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Yelling at the movie screen reviews: Bamboozled


Bamboozled is a 2000 film that touched on the fact that post the 90s, TV programming for and some cases by black folk has gotten worse. I’d say Tyler Perry falls under this, but I have my reasons for why I give him a pass (more on that later) What kind of sad about this movie is not only that it's one of his lesser known films, but that this is a movie where sadly the analogy isn’t too far off from reality. I’m not saying reality TV with black folks is us literally dancing around like slaves, but I am saying its not exactly a good look when we’re on TV as a people and the men are idiots who sling dick every which way and are shitty to women while the women are fighting over said shitty men and acting in a way that will come to embarrass their kids in the coming years due to the internet being a thing.

We start the movie with Damon Wayans playing Peerless Dothan (He calls himself Pierre De La Croix, but if his momma call him Peerless, Imma call him Peerless) in his baller ass apartment. Apparently this guy lives in the clock tower stage from Marvel Vs Capcom 2. We’re told the definition of satire, but still, I don’t think it needs to be said. Peerless quickly explains that he's a writer for a television network and that they’re losing viewers because we’re all too busy on AOL chat and playing Resident Evil.

We’re also introduced to Savion Glover and Tommy Davidson as Manray and Womack. Sounds like a 80s R&B duo if you ask me. Despite being homeless, the two go out and tap dance for cash are actually a good act. But of course they are, why else is Savion Glover here? Anyway, we cut back to Peerless, and for a small window, you start to feel bad for him, or at least I do. His boss is played by Michael “I picked a fight with Black Girl Nerds” Rappaport. And frankly I feel like this is what Michael Rappaport comes off as to most black people as he literally uses the argument that he blacker than Peerless because he fucks a black woman and has kids by her. Insert Thomas Jefferson Joke Here. Were also introduced to Sloane, Played By Jada “My husband made a shitty movie so now i'll organize a boycott of the oscars” Pinkett-Smith. Can I just say that Sloane is kind of a sexy name? Like, I’ve never seen an ugly Sloane.


Anyway, the crux of the movie is that Peerless wants to get fired because he keeps getting his actually decent ideas for black TV shows rejected. Whats kind of sad is that I’m pretty sure today said Ideas would get turned down by networks and panned by the “Woke” parts of social media out of cries of respectability politics and lack of intersectionality. Anyway, we get back to Peerless & Sloane waking up to the idea that the solution to their problems is actually very simple: Make the most racist TV show they could ever think of and boom, freedom! I hate how that sounds out loud. And after convincing Man ray and Womack to sign up for what is basically Sheriff David Clarks’ fever dream, things take off.

We cut back to Sloanes’ home life only to find she has a Hotep ass brother, Played By Mos Def. I’m just gonna say it: Mos Def plays the bad guy in black movies on a tier that rivals Clifton Powell. He pretty much goes to her to defend his Tribe called quest-meets-Onyx group the Mau Maus and hilarity ensues. Also, I gotta say that having a grown black man dancing on a table for a rich white guy has gotta be some of the most unsettling shit you’ll see so far in this movie. And Sloane is right, this is fucked up. The entire pitch meeting makes me violently angry. But I think that was Spikes’ Idea, so I’ll move on.

Meanwhile, We go on to see the rest of the Mau Maus, and two things must be pointed out: MC search is here and he's white as the day is long. Also, Charli Baltimore is here and... look, Im just gonna say it. Every black guy has known a woman who looks like her, and if she wasn’t family, you tried to smash. And she never replied to your texts. Back at the offices, once again everyone is telling Peerless “Nigga, dafuq is you doing?” again, if you tried to make this kind of show today, Twitter would have your ass. Especially when we see that the majority of the writing staff is Whiter than a New England Patriots Home game (Go Falcons) During the auditions, The Roots show up and not shockingly they get hired. Also, the “I be smackin my hoes” dude needs to be on Instagram. Also, Luther from “Set It Off” is in this. I don’t know what they call him in this, so Im just call him Luther. Surprisingly, He doesn’t get shot in this. Also, the Mau Maus look like a sketch from Chappelle's’ Show.

After the uncomfortable Blackface application scene, we finally see the show itsself. Good touch on the Interracial couple in the crowd watching this. I’d have to imagine sex that night was not fun. Or was if you're donald glover. I shouldn’t laugh at this, you shouldn’t either, but sadly we’re not far off from this considering that america is being ran by a rich racist, an insane homophobe and a white supremacist who calls feminists “A bunch of d**kes” After the show, we see Peerless wrestling with his conscious and talking to his mom about his dad, played by motherfucking Paul Mooney. Yeah, Chances are if you were in a Spike Lee movie, you’ll be on Chappelle’s show later.

They play commercials that might as well end with Damons’ Brother yelling “MESSAGE!”. We get a malt Liquor commercial that I can’t help but imagine that it has to taste like shit. But what do I know? I’ve never had malt Liquor. Its also a bit hard to watch a black movie that mentions malt liquor and not laugh due to Black Dynamite. The next is a Parody of Tommy Hilfiger and the fact that I’m pretty sure he wasn’t too keen on black folks wearing his clothes. Not like we didn’t make it look good.


They meet a media consultant and rightfully rebuke her ideas with the fact that black people aren’t a monolith and fucking black men doesn’t make you an expert on them. If It did, the Kardashians would be hosting Afropunk. When Peerless goes on a Roland Martin type show to defend his, you can’t help but wonder what this would be like if he had to go on the breakfast club. Soon, the protests come in and a weird ass omen comes in. Right when the Mau Maus are plotting protest against the show.

Anyway, Sloane and Man Ray are talking and she's trying to make him woke. Not sure it's working though...clearly it’s not as Man-rays ego causes him & Womack to fall out and soon Sloane gets fired for standing up for at the minimum being friends with May Ray and calling out Peerless for being a fuckboy. And then the fallout of her admitting she fucked Peerless. Meanwhile, Peerless is talking to his mom and gets his rightful shaming for all this while also going a bit crazy. And rightfully so, Man Ray rebels against the show and gets fired. And kidnapped.

I gotta say that the scene where hes executed is just...man, its heavy. The scene after when the Mau Maus are killed...seriously, MC Search is crying because they DIDN’T kill him. Let that sink in. The movie ends with Sloane confronting Peerless with a gun because when you just watched your boyfriend (?) and your brother get murdered within minutes of each other, you go a little crazy. When Peerless tries to take the gun, he gets shot and in his dying moments is forced to bear witness to all the minstrel show entertainment he contributed to.

Like I said before, this movie inadvertently served as a warning to what black entertainment will and in ways has become. I honestly suggest you give this movie a look as it's damn entertaining.

This submission comes courtesy of @awkblerd who you can keep up with on Twitter or hear him on The Lansing Anti-Hero Podcast

1 Comments

  1. The movie was a brilliant statement about iconic black entertainment- either you fight it or you submit to it. The same is true today.

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