To echo some of the thoughts
The "A" story itself - we've seen it before, and most of us have had this debate online DAILY.
Overall - The Hollywood Shuffle/Bamboozled aspect was second place to the family drama. The random clueless white people/extras from Get Out/NPR listeners - they were on the screen and also in my audience - that was funny to an extent. Clowning white folks, liberals or MAGAS, Kendrick Lamar in the Streets and Toby Keith in the White sheets - that gets very old to me.
The Black movie montage was side splitting.
I didn't mind the speechifying in the middle of it. Whoever was writing for Issa's side didn't really come with it though. Though I do wonder if there's something meta about Issa's pov.
I think to anyone that watches it, the white/black part of the movie is the "B" story. The actual A-story is the family story.
There's a bit of "Our Kind of People" vibe in the background, but it's not forefront. (Lawrence Otis Graham).
I definitely did not expect the Lorraine aspect of it. I was already fearing for her when I saw her.
The interactions/acting
- Jeffrey was great. I wondered if there was some meta commentary on one his last joints - O.G. (2018)
6.2 | Drama
- Tracee and Jeffrey had great chemistry. Like makes me wanna try Black-Ish again...okay well maybe not.
- Jeffrey and Maxine (Erika Alexander) had great chemistry.
- Jeffreyand Sterling were like actual brothers.
- Jeffrey and the Boricua dude were hilarious.
- Mom/Agnes - wow. I pray that y'all don't have to see a family member deteriorate like that, but I have, and will probably see some more - but she knocked it out of the park.
I'd be very happy to watch these folks do something else together. It's a shame this won't get much burn. The Color Purple has done 55M, and this is looking at 3M...smh.
If there is a critique on the family side of the story - Lorraine and Maynard - ummm certain trope that I thought we wuz tryna get away from, suh. But they were still the moral center of the show. So much love there. I wonder if this was something that was long brewing...that might have been the implication.
Cinematography/Direction
- A lot of solo shots of Geoff could have been paintings
- There was "Tragedy by the Sea" shot, and I'm assuming the director/DOP/Cin did that on purpose
- The Brown v. Board of Education photo was hilarious, although I"m not sure I get the point of it.
- The photos on the walls, the decor, they really nailed it.
- On the direction side of things - that Keith David scene was really good. Reminded me a bit of how RZA produces in the Wu Tang series.
Compared to The Book of Clarence - which might overlap on the subject matter by 5% - this is a much better put together movie. They are both very good, and to some extent TBoC was a bit more ambitious than this. However, I definitely liked AF more.
This was a great movie. It would have made my top 10 if I saw it last year.
the dance scene.
, others that they didn't laugh at all cause they missed it (was like a 9 second delay of uncomfortable chuckles after the "we need to listen to more black voices" scene)
so it playing out how it did was hilarious,
' / 'Don't put me with those other n-' energy in him. 
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