Hollywood Shuffle
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Movie Reviews of Hollywood Shuffle
Movie Review: Get lost in this shuffle
Summary: 5 Stars
Hollywood Shuffle is one of the best black comedies of all-time. It served as a big f--- you to Hollywood for its sickening portrayal of black people. Robert Townsend used comedy for a great purpose(to convey a truth) and it worked out splendidly.
Premise: Bobby(played by Robert Townsend) has dreams of making it big in Hollywood. He works for a crummy hot dog stand called Rinky-Dinky Dog(no, really) with idiotic co-workers as well as an idiotic boss. The only problem Bobby faces is the negative roles that Follywood tends to offer black people. He soon has to make a decision if he wants to go with the BS roles of the movie industry or to go a different route.
Opinion: This movie hits the nail on the head with the types of roles that Follywood has destined for us to play. Its funny as well as sharp in its delivery. The Black Acting School skit has to be the funniest sketch in the movie. The black detective is the second funniest thing. Sure most people might say that the acting is over-the-top but these actors who play in the types of movies that Hollywood Shuffle parodies are always over the top with their performance so what are you talking about? I respect Hollywood Shuffle for using humor to address a serious subject instead of stooping to the brainless comic dung that you get from these Chittlin Circuit movies that are produced nowadays. And the sad thing is that people are trouncing gems like Hollywood Shuffle while embracing minstrel rubbish like Soul Plane, Norbit, Code Name: The Cleaner, Juwanna Mann etc. A sad state of affairs. In closing I would say support comedies like Hollywood Shuffle any chance you get. They're the only bright light you get in the dark tunnel of comedy in Hollywood.
Movie Review: Robert Townsend's best film. A must see for all.
Summary: 5 Stars
Robert Townsend's first film Hollywood Shuffle is a hilarious satire that cleverly condemns the way Blacks are treated in the entertainment industry. It's clear that Townsend knows his material and uses that insider knowledge to poke fun at the sterotypical way blacks are portrayed on TV and in film. Through satire Townsend makes fun of Hollywood while telling everyone the truth about how hard it is for black actors.Desperate to get the lead role in "Jivetime Jimmy's revenge" struggling actor Bobby aspires to become a superstar while working at a dead end job at Winky Dinky Dog. During Bobby's journey, we learn that and the road to stardom for African-Americans is full of compromises that force intelligent hardworking black actors to degrade and humiliate themselves in order to get a break. As he gets the lead role in Jivetime Jimmy's Revenge, Bobby must wonder if his dignity and self-respect are worth sacrificing to achieve his dream.
Robert Townsend makes a groundbreaking film and his cast of then unknowns gives great performances. After this film was produced most of the cast of this film went on to successful careers John Witherspoon, Keenan Ivory Wayans and Rusty Cundieff are just a few of the people who became stars as a result of this film I think every African-American who wants to work in the entertainment industry or any African American who already is and actor needs to watch this film. I also think a certain Black actress who just compromised herself to win an Oscar really needs to watch this film. It will make you think about the way they portray people of color in media.
Movie Review: Underrated Eye Opener....Instant Classic.
Summary: 5 Stars
In 1987 on a limited budget Robert Townsend released one of the most groundbreaking as well as most underrated films, which still receives little recognition. In Hollywood Shuffle Townsend confronts dignity, self pride, racism, stereotypes, and the loss of cultural consciousness all merged together in one film. Not only is this movie hysterically funny, but what Townsend relays in the film is sadly true and still exists today in Hollywood. Townsend intelligently displays how African-American actors were and still in some cases are subjected to playing certain roles such as thieves, butlers, gangsters, pimps, and drug dealers for example. Hollywood Shuffle also indicates that in some instances African American actors limit their own potential for success. This is an excellent film that was way well ahead of it's time. Hollywood Shuffle has a striking resemblance to Bamboozled, which should be sited as that film's predecessor. This movie not only causes you to laugh hysterically in tears. But in the same sense it promotes awareness and teaches a very important lesson to those unaware of African American struggle in Hollywood. This film also launched the careers of Damon Wayans, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Rusty Cundieff, and Anne Marrie Johnson. Children should see this movie, despite the explicit languageMovie Review: so very very funny and very very true
Summary: 5 Stars
"Hollywood Shuffle" remains, even after two decades, a remarkable achievement. This is both hilarious and poignant at the same time. And the characters are rich and multidimensional: the wanna-be-actor forced to take parts that are inappropriate to even approximate his dreams, the practical grandmother invoking career opportunities at the post office in the name of family security, and household youngsters, looking at the older children as models and stars, their own little lights to guide their futures. The arc of the question of human dignity versus the omnipresence of stereotypes, lack of opportunity, and economic necessity is classical human drama of man versus fate and himself drawn with an expertise that is remarkable.
And the fantasy scenes are some of the best comic inversion ever put on film. The white-persons school of black acting will make your sides ache, and you'll rewind it a dozen times.
While there are some flaws in overly constructed dialogue, and some clear budget constraints on production, and some hits and misses on topical and sense of humor, this is a highly recommended film that speaks as loudly today as it did upon first viewing.
A classic gem.
Movie Review: Enjoyable, instructive and thoroughly entertaining...
Summary: 5 Stars
Robert Townsend is delightful and appealing; knowing what he went through to get this film made makes me admire him all the more. I am in awe. Not only is the film funny, smart and entertaining...it is a true original. With the help of the Wayans brothers, and other unknowns of the time (that are better known now than in '87), this is a film about integrity and conscience, as well as confidence and belief in yourself. A great lesson and a fine film. Robert Townsend shows brilliance and promise, as star & director. His later films couldn't quite match this first blast of originality. Though racial stereotypes are pretty much the center of attention, the broader theme of integrity and self-respect shine through like a beacon...a beacon that I wish more directors of racially-themed films would heed. (John Singleton comes to mind; never since matched the gut-power of "Boyz 'n the Hood".) The fact that Mr. Townsend is so self-effacing, while still refusing to give in, made me want to stand up and cheer. It's a fun film, well made, and perfectly entertaining. If it wasn't for some of the (stereotypical) language, I would recommend this as a lesson for kids. A most admirable effort.