Jonah Hill on right, Lauren London on left. Photo Courtesy of IMDb.
By Saida Maalin, Staff Reporter
Netflix’s “You People” starring Jonah Hill and Lauren London, follows an interracial couple attempting to navigate their newfound love while also tackling race consciousness and interfaith marriage issues when families clash.
The number one movie trending on Netflix has Black Twitter squirming with embarrassment for many reasons including the lack of Muslim representation and the cringy patronizing interactions between the disapproving in-laws.
“Kenya Barris needs to stop using budgets to project! I feel like he just wants to be accepted but all of his messages seem to be diluted and stereotyped. It never feels authentic,” said one Twitter user, Jasmine McGee.
“Black-ish” and “Grown-ish” creator Barris co-wrote this film with Hill, and that left many confused and questioning the reason why this romantic comedy was distasteful.
“Pulling surface pieces in attempts to represent the culture is not enough especially if it comes at the expense of disrespecting the racial experience,” said McGee, “Obviously the conversation is needed and I can respect him for bringing it to the platform, he just needs to do better.”
Hill played Ezra, an aspiring cultural podcaster who falls for Amira (played by London), a 38-year-old costume designer. Ezra comes from a Jewish family in Los Angeles and Amira comes from a Nation of Islam Muslim household. Seeing an interfaith couple was far from the issue; it was the representation of the Muslim family. Eddie Murphy and Nia Long played London’s parents in the film and Murphy’s character had many contradicting habits that didn’t add up. Some examples are the consumption of alcohol, the scene where both families said grace at the dinner table, London wearing the Ankh, an ancient Egyptian symbol and so much more.
Another Twitter user stated how they felt Netflix needs to stop portraying Muslim characters if they aren’t going to respect Muslim values. Is the movie too woke for its own sake, or are we missing something or failing to understand critical race discussions?
“The problem with “You People” was Barris’ involvement. It had his same self-hating Black vibe written all over it. He did not have to make the Black family more unbearable and less understanding than all of the other characters. That man hates the Black community,” said Kenzie on Twitter.
The other issue critics addressed was how Hill and London lacked serious on-screen chemistry and although both are fan favorites, many could have done without the cast selection. Their characters had about as much romantic chemistry as oil and water said one Twitter user.
Yes, the movie could have been funnier and could have addressed these topics in a different light. The jokes failed to land and it truly isn’t all of the cast’s fault.
The Rotten Tomatoes audience rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars. One critic, Clarisse Loughrey, said the movie carries the unresolved, disjointed tension of a sitcom that’s been stretched to the two-hour mark.
The movie did have moments that were undeniably touching such as the tribute to the late Los Angeles rapper Nipsey Hussle, solidifying a promise London made that in everything she does, she will always represent Hussle.
Watch “You People” out on Netflix and see for yourself. Maybe your take could be different from others.
