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Format: VHS
Sep 2000
Rated R
Recording Mode: Dolby Surround
Sound: Stereo
Closed Captioned
98 min.
Color
Extra Info: Spanish Subtitled
UPC: 043396052963 |
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Movie Description
With BLACK AND WHITE, writer-director James Toback (FINGERS, TWO GIRLS AND A GUY) confronts the topic of race head on--most specifically, the influence of black urban hip-hop culture on white America. Set in New York City as the 1990s wind to a close, the film is told in a broad, episodic fashion, interweaving several different story lines in order to address a multitude of ideas. In the most comedic, a white documentarian (Brooke Shields) and her gay husband (Robert Downey Jr.) follow a group of affluent white teenagers (led by Bijou Phillips) around the city as they unabashedly pursue a Staten Island hip-hop crew. As the leader of the crew, Rich Bower (the Wu-Tang Clan's Power) struggles to leave his criminal past behind and become a legitimate musician. In the most dramatic subplot, an undercover police detective (Ben Stiller) frames a talented college basketball player (Allan Houston) in order to exact an ambiguous revenge. Toback blends improvisation with tightly scripted scenes, and the result is a loose, broad essay on the state of racism at the turn of the millennium. BLACK AND WHITE features impressive performances by the all-star cast, but it is Mike Tyson who steals the film with his unforgettable cameo.
Synopsis
Director Toback's multifaceted dramedy concerns the influence of hip-hop culture on white America. The revolving story--partly scripted, partly improvised--focuses on three separate stories that eventually converge, albeit loosely. In the first, a documentary filmmaker (Shields) follows a group of well-to-do white high school students in Manhattan as they spend time emulating their favorite hip-hop stars. In the second, a budding rapper (Wu-Tang Clan's Power) struggles to leave behind a life of crime for the record business. And in the third, a college basketball star (Houston) is bribed by a jealous police officer (Stiller) into throwing a game.
Film Notes
The film was originally released in America on April 5, 2000.
Toback shot BLACK AND WHITE entirely on the streets of New York City.
In the confrontation between Tyson and Downey Jr., Toback didn't prepare Tyson for what Downey was going to say or do.
Power, a successful music producer who drifted into acting, made his film debut with BELLY.
Industry Reviews
"...Engaging for its fresh milieu....It remains naturalistic, edgy and humorous..."
Variety - p.88 - Todd McCarthy
"...Vital, immediate and often uproarious. An exciting, eclectic cast..."
Movieline - p.33 - Stephen Farber
"...Earns distinction as the greatest semi-improvised didactic fantasy ever made about cultural miscegenation....Shades of gray..." -- Rating: B
Entertainment Weekly - p.109 - Troy Patterson
"...Hilarious, deeply ribald....Don't miss it." -- 3 out of 5 stars - A Satisfying Rental
Premiere - p.104 - Cheo Hodari Coker
"...Moments of rough-hewn ingenuity....Teeming with vitality..."
Sight and Sound - p.41 - Xan Brooks
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