“You People” Traffics in Progressive Guilt, Lack of Laughter
Many modern films are suffocating in woke bromides. While some movies contain a few progressive lectures, others are straightforward and tell simple stories.
And then there’s “You People.”
The film doesn’t flirt with woke asides or stop for Important Lessons on Race or the Patriarchy. Woke is built into the film’s DNA, intertwined with every scene.
That’s two strikes against most projects, but “You People” It has a great cast to deliver its points. It’s not enough, sadly, even with Eddie Murphy showing he hasn’t lost an ounce of his comic brio.
Jonah Hill stars in Ezra as a 30-year-old Jewish man whose relationship life is in trouble. Everyone seems to have the same problem. “get” him, and even the women who seem like prime dating material can’t make his heart flutter.
He meets Amira London (cute), a fiercely independent black woman. The love blossoms quickly and the couple are now talking about marriage six months later. That’s the worst news possible for Amira’s parents (Murphy, Nia Long), strict Muslims who see Ezra as a horrible match for their daughter.
Ezra’s parents (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Duchovny) bleed progressive blue, and they’re delighted to invite a woman of color into their family.
“We’re gonna have brown grandchildren,” Louis-Dreyfus’s character squeals.
Cultures clash and Ezra’s parents behave like the most ignorant liberals on Planet Earth. A prime example? Duchovny’s character can’t stop genuflecting at the altar of the rapper Xzibit. Because he’s black, you see, and so is Amira. Get it? Is it possible to think like this?
That’s just one of many problems plaguing “You People.”
My first exposure to stand up comedy was a cassette tape of Eddie Murphy’s Delirious.
Now I’m in a movie with him.
It’s a wonderful life.“You People” You can now watch Netflix. INDULGE!!! pic.twitter.com/IGZXlJU7gY
— Andrew Schulz 👑HEZI (@andrewschulz) January 27, 2023
Louis-Dreyfus’ Shelley never feels like a real person. She’s a comically warped wokester who apparently hasn’t met a black person in her life. She fawns over Amira’s hair and nails, turning tone deaf compliments into offensive riffs.
It’s funny. Not particularly, but co-writers Kenya Barris (who directs) and Hill must have thought it’s fall-down hysterical. They would not repeat the same comic beat repeatedly if they didn’t have to.
The other note was beaten to death. Ezra is so eager to please his future father in law, Akbar, that he lies through his teeth when he’s with him.
Every. Single. Time.
Big. Embarrassing. Easy to prove lies.
Combine these two unfunny plot lines and you’ve essentially sunk the film.
Somehow, Ezra and Amira exude, if not chemistry, the sense that they’re lovers staring down a brutal reality. Barris Hill and Hill think interracial marriage is a good idea. “Mission: Impossible” In 2023. Yet every other commercial shows an interracial couple, so we know that’s not accurate.
Like the movie, every character is progressive to its core. It’s hard to watch people mired in microaggression misery when you’re trying to enjoy a rom-com.
Ezra’s every fiber apologizes for his so-called white privilege. Amira is aware of racism everywhere. For example, when she blames it on missing a plum assignment. Every race, creed, and color is denied plum assignments.
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In one of many cringe-worthy scenes, the couple’s respective families fight over who had it worse – Jews via the Holocaust or black Americans due to slavery.
Barris and Hill are part of a progressive mindset, which includes the inclusion of some very small narratives to these terrible chapters in history. That includes an early shout out to President Barack Obama and Ezra’s podcaster partner (Sam Jay) explaining that black people can never forgive whites for slavery.
What a way to express that thought in a generous manner? It’s an homage to “When Harry Met Sally,” and how Harry insists men and women can never be friends if there’s a romantic spark between them.
Unfortunately, Ezra’s family is dismissed by many of the black characters because of their skin color. The film shows them as being casually bigoted.
The larger issues facing the country “You People” They are easy to spot. It’s hard to develop flesh and blood characters when everyone is a talking point, a progressive op-ed or signifier of a larger cultural complaint.
Other important details are missing.
We’re told Ezra is willing to throw away his staid career as a broker to become a professional podcaster, but there’s little proof his talent is worth the risk. We never get to see why Ezra and Amira click, and the film introduces Akbar’s strong Islamic faith (He loves the Rev. Louis Farrakhan!) However, the bullet point fades over time.
What is the greatest sin? The film’s third act requires audiences to forget everything they were told for 90 minutes in order to swallow it.
Barris’ film does offer a briskly paced narrative, and it’s impossible to look away at select points in the story. “You People” is a narrative train wreck, and we’re inclined to stare at disasters.
HiT or Miss: “You People” It starts with a solid premise, and some solid laughs. The concept is a thematic iceberg, and the laughter soon stops.
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