A POLITE REVIEW #BLACKAF REVIEW
I never watched any of the Ish’s (Black-Ish, Grown-Ish, Mixed-Ish) so I’m not familiar with Kenya Barris writing style or sense of humor. I think it’s sad that what made me want to check out the show was the amount of hate the trailer got and whenever the majority hates something I take that as a sign that people are overreacting about something and that means I will like what they’re hating on. I’m not with the mob mentality or the groupthink shit.
The main criticism I saw was the casting but dude writing from his experience. I saw his real family and his real family looks exactly like the cast so it’s dumb to criticize him for that. If I did a sitcom about my family I’m not about to go hire mixed people to portray them so why would he hire dark skinned kids to portray his kids? I’d understand if it was a new story where it’s not based on his family then you may have an argument. Other than that people are reaching.
It took me 3 days to get through the 8 episodes and I’m finally done. I’m just going to keep this simple and described what I liked and disliked about #BlackAF.
LIKES
I like Kenya’s nonchalant attitude towards his family and the fact he downplays everything. He’s an asshole and that makes for good entertainment. He has the mentality of that his children are all losers and he’s their savior. He calls his wife the worst mother ever I dunno how many times in this series. Of course in reality this is a terrible way to be but in the entertainment realm it’s funny. He’s in that Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm) arena of being a jerk. It’s clear that he’s pulling from that influence. It’s a type of comedy and sense of humor that you’re either going to love or hate with no in between.
Rashida Jones was funny in spots. When she gets on a roll she’s on a roll. I liked how self aware her character was.
I liked the conversation about being honest about black work in creative spaces. This was focused on in episode 5 where Kenya and the daughter that’s the narrator hated a black film and thought it was very amateur. I related to that episode so much because I swear that was me when Black Panther came out. Don’t get me started on how average that movie was and how terrible Michael B Jordan is as an actor. I liked Kenya’s view on believing that’s how we get better.
Episodes 5 & 7 were my favorites. By far. They were the most consistent.
I found out that Kenya and his wife are in the process of divorcing in real life so a lot of the marriage issues in the show make a lot of sense and I see why he included them in the show. I liked how they were displayed in episode 6.
DISLIKES
Out the gate the title doesn’t fit the show. I’m not speaking to the colorist debate that is centered around this show. I’m talking from a social class standpoint. I feel they backed themselves in a corner by naming this series #BlackAF because that’s implying that everyone included in the demographic would understand or relate to it. It doesn’t do them any favors.
I thought that with Kenya having a bi-racial wife and him being rich as fuck I thought the show would be "that despite his family being lighter than remember the time Michael Jackson don’t get it fucked up we black over here.” I didn’t get that. This type of shit would’ve been perfect for Bernie Mac if he was still alive because he would’ve truly been unapologetically black. Kenya really thought he was black as fuck because of that weak ass rope chain and the fact he says he hates white people. No man. Just, no.
I did not connect to one character in this series. I didn’t really feel like the family was connected until the vacation episodes. The kids are basically pointless in this show. I did not care about anything they were doing. Especially the oldest child. She was better off being in a couple episodes and that’s it. Kenya I couldn’t really connect with because he was just on auto pilot. Even though I like his type of humor it’s not enough to carry for 8 episodes and plus acting isn’t a strong point for Kenya and it was clear being in front of the camera isn’t his thing so with the show being centered around a guy who can’t act that well it wasn’t bound to turn out good. Him saying “Dude” 8 million times was weird. Rashida making random gun sound noises, speaking different slang, and pointing her fingers at shit felt like a white person impersonating a hip black person. Writing is Kenya’s foundation not acting. Rashida’s foundation is her portraying a mixed woman in white spaces. She can’t just carry the series with her reminding me she’s mixed and insecure about it. One episode is enough but over the course of 8 episodes it gets old fast. Rashida Jones reminds me of this mixed girl I went to high school with. I went to a predominately white school and this mixed girl told me she wished she was white. She wanted hair like the white girls on her cheerleading squad. She was upset her shit was nappy and always tried to straighten her hair. She tried to lighten her skin with makeup. She really didn’t fuck with her black side. A lot of the black kids at my school just joaned on her because they felt it was disrespectful for her to say that. I just remember telling her no matter what you do you’ll never be them. They accept you now cause you talk like DJ Tanner from Full House but watch what happens when shit hits the fan or if you call them out on their bullshit. You’ll be the outcasted and they will call you ghetto, and use you to cover up their racist family and friends. You’re “The Black Friend.” When you try to come back to your black side they’re going to remind you of how you were acting and what you said and loneliness will truly sink in.
I didn’t like the history lesson shit. I thought this show was supposed to be unapologetically black and it felt like these lessons were meant for white people who will watch the show. FUCK THEM. If they don’t get it now they won’t get it later. It felt like it was another case of a black person having to explain themself to white people. You shouldn’t as a black man have to explain why you live the way you live. I felt this was a missed opportunity for Kenya to really let the chopper fly especially after ABC banned an episode of Black-ish covering an issue that would upset white America. I figured since he’s uncensored on Netflix he’d turn this shit to a hardcore match. Instead he just added profanity and had his daughters calling him a dick, that’s it. Kids only cuss at their parents if their parents aren’t shit and responsible for that child’s trauma or the kid just bad as fuck. There are black adults who won’t use profanity in front of their parents just outta respect and fear.
There’s only 2 episodes I truly laughed at. Episode 5 and Episode 7. The private jet dialogue was hilarious. The cousin at the BBQ who called Mrs.Doubtfire a white Juwanna Mann was funny but damn the blackest person at that BBQ was the kid that was dancing. I can literally count on one hand how many dark skinned people were in the show and that was really disappointing. The BBQ was a sea of caramel people. Like damn nobody in your whole family have nappy ass hair? NOBODY??
Speaking on that BBQ that was the PERFECT moment to really be unapologetic with blackness that shit just looked like brunch in LA. Damn near all the writers of these black shows literally scout black twitter for funny material and this was one of those moments they should’ve. Should’ve played Frankie Beverly and Maze and had niggas playing spades and dominoes.
The writers room dialogue could’ve been better. I didn’t really like those scenes and they always overstayed their welcome.
The biggest take away from this is that Kenya and his writers which I’m willing to be it’s more than the 3 white people that’s in his writing room as you seen on the show do not have a grasp on how class effects race. A lot of the issues he has on the show aren’t black people problems, they’re RICH people problems disguised as black people problems. In episode 1 if he questioned why he craves the idea of white people’s success that would’ve explored something that is never talked about. Why is he trying to measure up to the people who oppress you? It felt like he was trying to outdo white people instead of just having a nice car cause he worked hard for it and saying fuck whoever got an issue with it. Whether it’s capitalism or the black capitalism that he wants in this episode that shit not saving our people.
I’d give this show a 1 outta 5 fruit snacks. It’s mid. I’ll take people word for it and check out Black-ish instead but for Now I’m going to rant….. in 3,2,1….
I love the fact there are black people in Hollywood getting these coins. But none of these people represent me at all and I STILL SUPPORT THEM. I used to buy Tyler Perry tickets and never go see the movies just to support him despite me not liking his films. Pick any of these writers or directors I don’t relate to any of their shit. The only shows I can think of that I really related to and felt unapologetically black were Sanford & Son, The Boondocks, The Carmichael Show & The Bernie Mac show. Shoutout Jordan Peele cause I fuck with how he operates. He casts dark skinned people as LEADS, writes original stories, underneath it there’s a message that causes conversation. Him and Aaron MacGruder are the best at that shit. It’s not surface level or forced. I watch both of Peele’s films damn near every month. Anyway, All the black work we’re seeing now in my opinion is shit I can tell is being written by 40 & 50 year olds. If it’s not some movie highlighting our trauma it’s a movie where we look goofy as fuck. I’m not saying everything written the author has to come from poverty but just seeing the dialogue in all these shows in films I say to myself “We don’t talk like that.”
All the shit that supposed to represent us is corny. All of it except The Boondocks which is coming back this Fall and I actually heard Black-ish is WAY better than this so I may check that out to see if that’s real but forreal I’m over the corny shit. This really has me looking in the mirror and questioning if I should take screenwriting seriously cause I’m over this shit. It feels like I’m getting the perspective from people who were sheltered or aren’t black at all. Constantly telling me there’s a black Hollywood is an insult to my intelligence. The only person holding it down like a Keenan Ivory, Melvin Van Peebles, or a Robert Townsend is Tyler Perry. The Black Hollywood I recall learning about was always discovering new black talent and not continuously recycling the same black actors and entertainers. Shit funny to me.
I’m tired my G. Tired. Bye.
Peace
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