If you’ve ever been, or are currently in, a commited relationship, there comes that moment where you need to take that next big step. Meeting the parents. While it can, at times, be a fairly relaxing experience, there are some couples that face incredibly awkward situations. It is one of life’s moments that is just ripe for comedy. It is a trope that has been replicated for our screens on numerous occasions. In movies like Meet the Parents and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and in more sitcom episodes than we care to remember. With You People, writer/director Kanye Barris (who is slowly making his way through his Netflix content deal) attempts to add a new twist to this age old story.
This is a movie that works on many levels. While the basic premise may be familiar (a mixed race couple meet the parents and everything goes terribly wrong), what Barris and Jonah Hill (his writing partner and star of the film) have injected into this, is layers and layers of complex social commentary. You People is by no means your standard, paint by numbers, slapstick family comedy, but instead a smart, deep, and mature farce, where the jokes don’t just make you laugh, but leave you thinking long after the movie is done.
Woody Allen, meet Spike Lee!
Here, Kenya Barris is channeling both Woody Allen and Spike Lee. You People goes down a rabbit hole of intense topics, but never feels like someone is forcing their opinions down your throat. It’s executed in a very Barris manner (see: Black-ish, #blackAF). It’s very matter of fact. It’s a reflection of who we are as a culture and society.
If the conversations that take place in this movie feel familiar, it’s because we’ve had them ourselves. They are debates that don’t just take place within the Muslim African American and Jewish communities, but also within ours. Here in Malaysia, we encounter the same segregation, racism, and inequality on a daily basis, and I guarantee that there are many times in this film where you will feel heard and spoken for as well.
Now with an incredible comedic cast like this, it would have been easy to overplay your hand and make a bombastic, almost satirical version of real life. Instead, Barris takes a different approach, relying on subtlety over melodrama. Eddie Murphy, Jonah Hill, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus are tremendous at their craft and their performances were a masterclass in subtle, internal comedy.
It is a pure joy to watch these actors doing what they do best and perform at the top of their game. But while the aforementioned trio gave an amazing performance, nothing (and I mean nothing) can beat David Duchovny sitting at a piano, belting out a rendition of “Ordinary People,” and convincing people of his love for Xzibit. Pure, genius.
Cultural Kvetching
While the cast of this film alone is worth the price of admission, what hooked me was the incredibly smart writing and dialogue. What I would have given to just be a fly on the wall in that writers room with Barris and Hill. You People beautifully contrasts the differences between the African American and Caucasian Jewish experience. The dialogue may have been lifted from actual conversations that Barris and Hill have had, but they smartly translate it into a story that take on the issues of a mixed race relationship. Every moment is awkward and in your face. There is no social distancing here.
You People continues the conversation that began with Sidney Poitier’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. While that movie dealt with segregation and rampant prejudice, You People showcases a world where such relationships are accepted on the surface, but the same prejudices still exist once you begin to scratch at it. If there is a message here, it’s that we all deserve respect, irrespective of our religion, the color of our skin, or whether or not we choose to be podcasters.
There is a lot to love here. And while some of the comedy may be a little predictable, it is nevertheless a wonder experiencing Jonah Hill and Eddie Murphy spar. Watching the two of them effortlessly riff off each other, I couldn’t help but wonder how much of the movie was actually improvised. It’s all the reason I needed to sit through this movie. That and David Duchovny singing at the piano. Yup. That’s it. I could watch You People over, and over, and over again, just for that piece of gold.
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