yay, got a lot of laughs out of it from many cleverly written lines

It can feel oddly dated but that’s probably because it took about ten years to get made and is based on a book from about two decades ago. I’ve seen a lot of criticism of it as being myopically focuses on a very particular type of upper-middle class blackness that neglects some of the broader class dynamics of the book and… yeah, it does, but when it’s deliberately focused on that I’m not sure how strong a criticism that is. I also feel like breaking the fourth wall to get yourself out of having to stake your flag in the ground of a single answer to the questions and issues the film raises can feel like a bit of a cop out, but at least it’s an honest one that works with the whole thematic and character discussion at play.

Beyond those slight issues though I think it’s pretty phenomenally acted, generally well written, wonderfully shot considering it was basically made over a few weekends, and often genuinely funny. It also does a pretty amazing job of putting the act of writing on screen, which is a tough thing to do.

I enjoyed it and can understand why some people really love it. I can also see how it got so many accolades and awards.

it cracked me up. sometimes i rewatch the trailer for a laugh. the part where the white lady stands up clapping while blocking out jeffrey wright is so hilariously shot, it fucking kills me. i think that was all i needed to decide to watch it and i was not disappointed at all.

I haven’t cringed that hard in years