| RATING: | 60% |
| FORMAT: | DVD |
Black Like Me
Clever (rather than funny) movie that both parodies Hollywood film clichés and satirizes Hollywood production practices. The jokes are explained rather than delivered - with numbingly-repetitive effect.
This particular parody is little better than what it parodies; revealing that this comedy is not really about anything much outside of itself and is, therefore, wholeheartedly self-indulgent and narcissistic. The satire aspect is more pointed than the parody, but never seriously criticizes the fact that Hollywood makes so few great films (nor why); save to elicit a powerhouse performance from Tom Cruise.
The other standout here is Robert Downey, Jr as an actor so neurotically-obsessed with role authenticity that he actually comes to think he is Black. The rest of the film lacks this shrewd satire (on Whites’ view of Blacks).
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