Rated 7+ IMDb · 70%+ RT Little-known finds Curated by humans
Rated 7+ IMDb · 70%+ RT Little-known finds Curated by humans
2021 Show
Justin Simien · United States of America · English
A smart, self-reflexive, and creatively adventurous college comedy unfairly pre-judged by its title
Far more self-aware than one might think, Dear White People isn’t just a progressive comedy that puts its politics front and center—it’s also heavily critical of its own so-called “woke” characters and their hypocrisy, but never in a cruel way that betrays its own beliefs. It’s a show all about the contradictions of existing as Black in America, especially within a prestigious institution that claims to take pride in its diversity while asking its students to compromise on parts of their identity. And all of this is done with impeccable style, a rapid pace that actually enhances the comedy, and a large cast of well-written characters who intersect in fascinating ways.
Students of color navigate the daily slights and slippery politics of life at an Ivy League college that's not nearly as "post-racial" as it thinks.
"It doesn't just have a setting and a story, it has a philosophy and a vision of life. This is so rare in any art form that the show's less-than-subtle aspects (and there are many) feel like features rather than bugs."
— Matt Zoller Seitz
"As quick to back up its arguments as it is to acknowledge differing opinions, [DWP] always feels like a personal story first and intelligent satire second... I've spent three hours at Winchester. And I only want more."
— Ben Travers
At her Ivy League university, a radio jock runs a controversial program that discusses issues of race—which riles up the administration, her rivals, and her fellow Black students.
Dear White People definitely still has its missteps, in particular its fourth and final season that's inexplicably told from the future and is also a jukebox musical. But for the most part (and especially in its stellar second season), the show does a masterful job juggling various viewpoints with equal weight. Episodes vary in tone and even genre depending on who's at the center, which also leads to the entire cast getting a chance to shine. Logan Browning, who plays radio jock Sam White, and Marque Richardson are excellent at their more dramatic moments; DeRon Horton is charmingly awkward in his own queer coming-of-age subplot; and Brandon P. Bell emerges as the series' unexpected comedy MVP—a bona fide comedian in a leading man's body.
If you find the show's title annoying or offensive, just wait till you hear how the characters feel about it.
Spirit Awards
1 win · 1 nom
Sundance
1 win
Picked from what we cover, by how often these turn up alongside the same films and shows as Dear White People.
Four college freshmen from different parts of the country come together as roommates to earn their bachelor’s degree, sure, but…
Dir. Aaron Schimberg & Andrew DeYoung
After being promoted as a project lead, Ron falls down due to his office chair breaking. At first he tries…
Sometimes, nothing beats the easygoing entertainment of watching two attractive characters flirt and fall in love on screen, or seeing…
Search Party starts off with a simple mystery: whatever happened to Chantal, that girl Dory (Alia Shawkat) barely knew in…
Emil Hofileña is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. He also writes as a theater critic, with work published in Rogue and Out of Print, among others. He’s probably crying over a movie or an episode as we speak.
Comments