Respond to these rapid questions in our You People quiz and we will tell you which You People character you are. Play it now.
Netflix’s “You People” is a stunning failure and an assemblage of talent in search of an actual movie. It is a contemporary attempt at something akin to “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” from the “Black-ish” creator and co-written by star Jonah Hill. A broad “Naked Gun”-style parody of comedies that capitalize on race stereotypes and differences is just one minor rewrite away. In all honesty, the majority of those absurd films have a more authentic feeling than this romantic comedy, which so infrequently hits the mark that it makes you cringe. Nobody converses like this. Nobody behaves in this way. And if a film is going to capitalize on racial differences, as “You People” is so anxious to do, it should at least make an effort to be sincere in order to keep the jokes from feeling too stale. Otherwise, it’s just playing with contentious problems, stereotypical ideas, and stupid jokes people tell each other in bars. It’s almost shocking how seriously unfunny this movie is because there are so many brilliant people in “You People” (and “Black-ish” was very funny for a few years and much sharper than this movie).
Hill portrays Ezra Cohen, who co-hosts a podcast about racial differences with his Black buddy Mo (Sam Jay). Even though it’s one of those podcasts where people “chat about life/issues,” Barris and Hill’s screenplay rings false from the outset. The sequences are overwritten with awkward conversation that sounds overly scripted, as if they have never listened to any podcasts with racial themes. (when the whole idea is that these podcasts are casual, off-the-cuff conversations). Furthermore, it’s a weak preamble to what’s to come. The movie seems to be trying to prove that this person has a decent Black friend. Be at ease regarding him.
Ezra encounters Amira Mohammed (Lauren London) when he accidentally gets into the wrong car, believing it’s his Uber, and the two begin dating. Cut to six months later, when Ezra has made the decision to marry Amira and is girding himself to approach her parents, Akbar (Eddie Murphy) and Fatima, for their consent. (Nia Long). Ezra is immediately sized up by Akbar, who determines he is not the right match for his daughter. Then he attempts to break Ezra by forcing him into comedic situations meant to make him fail, such as putting him on a basketball court, having him enter a barbershop while wearing the wrong gang color, or even accompanying him on his bachelor party trip. Murphy portrays everything as if he were in a drama about racial prejudices, which is insanely straight. I’m all for actors not winking at the camera, but so many in this movie do it makes it seem like Murphy is in a different movie entirely. One of the many overarching tonal issues Barris as a director, who never quite worked out what movie he was creating enough to convey to his cast, gets away from is this. Nobody is on the same page, which causes an odd comedic disconnect between scenes and occasionally within the same frame.
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Of course, a film like “You People” needs to show the other side of the story, and Ezra’s parents, Shelley (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Arnold, do just that. (David Duchovny). Louis-Dreyfus portrays the “other problematic parent” to Amira, and Duchovny mostly plays the supporting role with the occasional biting one-liner. It’s true that this film’s social commentary angle is intriguing because Shelley portrays one of those women who only sees the surface of Black society. I wish the movie had the guts to explore the notion that people like Shelley can be fascinated by Black culture without ever attempting to comprehend it. At one point in the movie, Amira claims that Shelley treats her like a new toy.
You People Quiz
Hill and Barris frequently introduce these thought-provoking concepts before moving on to the quick, unfunny jest. The dialogue in “You People” sounds like it came from a machine made to produce bizarre punchlines from the very beginning, particularly in an early scene with bizarre cameos from legends like Elliott Gould, Hal Linden, and Richard Benjamin. I didn’t like the forced awkward cadence that permeates the entire film. Not only does the conversation sound implausible, but the film’s clumsily edited to eliminate its comedic rhythm. The way the scenes are put together with flashy visuals, which I believe are meant to be edgy, gives it the feel of a sketch comedy show rather than a traditional movie.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this You People quiz.
“You People” has a great cast and a decent idea, which is its tragic flaw. It seems like we’ve been waiting too long for a comedy about how different ethnic backgrounds can cause cultural misunderstandings, but this isn’t it. Simply put, “You People” isn’t interested in any of the issues it brings up; instead, it always opts for the easy laugh or the expected preachy conversation. There are no real personalities to be found; it’s just two hours of bad jokes. It hurts a little more than it does with other comedies when a screenplay is so off-key that it fails actors as truly talented and endearing as Hill, Murphy, and Louis-Dreyfus.
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tonight on Netflix.Also, you must try to play this You People quiz.
For more personality quizzes check this: Breeding Difficulty Quiz.
