Director: Kenya Barris
Genre: Comedy
Duration: 118 minutes
Cast: Jonah Hill, Lauren London, Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Duchovny, Nia Long
Now streaming on Netflix
First rule of enjoying or watching You People is to keep in mind that Kenya Barris and Jonah Hill wrote the script. They are both not PC at all with their content so it is highly likely to offend. From the language to the inappropriate remarks characters make, I’ll just point out that this is not the movie you watch with the entire family – any family in fact. Now that this disclaimer is out of the way, let’s get into what You People is about.
You People’s storyline is similar to movies such as Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner where an interracial couple meets their respective parents.
Except where the 1960s movie had characters expressing their shock a little mildly, there is nothing mild about the characters in the movie. Our couple is Ezra (Hill) and Amira (London).
Ezra is White and Jewish, with a mother that berates him for not wearing a kippah in the synagogue and tries to set him up with a Jewish girl. Amira is Black and Muslim, with a father who says things such as, “If you get your beliefs in line, your heart’s gonna follow”. It goes without saying Amira’s father Akbar (Murphy) does not take to Ezra. Ezra’s mother, Shelley (Louis-Dreyfus), on the other hand, tries too hard not to be racist. Things do not look too good for our lovebirds. Beyond the love story, You People illustrates how prejudices still exist, and where they come from.
You People is both funny and cringe. You will laugh but also be very uncomfortable in some scenes because of how inappropriate the dialogue is. Hats off to Hill, London, Louis-Dreyfus, and Murphy for pulling off their roles so seamlessly. I would want to see the bloopers for some of their scenes.
–Grace Kenganzi
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