by Christian Grullon, Contributing Writer
In the last few years, many movies have been made about what it is like to be Black in the United States today. Due to the impact of Black Lives Matter, diversity on screen has been a priority in Hollywood. Many filmmakers are trying to seek the magic of Jordan Peele, who has balanced keeping Black characters at the center while critiquing racism and prejudice.
Balancing serious issues and comedy can be tricky, because the risk is losing some authenticity to the movie. Sadly, director Kobi Libii’s The American Society of Magical Negroes struggles to hold onto its premise. Young sculptor, Aren (Justice Smith), is having trouble selling his art. He’s struggling with income and can’t seem to advocate for himself. Before things get worse, Roger (David Alan Grier) controls the situation with his magic. Roger is a member of the American Society of Magical Negroes, and wants Aren to join. The qualities that make it difficult for him to excel in his art are the same ones perfect for his magical recruitment. Aren’s scared of making white people feel uncomfortable.
The film dedicates itself to lessening white people’s uncomfortable kindness, gentleness, anecdotes, and magic. DeDe (Nicole Byer) runs the society, and it’s been working secretly for many decades. The members are Black people from all walks of life who study magic and the society under Gabbard (Aisha Hinds).
Afterward, Aren gets a client named Jason (Drew Tarver), a young tech worker at a social media company called Meetbox. He is insecure about his work, and Aren’s job is to make him feel good about himself. Libii’s satirical intent in this sequence is meant to highlight how Black lives are affected by white supremacy every day.
The film communicates that white people’s egos are very fragile, and some find it funny. Aren meets another Meetbox worker named Lizzie (An-Li Bogan), who he develops a crush on. But here’s the twist: Jason likes her, too!
Per the rules, Aren has to set Jason and Lizzie up and give up his feelings for Lizzie. The love triangle is the glaring conflict of the film and becomes the catalyst for Aren’s lament of making white people comfortable.
Despite the attempt, the movie fails to have any comical significance.
The jokes don’t land like they should, and some of the dialogue is not engaging and lacks emotional impact. The film’s central joke is that we are too worried about how white people perceive Blackness. Overall, The American Society of Magical Negroes fails to land that central joke, and it struggles to find its own identity.
Rating: Hated It
The American Society of Magical Negroes is currently playing in theaters
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