the other 97.
Black, White and crap
mario10zeus13 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
The idea of the movie sounds interesting, white kids who imitate black hip-hop culture, but that's it. Toback is a 60 year old man who doesn't anything about the youth at the time this movie was made, and was simply trying to cash in on the hip hop craze. With the help of Wu-Tang clan. We have a series of vignettes ,where these characters interact. Few scenes are memorable like Robert Downey trying to pick up Mike Tyson or Claudia Schiffer's ramblings. But many parts have simply to much holes in the plot,..oh wait, there is no plot, just htese vignettes.
This movie is racist. Blacks are all thugs, rapper, who want to have sex with white women and smoke weed. All whites are losers, posers and have no personality. There are no Hispanic nor Asian characters, even though it's supposed to be New York. They are no Black females either. Kidada Jones plays Power's love interest, but her character seemed Puerto-Rican to me, and in real life she is biracial. The threesome in the park seemed odd,..who the f*** has sex in Central Park in broad daylight? Can't they go to a motel room? Power is supposed to have money. I'm not from New York, I'm from Miami and the only public place I know people have sex at is a beach at night, but Central Park? Is Claudia Schiffer's character a psycho? she gets her boyfriend killed by his best buddy, whom she later hooks up with. She is evil incarnate. What would she find in Ben Stiller? She is several inches taller. and even her character is a feminist, she ends up with Mike Tyson?
Rent this movie only to make fun of the idiocy of Toback, and the stereotypes.
This movie is racist. Blacks are all thugs, rapper, who want to have sex with white women and smoke weed. All whites are losers, posers and have no personality. There are no Hispanic nor Asian characters, even though it's supposed to be New York. They are no Black females either. Kidada Jones plays Power's love interest, but her character seemed Puerto-Rican to me, and in real life she is biracial. The threesome in the park seemed odd,..who the f*** has sex in Central Park in broad daylight? Can't they go to a motel room? Power is supposed to have money. I'm not from New York, I'm from Miami and the only public place I know people have sex at is a beach at night, but Central Park? Is Claudia Schiffer's character a psycho? she gets her boyfriend killed by his best buddy, whom she later hooks up with. She is evil incarnate. What would she find in Ben Stiller? She is several inches taller. and even her character is a feminist, she ends up with Mike Tyson?
Rent this movie only to make fun of the idiocy of Toback, and the stereotypes.
Black and White and hard to watch
KGitt4449816 August 2003
I like a few of the actors from other movies, and had heard Eberts's positive review (especially about Robert Downey Jr, & Mike Tyson's part) so I decided to watch Black and White.
This movie now sits in the bottom of the barrel of bad movies I've seen, next to Armageddon, Lost and Delirious, and a few others.
I've never seen Brooke Shields look worse - dreadlocks and a nose-ring...I understand it is not a movie about her or her looks, but still, her dialogue ("Let us share your life!" or whatever - I'm trying to forget the movie) was just weak. Also, for some reason, that tiny camera she carried did not convince me of her documentarian prowess...
Robert Downey Jr was kind of interesting as Brooke's gay husband, and his brief scene with Mike Tyson was kind of funny, but that did not make up for the rest of the movie.
Claudia Shiffer was pretty good, although her character sucked, as did all the others.
I had no interest in the characters or the lifestyle that was portrayed.
The commentary by James Toback was just as hard to listen to as the movie was to watch. He seemed to be on tranquilizers, mumbled frequently, and thinks himself great.
1 star, only for Robert Downey Jr & Mike Tyson. Can you decipher my vernacular?
This movie now sits in the bottom of the barrel of bad movies I've seen, next to Armageddon, Lost and Delirious, and a few others.
I've never seen Brooke Shields look worse - dreadlocks and a nose-ring...I understand it is not a movie about her or her looks, but still, her dialogue ("Let us share your life!" or whatever - I'm trying to forget the movie) was just weak. Also, for some reason, that tiny camera she carried did not convince me of her documentarian prowess...
Robert Downey Jr was kind of interesting as Brooke's gay husband, and his brief scene with Mike Tyson was kind of funny, but that did not make up for the rest of the movie.
Claudia Shiffer was pretty good, although her character sucked, as did all the others.
I had no interest in the characters or the lifestyle that was portrayed.
The commentary by James Toback was just as hard to listen to as the movie was to watch. He seemed to be on tranquilizers, mumbled frequently, and thinks himself great.
1 star, only for Robert Downey Jr & Mike Tyson. Can you decipher my vernacular?
so many parts, but they make up a pretty good whole
Quinoa198427 January 2010
Black and White came and went from theaters in 2000, but my chance to see it came and I took it without really knowing anything about it save for some of its actors (Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr, Jared Leto, Claudia Schiffer) and that it was a drama set in the world of hip-hop and sports. Now, having seen more of James Toback's films, I can look back at this film a little more fondly or with more of a knowledge of Toback's other films in context, than I did before. There's some solid performances (mostly by Downey and a rather subdued Stiller as a drug agent), and some memorable scenes and characters. If there's one memory about the film that sticks out though it's that it's a little all-over-the-place, which is a common thing in Toback's films. The structure is like that of a sketch-book where we see a lot of Toback's ideas and passions on the world of hip-hop and (especially) on sports and gambling, but only some of the time sticks (I also remember not having much of an opinion at all about Schiffer except as being pretty and out of place even as a girlfriend character). But it does have some interesting things to say, and there are some entertaining moments and solid dramatic beats (and it has Tyson doing a choke on Downey Jr, which is worth the price of the DVD alone).
Crap, could have been a much better movie.
Alexander_seth200011 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I am not sure what this movie was trying to portray, whether it was white kids wanting to act black, or life stories of black hip hop artists/basketball players living in new york. If it was trying to display both it made a total mess of it.
No story in the film was shown in depth, out of the all star cast only Brooke shields, Robert Downey Jr and Mike Tyson shone. Nice to see Claudia Schieffer on screen, she can act but her part in this film is awful. I became bored from listening to one constant hip hop song after another as well as the black rapper actors speaking in an unintelligible language which made the film even more confusing then it was before. The only highlights of the film for me was Robert Downey Jr confessing to his wife he is gay at the end, and Mike Tyson giving advice to a young rapper (he doesn't just box!) Anyways in my opinion, terrible, but if you got time to waste then perhaps watch it.
No story in the film was shown in depth, out of the all star cast only Brooke shields, Robert Downey Jr and Mike Tyson shone. Nice to see Claudia Schieffer on screen, she can act but her part in this film is awful. I became bored from listening to one constant hip hop song after another as well as the black rapper actors speaking in an unintelligible language which made the film even more confusing then it was before. The only highlights of the film for me was Robert Downey Jr confessing to his wife he is gay at the end, and Mike Tyson giving advice to a young rapper (he doesn't just box!) Anyways in my opinion, terrible, but if you got time to waste then perhaps watch it.
Although the characters might be, the plot is anything but black and white
Sensation21 October 2000
This film captures racial angst in a way that few films have ever done before. Instead of black people or white people being the central antagonist, we see the debate over young white people's assimilation of the black culture fuel the plot. While some comparisons are taken to radical extremes (Charlie's father's near British accent to represent the aristocratic white male), the overall message is clear, and presented in a way so the viewer can related to specific characters, instead of having their individual emotions being tugged in the same directions as the rest of the audience in a near biblical example of self sacrifice or victory after the tragedy (see Remember the Titans, Malcom X, The Hurricane, or most other racially charged films). Put simply, Black and White is filled with so many characters and personalities, if one cannot connect with at least one of them then that person must have a hard time watching any movies at all.
BORING
kfurnas8 April 2000
"Black and White" breaks nearly all of the rules of a traditional movie.
There is essentially no plot, only a set of circumstances. There are no central characters - instead there are about a dozen characters of equal importance. Of those dozen characters, none are protagonists and all are highly flawed individuals. The movie has the most conversational dialogue of any movie this year.
It's also probably the most boring movie of the year.
"Black and White" takes a glance at race relations between young blacks, and young whites who try to imitate them. But that's really all it takes - a glance. The rest of the movie uses tired stereotypes to try to poke fun at cultural differences. The movie is highly unsuccessful either as a drama or a comedy, however, and would really only have worked as a true to life documentary. (As a subplot, one of the characters in the movie - a movie maker played by Brooke Shields - is making a documentary about white youth imitating black culture.)
However, knowing that every line in this movie was scripted and acted defeats any type of message the movie was trying to make. It's unfortunate to say the movie could have benefited from more of a Hollywood feel, but it at least should have had a similar formula.
Additionally, the movie makes extremely poor use of some high name talent. Elijah Wood, Brooke Shields, Robert Downey Jr., Ben Stiller and Claudia Schiffer all come away with weak performances - mostly because of weakly written characters. Maybe the most entertaining performance is by Mike Tyson, who plays himself and, for the most part, is pretty true to life. He doesn't make himself out to be a hero, which goes a little ways in helping the credibility in the film.
It's unfortunate that with such a volatile theme, the script of "Black and White" could become such a dud. Nevertheless, there is no entertainment value to this film, and even less of a lesson to be learned.
There is essentially no plot, only a set of circumstances. There are no central characters - instead there are about a dozen characters of equal importance. Of those dozen characters, none are protagonists and all are highly flawed individuals. The movie has the most conversational dialogue of any movie this year.
It's also probably the most boring movie of the year.
"Black and White" takes a glance at race relations between young blacks, and young whites who try to imitate them. But that's really all it takes - a glance. The rest of the movie uses tired stereotypes to try to poke fun at cultural differences. The movie is highly unsuccessful either as a drama or a comedy, however, and would really only have worked as a true to life documentary. (As a subplot, one of the characters in the movie - a movie maker played by Brooke Shields - is making a documentary about white youth imitating black culture.)
However, knowing that every line in this movie was scripted and acted defeats any type of message the movie was trying to make. It's unfortunate to say the movie could have benefited from more of a Hollywood feel, but it at least should have had a similar formula.
Additionally, the movie makes extremely poor use of some high name talent. Elijah Wood, Brooke Shields, Robert Downey Jr., Ben Stiller and Claudia Schiffer all come away with weak performances - mostly because of weakly written characters. Maybe the most entertaining performance is by Mike Tyson, who plays himself and, for the most part, is pretty true to life. He doesn't make himself out to be a hero, which goes a little ways in helping the credibility in the film.
It's unfortunate that with such a volatile theme, the script of "Black and White" could become such a dud. Nevertheless, there is no entertainment value to this film, and even less of a lesson to be learned.
future cult classic ??
frantz214 August 2007
For a film about young people it developed slowly even tortuously. It had a number of strands Privileged white kids slumming it ,sometime dangerously People starting out with the wrong people for the wrong reasons People ending up with the right people for the right reasons The violent world of hip hop capitalism Manipulative revenge Parental /child relationships
Ad that to great performances from ;
Robert Downey Jr. Joe Pantoliano Brooke Shields Ben Stiller
Great cameo from Mike Tyson
Plenty of rappers being themselves ( rakweon and method man )
Claudia Schiffer she actually can act
Many younger actors William Lee Scott, Bijou Phillips, Elijah Wood, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Gaby Hoffmann
This will be a classic like juice
Ad that to great performances from ;
Robert Downey Jr. Joe Pantoliano Brooke Shields Ben Stiller
Great cameo from Mike Tyson
Plenty of rappers being themselves ( rakweon and method man )
Claudia Schiffer she actually can act
Many younger actors William Lee Scott, Bijou Phillips, Elijah Wood, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Gaby Hoffmann
This will be a classic like juice
For Serious Toback Fans Only
cadmandu13 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
A white woman and her gay (sic) husband are making a documentary about white high school kids who hang with and emulate black people. There are several sub plots, one involving a basketball player who is offered a bribe to throw a game, but it's not clear if there is actually an overall plot to which the rest can be sub.
James Toback is a well respected indie writer/producer/director, and he got a stellar and eclectic cast to work in this film. There's Robert Downey, Brooke Shields, Elijah Woods (in probably the only serious role he's ever had), Claudia Schiffer (speaking flawless Americanese), Mike Tyson (worth seeing just for the novelty), Joe Pantaleone, Ben Stiller, and some folks who are probably famous rappers but I am not acquainted with that world.
What happens when you put this wildly inconsistent cast on a film that has a very loose plot and a kind of cinema (quasi-)verite style (shot with steady-cam) it's a little like watching an ice hockey game in which all the players are chess masters -- it sure is strange. I didn't say bad, or uninteresting, or unworthy -- just strange! Mike Tyson playing himself in this film is about what you'd expect -- shallow, unreliable, and self-absorbed, like any ex-con you'll ever meet. Elijah Woods gets what amounts to a cameo of no substance. Robert Downey Jr. does a clichéd gay man, and I couldn't help but think he looked very worried what his friends would think about it. Claudia Schiffer absolutely cannot act, but fortunately she gets to play a woman who is twisted and obscure anyway. Putting her in this film was a poor choice, but casting Ben Stiller as a NYPD detective and Claudia's ex! has to be the casting blunder of all time.
So this is not your ordinary flick, but if you're up for something different you might enjoy it. Fans of James Toback will no doubt enjoy it for its subtler fine points, but I think most people will just be baffled by all the noise.
James Toback is a well respected indie writer/producer/director, and he got a stellar and eclectic cast to work in this film. There's Robert Downey, Brooke Shields, Elijah Woods (in probably the only serious role he's ever had), Claudia Schiffer (speaking flawless Americanese), Mike Tyson (worth seeing just for the novelty), Joe Pantaleone, Ben Stiller, and some folks who are probably famous rappers but I am not acquainted with that world.
What happens when you put this wildly inconsistent cast on a film that has a very loose plot and a kind of cinema (quasi-)verite style (shot with steady-cam) it's a little like watching an ice hockey game in which all the players are chess masters -- it sure is strange. I didn't say bad, or uninteresting, or unworthy -- just strange! Mike Tyson playing himself in this film is about what you'd expect -- shallow, unreliable, and self-absorbed, like any ex-con you'll ever meet. Elijah Woods gets what amounts to a cameo of no substance. Robert Downey Jr. does a clichéd gay man, and I couldn't help but think he looked very worried what his friends would think about it. Claudia Schiffer absolutely cannot act, but fortunately she gets to play a woman who is twisted and obscure anyway. Putting her in this film was a poor choice, but casting Ben Stiller as a NYPD detective and Claudia's ex! has to be the casting blunder of all time.
So this is not your ordinary flick, but if you're up for something different you might enjoy it. Fans of James Toback will no doubt enjoy it for its subtler fine points, but I think most people will just be baffled by all the noise.
In an alternate universe all white men are weak and gay
realitymatrix00123 April 2014
So, in an alternate universe, where all white men are gay, weak and flimsy, we have "black and white". And this title is descriptive of its portrayals.
Total extremist garbage that manages to be racist on multiple levels, depicting white males as weak, sniveling sycophants and black men as powerful, desirable specimens that all white women want to do the deed with because their white husbands are just nowhere near as amazing as the black men.
Premeditated filth intended to soothe racial relations but managing to twist them out of proportion.
Of note is the fact that the only 'manl'y white guys depicted here are the ones who try to "act black".
Incredibly ridiculous and not worth your time.
Total extremist garbage that manages to be racist on multiple levels, depicting white males as weak, sniveling sycophants and black men as powerful, desirable specimens that all white women want to do the deed with because their white husbands are just nowhere near as amazing as the black men.
Premeditated filth intended to soothe racial relations but managing to twist them out of proportion.
Of note is the fact that the only 'manl'y white guys depicted here are the ones who try to "act black".
Incredibly ridiculous and not worth your time.
What a frustrating movie!
Infofreak22 July 2002
I always find the idea of improvised (or semi-improvised) film making an interesting one, even if the results themselves are disappointing, and very rarely work (exceptions being some of the movies of Christopher Guest and Abel Ferrara). It's a risky idea because it's a true test of an actors talent. Some succeed and some fall flat on their faces. 'Black and White' is a perfect example of this, for every interesting moment involving say Ben Stiller, or yes, Mike Tyson, there's way too many dull and rambling scenes that go nowhere (come on down Brooke Shields and Bijou Phillips). What makes this movie even more frustrating is James Toback is obviously aiming for a BIG STATEMENT regarding race relations in contemporary America, yet the movie is so superficial and confused it ultimately says nothing much. Toback is a maddingly uneven film maker, but he is responsible for one of my all time favourite movies, the sadly underrated 'Fingers', so I usually give him the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately 'Black and White' is a missed opportunity and has very little to recommend it. I suppose Toback deserves some credit for at least attempting to do something other than mainstream Hollywood dreck, but ultimately a crappy movie is still a crappy movie, no matter how good the intentions.
A Too Much Verbal Movie With An Empty Message
claudio_carvalho29 August 2003
On one side (black), a group of black gangsters that spend time doping, having intercourses with white rich girls and threatening the neighborhood, trying to become rappers. On the other side (white), a group of ridiculous white rich boys and girls that spend time doping, having intercourses with black men, having classes with a gay blonde colored hair teacher or fighting with their own families. A filmmaker and her ridiculous gay husband interested in filming these two groups. Obs.: poor Robert Downey Jr., is this a condition for his parole, or is he doing drugs again? An outstanding actor like him making again this gay role! At least, `One Night Stand' is a great movie. Last, but no less ridiculous, a corrupt white cop and
Mike Tyson, as a `guest star', giving lessons of life behavior. Put all of these characters blended together with a lot of stereotypes and we will have a too much verbal movie with an empty message in the end. Screenwriter and director James Toback should rent some Spike Lee movies and try to learn how to make a good movie about the Afro-Americans and their communities. What was his intention? A drama, comedy, or what? To complete this mess, he could have finished this flick with a clip of Hair's song `Black Boys, White Boys'. My vote is four.
Talking loud . . . saying nothing
Ysman10 April 2000
James Tobak's recent efforts have been mildly amusing at best. Two Girls and a Guy was a somewhat interesting look at a infidelity in a MTV Real World type atmosphere that eventually led nowhere. Black and White is a severe step down from Two Girls and a Guy. Staying in the same vein of taking an interesting topic and going nowhere with it, Black and White tries to do too much with too little. The idea of white kids emulating black culture is indeed a film worthy topic however Tobak feels the need to couple this with illegal sports gambling, police corruption, breaking into the rap business, homosexuality, and topped off with some gangsters thrown in for flavoring. The audience is thrown back and forth between intermingling sub plots while the film never develops a single character or plot line fully. The result is not a confusing film but a boring one. Like Kevin Smith's Dogma, Toback tries to pass off tired, obvious ideas as new and inventive thoughts on his subject matter. Even this would not have been to big a flaw if he had just followed through, however nothing is resolved. It is truly unfortunate that another interesting topic has been wasted in yet another mediocre film. Even when Toback tries to shock the audience with explicit sex scenes and with ridiculous, meaningless characters like Mike Tyson, Brooke Shields, and Robert Downey Jr, they just magnify the eventual tiresome result.
...and grey all over
-8814 December 2000
It's like a millennial "Zabriskie Point": the characters take turns making skin-deep observations about youth today in "conversations" that are all exposition and nothing else. They may as well address the camera directly. There are no heroes here, but the whites come across the worst: there's a sycophantic documentarian and her predatory homosexual husband, a hired murderer who will do anything to fit in with the black rap crowd, an unbalanced detective whose game is entrapment and blackmail, his cold-blooded ex-girlfriend (an intellectual who begins one conversation by saying, "Did you know that Paleolithic women...?"), a crooked, publicity-hungry D. A., a band of slick Italian stereotypes, and so on. Street life is idealized here as being somehow more virtuous, and the blacks in the film are more self-aware and honest, but the message inadvertantly sent is not flattering to anyone, and no real issues are explored. It would be harmless enough if it didn't pretend to such gravity; it's offensive as is. 1/10
um...what?
ekeckert8321 March 2004
Warning: Spoilers
I rented this movie because I am a big fan of Elijah Wood. And I must say I was disappointed. Wood was probably the only positive thing about this movie. The plot was disconnected and hard to follow, the characters were boring, and the movie overall was a bomb. And Brooke Shields, trying to act like she was interested in hip-hop? Ow. That one in itself was hard to wrap my brain around.
What was the point of this movie?
Spoiler: Watching Shields and Wood make out during the end credits was about as awkward as you could possibly imagine. They didn't fit. It was one of the most forced-looking movie kisses I have ever seen.
What was the point of this movie?
Spoiler: Watching Shields and Wood make out during the end credits was about as awkward as you could possibly imagine. They didn't fit. It was one of the most forced-looking movie kisses I have ever seen.
Not worth the rental
minnow-627 July 2000
"Black and White" * B&W is a not-very-good buddy/cop movie. Gina Gershon is Hugs (Nora Hugosian). She's the best cop in all of LA and she has a new partner Chris O'Brien (Rory Cochrane). There is a serial killer on the loose and it looks like Hugs might be the killer. Or, is someone trying to frame her? Poor Chris, he's confused. He's a good Catholic but Hugs wants to have sex with him at every turn. He wants to be a good cop but his partner both in the patrol car and in bed might be a killer. What's guy to do? Throw in couple of Hugs' previous lovers and a couple secrets from the past and you have a bad movie. The acting's not so good either. That is, with the exception of Gina Gershon playing a straight woman and acting in some really hot bedroom scenes with the rookie. Not worth the rental.
Black and White, Indeed
great_sphinx_4215 April 2000
Very interesting. Essentially a study of how a group of white city kids want to be part of the hip-hop/rap culture, and- more so- how they are both full of nasty characters. Neither whites nor blacks are demonized; it is simply a study of the interaction of these two groups. Stars Robert Downey, Jr., Brooke Shields, Bijou Phillips, Elijah Wood, Gaby Hoffman, Ben Stiller, most of the Wu-Tang Clan, Claudia Schiffer, Mike Tyson, Jared Leto and a way cute black guy I've never seen before. You may have to drive a while to see it, depending on where you live. I was suprised that I happened to find it in a theater so close to my home. I went with a guy friend. There was only 4 people in the audience. Us, and a couple- a black man and a white woman. Nice folks, and somehow fitting companions for us during this movie-watching experience.
The movie starts out with a threesome in the woods- Bijou, another girl, and Power from the Clan. This scene- edited differently- initially got the film slapped with an NC-17. They had to edit it 3 times to get an R- barely. In other words, don't bring the kiddies. Another guy is watching, and it's one of the more explicit sex scenes I've seen in a commerical movie, even with clothes on. There's also a lot of cussing and rap music, a murder, general nastiness and some drug use. These things don't bother me, but if you're disturbed by that sort of thing- beware. For those, like me, who are only disturbed by off-putting portrayals of a certain culture that almost inevitably come off as fake, there's no need to worry. One great thing about having many of the roles played by actual black musicians who know that whole situation is that it feels quite authentic. I didn't flinch once at a phony-sounding attempt at ebonics. There were not any, so far as I could tell. But then, I'm a white girl from New Jersey, so what do I know?
Brooke is a film-maker doing a documentary about white kids into black culture. Downey, Jr. plays her gay husband. Bijou, Elijah and Gaby are among the kids she's following with her digital camera. The Wu-Tang Clan members play guys who are musicians by day and gangstas by night. The cute black guy is their friend, a basketball player dating Claudia Shiffer's character- an anthropology student named Greta. She's also the ex of Ben Stiller's character, Mark, who is a detective. In a way, she's the one who sets off a rather tragic chain of events. Tyson is another friend of theirs, a guru for the others who dispenses advice while wryly noting that he has no business doing so.
Basically, the plot is this: Brooke and Robert are following the kids, who introduce them into their world. Mark bribes the cute black guy to throw a game for 50,000 dollars. He does it, but as I said Mark's a cop. He's not actually after the guy though- he wants his friend, the character Power plays, and the cute black guy is left with a choice- rat out his friend or go to prison. The cute black guy confesses all this to Greta, who tells Power's character about his friend's betrayal because she has the hots for him. Power's character arranges for a hit on the basketball player. He enlists a white kid, who is the older brother of Elijah's character and the son of a very prominent NY judge, to do it. Mark takes pictures of the kid running from the crime scene, which he then uses to try and bribe the kid's dad into dropping a case being brought before him which would get Mark into major trouble. Meanwhile, there is some nastiness going on because a group of white club-owners have moved onto Power's turf. Some wind up happy, and some do not. While this is the plot, it's not necessarily the point. It's a compelling look at the honor systems in two different cultures.
All the actors are great. Well, except for Ben. I like him, but he's basically doing his twitchy Ben Stiller routine and it seems to belong in a different film. Brooke and Robert handle their characters quite capably. They and their camera don't bear witness to the more serious events in the movie, BTW. Robert is always terrific. Brooke seems to be reinventing herself as an indie pic queen. Good for her- she's done well so far with it. Bijou is absolutely perfect, and Elijah and Gaby are also quite good. All the Wu-Tang members fulfill their roles, as does Tyson. Claudia does nothing wrong, it's just impossible to look at her and think of her as an actress. She could be standing in a homeless shelter, and you'd go "Wow, look at that German supermodel!" Actually, her character is perhaps the sickest of the bunch- a power-leech devoid of remorse and clinically cold about any human relations she has.
I'm still not sure if I really liked it or not. It certainly held my attention. I think you just sort of form your own opinion. Nothing is shoved down your throat or said outright- and considering how much is said subliminally, that's remarkable.
The movie starts out with a threesome in the woods- Bijou, another girl, and Power from the Clan. This scene- edited differently- initially got the film slapped with an NC-17. They had to edit it 3 times to get an R- barely. In other words, don't bring the kiddies. Another guy is watching, and it's one of the more explicit sex scenes I've seen in a commerical movie, even with clothes on. There's also a lot of cussing and rap music, a murder, general nastiness and some drug use. These things don't bother me, but if you're disturbed by that sort of thing- beware. For those, like me, who are only disturbed by off-putting portrayals of a certain culture that almost inevitably come off as fake, there's no need to worry. One great thing about having many of the roles played by actual black musicians who know that whole situation is that it feels quite authentic. I didn't flinch once at a phony-sounding attempt at ebonics. There were not any, so far as I could tell. But then, I'm a white girl from New Jersey, so what do I know?
Brooke is a film-maker doing a documentary about white kids into black culture. Downey, Jr. plays her gay husband. Bijou, Elijah and Gaby are among the kids she's following with her digital camera. The Wu-Tang Clan members play guys who are musicians by day and gangstas by night. The cute black guy is their friend, a basketball player dating Claudia Shiffer's character- an anthropology student named Greta. She's also the ex of Ben Stiller's character, Mark, who is a detective. In a way, she's the one who sets off a rather tragic chain of events. Tyson is another friend of theirs, a guru for the others who dispenses advice while wryly noting that he has no business doing so.
Basically, the plot is this: Brooke and Robert are following the kids, who introduce them into their world. Mark bribes the cute black guy to throw a game for 50,000 dollars. He does it, but as I said Mark's a cop. He's not actually after the guy though- he wants his friend, the character Power plays, and the cute black guy is left with a choice- rat out his friend or go to prison. The cute black guy confesses all this to Greta, who tells Power's character about his friend's betrayal because she has the hots for him. Power's character arranges for a hit on the basketball player. He enlists a white kid, who is the older brother of Elijah's character and the son of a very prominent NY judge, to do it. Mark takes pictures of the kid running from the crime scene, which he then uses to try and bribe the kid's dad into dropping a case being brought before him which would get Mark into major trouble. Meanwhile, there is some nastiness going on because a group of white club-owners have moved onto Power's turf. Some wind up happy, and some do not. While this is the plot, it's not necessarily the point. It's a compelling look at the honor systems in two different cultures.
All the actors are great. Well, except for Ben. I like him, but he's basically doing his twitchy Ben Stiller routine and it seems to belong in a different film. Brooke and Robert handle their characters quite capably. They and their camera don't bear witness to the more serious events in the movie, BTW. Robert is always terrific. Brooke seems to be reinventing herself as an indie pic queen. Good for her- she's done well so far with it. Bijou is absolutely perfect, and Elijah and Gaby are also quite good. All the Wu-Tang members fulfill their roles, as does Tyson. Claudia does nothing wrong, it's just impossible to look at her and think of her as an actress. She could be standing in a homeless shelter, and you'd go "Wow, look at that German supermodel!" Actually, her character is perhaps the sickest of the bunch- a power-leech devoid of remorse and clinically cold about any human relations she has.
I'm still not sure if I really liked it or not. It certainly held my attention. I think you just sort of form your own opinion. Nothing is shoved down your throat or said outright- and considering how much is said subliminally, that's remarkable.
This is not a good movie
Madde-230 September 2000
I remembered hearing some fuss about this film some time ago when it was (briefly) in some theaters. So, I got sucked in an picked it up tonight on DVD.
Most of my feelings on this particular movie can be summed up by mentioning something that James Toback said during the 5 minute featurette on the disc. He seems to think his lack of direction and allowing for improv during the film's controversial opening sequence somehow makes him a great filmmaker.
And while he is right, you can't reasonably direct every move during a 3 way love scene in Central Park, but his lack of direction during the rest of the movie does, in my opinion, not work in its favor.
Clearly the script for Black & White was about ten pages long and this could help explain why it makes no sense whatsoever and says absolutly nothing, other than the fact that it's really easy to exploit racial stereotypes and degrade women.
This movie doesn't know if it is a documentary on black and white interaction or a murder mystery and seeming as how it is billed as a movie that takes on the issue of white kids trying to act "black" then it might have been better to spend a little more time dealing with that as a serious subject.
There are a lot of interesting ideas presented here, but the format, bad acting, and lack of function detract from the pursuit of them all. Instead of making a movie about a documentary perhaps Toback just should have seriously made the documentary. Now that would have been some interesting entertainment.
Most of my feelings on this particular movie can be summed up by mentioning something that James Toback said during the 5 minute featurette on the disc. He seems to think his lack of direction and allowing for improv during the film's controversial opening sequence somehow makes him a great filmmaker.
And while he is right, you can't reasonably direct every move during a 3 way love scene in Central Park, but his lack of direction during the rest of the movie does, in my opinion, not work in its favor.
Clearly the script for Black & White was about ten pages long and this could help explain why it makes no sense whatsoever and says absolutly nothing, other than the fact that it's really easy to exploit racial stereotypes and degrade women.
This movie doesn't know if it is a documentary on black and white interaction or a murder mystery and seeming as how it is billed as a movie that takes on the issue of white kids trying to act "black" then it might have been better to spend a little more time dealing with that as a serious subject.
There are a lot of interesting ideas presented here, but the format, bad acting, and lack of function detract from the pursuit of them all. Instead of making a movie about a documentary perhaps Toback just should have seriously made the documentary. Now that would have been some interesting entertainment.
sublimely amateurish
negeati7 April 2000
"Black and White" is a very interesting movie. Though made by a professional director, it looks very amateurish. Some supposedly continuous scenes are so badly edited that it is distracting. Let me give an example: two seated guys talk, one of them gets up, continuing talking, a second later, he's back in front the other guy, like nothing had happened. However, as odd as it seems, it is not a flaw, but a strong point. It is quite refreshing.
The plot is muddy and murky, but it is also fascinating. The lives of several young men and women, of both colours, come together. What makes it fascinating is that those lives are quite intriguing.
The performances are uneven, yet all of them deserve attention. Brooke Shields is capable in one of her best roles. Frankly I enjoyed seeing her with a serious face, after playing her ditzy role as Susan (from TV's "Suddenly Susan"). I would have also liked to see her crying some more after her husband leaves her. Ben Stiller is unfortunately very bland and boring as former gambler/ now policeman. He never managed to impress me. Claudia Schiffer does a far better job than Ben. Though a professional model, not an actress (her first and other performance was as Macauley Culkin's gym instructor in "Richie Rich"), she is perfect. She would do great things in movies if she would follow an acting career. Jared Leto has quite a fabulous cameo. The supporting cast is also very good.
The real gem of the movie is Robert Downey Jr. He is wonderful as Shields' gay husband. Everyone sees that he is gay, except his wife. And in order to make her realize, he almost becomes a stereotype, but he never goes to far. He wears a colourful synthetic fur coat, he is a little effeminate and he hits on men. The most enjoyable scene of movie is when he tries to hit on Mike Tyson. "I had a dream and you were in it, and you were holding me". Tyson reacts in the most hilarious way, and tries to strangle him. But when I think back at it, I remember that this scene has not been scripted, which leads to the conclusion that Tyson is truly homophobic. Another very delightful scene is when Robert tries to hit on Jared Leto. You can really feel the sparks flying around.
The movie also contains a lot of gratuitous nudity and coarse language. While the language no longer shocks me, some nude shots are useless. There is one which lasts for two seconds, and it has no connection to the movie whatsoever.
But this is a thoroughly riveting experience, and I recommend it to everyone over 18. I had to show my driver's license for the first time ever, though I am way over 18, and it was not my first R-rated movie.
7/10.
The plot is muddy and murky, but it is also fascinating. The lives of several young men and women, of both colours, come together. What makes it fascinating is that those lives are quite intriguing.
The performances are uneven, yet all of them deserve attention. Brooke Shields is capable in one of her best roles. Frankly I enjoyed seeing her with a serious face, after playing her ditzy role as Susan (from TV's "Suddenly Susan"). I would have also liked to see her crying some more after her husband leaves her. Ben Stiller is unfortunately very bland and boring as former gambler/ now policeman. He never managed to impress me. Claudia Schiffer does a far better job than Ben. Though a professional model, not an actress (her first and other performance was as Macauley Culkin's gym instructor in "Richie Rich"), she is perfect. She would do great things in movies if she would follow an acting career. Jared Leto has quite a fabulous cameo. The supporting cast is also very good.
The real gem of the movie is Robert Downey Jr. He is wonderful as Shields' gay husband. Everyone sees that he is gay, except his wife. And in order to make her realize, he almost becomes a stereotype, but he never goes to far. He wears a colourful synthetic fur coat, he is a little effeminate and he hits on men. The most enjoyable scene of movie is when he tries to hit on Mike Tyson. "I had a dream and you were in it, and you were holding me". Tyson reacts in the most hilarious way, and tries to strangle him. But when I think back at it, I remember that this scene has not been scripted, which leads to the conclusion that Tyson is truly homophobic. Another very delightful scene is when Robert tries to hit on Jared Leto. You can really feel the sparks flying around.
The movie also contains a lot of gratuitous nudity and coarse language. While the language no longer shocks me, some nude shots are useless. There is one which lasts for two seconds, and it has no connection to the movie whatsoever.
But this is a thoroughly riveting experience, and I recommend it to everyone over 18. I had to show my driver's license for the first time ever, though I am way over 18, and it was not my first R-rated movie.
7/10.
Not bad.. thought provoking
smakawhat21 November 2000
This is a movie that's basicaly about the influence of race identity in current America. A group of white teenagers, identify with hip hop and call themselves black (or niggaz as they call themselves), dressing and talking the part. A film student (Brooke Shields) wants to do a documentary on them, and she follows these 'wiggers' and 'chiclets' around with their black counterparts. The film then centres on a basketball player, married to a white woman who's an anthropology major (Claudia Schiffer), who's been tempted to throw a game for a bribe who's best black friend is admired by all these white kids.
There are some interesting cameos in this film from other actors and personalaties as well.
I actualy liked this film and enjoyed the acting. Robert Downey Jr. plays Brooke Shields ex husband. He's gay (seems to be the roles he's been getting lately 'Wonder Boys' the same) and it seems the only person who is in the closet about it is his ex-wife who keeps him tagging along to keep the facade. Downey's character has a hillarious encounter with Mike Tyson in the film (playing himself of course). Downey hits on him, and Tyson reacts.... well like Tyson, in what is probably the best scene in the film.
The film was also provocative and intelligent I felt. I was entertained.
Rating 7 out of 10.
There are some interesting cameos in this film from other actors and personalaties as well.
I actualy liked this film and enjoyed the acting. Robert Downey Jr. plays Brooke Shields ex husband. He's gay (seems to be the roles he's been getting lately 'Wonder Boys' the same) and it seems the only person who is in the closet about it is his ex-wife who keeps him tagging along to keep the facade. Downey's character has a hillarious encounter with Mike Tyson in the film (playing himself of course). Downey hits on him, and Tyson reacts.... well like Tyson, in what is probably the best scene in the film.
The film was also provocative and intelligent I felt. I was entertained.
Rating 7 out of 10.
OK. You Don't Like Rap, But So What...
create25 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
An examination of the New York rap scene in the late nineties uncovers a lot of characters who don't know anything about themselves, and don't care about much about anything else.
I just watched this film sixteen years after it was made, and give the film credit for attempting to catch the language of the generation that it portrays. It doesn't succeed. It doesn't even try to catch the trouble of the times, nor the immediacy of the subject matter. The topics of racism, poverty and discrimination - which powered most of the New York scene in the nineties - weren't covered. Instead, much of the focus was on confused European Americans who worshiped hip-hop as a form of rebellion. Those scenes weren't even done right.
James Toback wrote and directed the film in a vignette format. He jumps around from character to character giving them very little to do other than show no respect for whoever might be the authority figure.
Who are the authority figures? Well, one is a banker, and another is the D.A. of NY. Ironically, the banker was probably involved with trading dirivatives which would go on to wreck the worldwide economy seven years later. And the real D.A. of NY at the time of this film's making would later be thrown out of elected office for funneling money to a prostitute and her escort services business - an escort that he was seeing at the time of the film's release.
That's the problem with Toback's film - not that it lacks foresight. (It truly has no vision.) The principal problem is that it doesn't take the grievances or problems or wants of the character's it tries to portray as serious. Part of it was because he didn't do sufficient research into the characters or the genre of Hip Hop.
The black rappers in the film are gangsta rappers - which if Toback would have done any type of investigation into the field, he would have found that the group he was writing about were West Coast rappers - not East Coast. There is no Puff Daddy or 50 Cent in this group. The basketball player that he portrays wouldn't have been asking his girlfriend if he should take $50,000 from a gambler. He would have asked his super rich drug dealing friend if he should have taken $50,000 from a gambler. Not to show any disrespect to his girlfriend, but his friend had probably more experience with that type of money, and problems caused by taking that type of money.
Was Toback trying to create a film that showed his dislike of Rap? It seems that way. That's not where the fault lies. It lies in the fact that his dislike of the subject matter blinded him from doing the necessary crafting that goes into making a good film.
I just watched this film sixteen years after it was made, and give the film credit for attempting to catch the language of the generation that it portrays. It doesn't succeed. It doesn't even try to catch the trouble of the times, nor the immediacy of the subject matter. The topics of racism, poverty and discrimination - which powered most of the New York scene in the nineties - weren't covered. Instead, much of the focus was on confused European Americans who worshiped hip-hop as a form of rebellion. Those scenes weren't even done right.
James Toback wrote and directed the film in a vignette format. He jumps around from character to character giving them very little to do other than show no respect for whoever might be the authority figure.
Who are the authority figures? Well, one is a banker, and another is the D.A. of NY. Ironically, the banker was probably involved with trading dirivatives which would go on to wreck the worldwide economy seven years later. And the real D.A. of NY at the time of this film's making would later be thrown out of elected office for funneling money to a prostitute and her escort services business - an escort that he was seeing at the time of the film's release.
That's the problem with Toback's film - not that it lacks foresight. (It truly has no vision.) The principal problem is that it doesn't take the grievances or problems or wants of the character's it tries to portray as serious. Part of it was because he didn't do sufficient research into the characters or the genre of Hip Hop.
The black rappers in the film are gangsta rappers - which if Toback would have done any type of investigation into the field, he would have found that the group he was writing about were West Coast rappers - not East Coast. There is no Puff Daddy or 50 Cent in this group. The basketball player that he portrays wouldn't have been asking his girlfriend if he should take $50,000 from a gambler. He would have asked his super rich drug dealing friend if he should have taken $50,000 from a gambler. Not to show any disrespect to his girlfriend, but his friend had probably more experience with that type of money, and problems caused by taking that type of money.
Was Toback trying to create a film that showed his dislike of Rap? It seems that way. That's not where the fault lies. It lies in the fact that his dislike of the subject matter blinded him from doing the necessary crafting that goes into making a good film.
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