‘The American Society Of Magical Negroes’ Review- Has A Lot Of Accidental Laughs
This film was released in 2024.
The American Society Of Magical Negroes is a comedy film that was written, directed, and co-produced by Kobi Libii. It debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and was later released by Focus Features.
Biracial yarn artist Aren (Justice Smith) fails at his gallery presentation after his shyness causes a potential buyer to think he is a waiter. After trying to help a drunk woman, her white friends think he is robbing her, but he is saved by Roger (David Alan Grier). After a talk, Roger recruits him into the American Society Of Magical Negroes, a group of African-Americans who make white people comfortable so they do not shed “white tears.” Aren’s first client is social media web designer Jason (Drew Tarver). Things get complicated when he starts to fall for Jason’s crush, Lizzie (An-Li Bogan). Unfortunately, if he defies society, it could cause their power to stop, and he could have his mind wiped.
This movie falls into the “it’s so bad it’s good” category. The dialogue is ludicrous. Was this movie filmed with the first draft of the script? Probably. No one on the planet talks like the characters, White or Black, do. What kind of bubble does the screenwriter live in? It must be a miserable one because he paints a horrible woke picture of the world. That is where the accidental comedy comes in because when you are not rolling your eyes, you are laughing at the terrible delivery.
It is also just a terrible practice in the cinematic arts. The costumes look cheap. The editing was frantic. The special effects were bad. As I mentioned above, the dialogue was cringe. The acting was passable, but I have empathy for the actors who now have this flick jammed into their filmography.
The plot tries to make you believe Aren’s art is good. It is pretty awful. The opening scene in the art gallery shows that he literally just made a curtain. I have seen better ones at the thrift store. They could have at least made them look cool.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the social commentary. As I said, this was a first draft script written by a person who I do not think has actually met someone outside of their professor’s classroom. The movie wanted to mock the alleged “magical negro” trope, a Black person who exists only to help the white person in fiction. They failed. Horribly. The society seems more like they just want to gaslight white people and make them feel guilty for any perceived slight, not even actual slights. Movies have satirized racism in the past, such as White Chicks, and that one did it way better.
Of course, it is jammed full of the typical woke comments, which only made it seem worse. For a movie that wanted to challenge tropes and stereotypes, it only reinforced them. The society’s base is in a barber shop. They have shoe shines in their base. They use terms like “white terms.” They call white people worse than sharks. They could have had a unifying message, but instead, they chose more division.
Where it went wrong was the presentation of Aren. Had the movie focused more on his shy personality and his self-improvement, his big scene where he rails against society felt unearned because he did not actually do anything, but knit yarn. It was a failure in its message, but it provided lots of accidental laughs.
One final note, the bulk of the story takes place in Los Angeles. Has the director ever been to LA? The film tried to frame it as exclusively “Black and White.” Los Angeles is brimming with diversity, including Jewish, Asian, Hispanic, Irish, and other communities. This movie would have you believe that the White community exists only to stare at the Black community, and it was sad to behold.
Bottom line, The American Society Of Magical Negroes could have been unifying, but its woke perspective only provided accidental laughs.
PARENTAL CONCERNS: Strong foul language, Minor violence, Inappropriate humor
FAVORITE QUOTE: Someone defied the society. Who was it?
Check out the trailer below:
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, novel, movie, or anime you would like me to review.