Disclaimer.
I do not have an appreciation for Beyonce Knowles- so much so that it actually pains me to have to write about her and stick her picture on my site.
Some people think she can sing- I don’t.
Some people think she’s a 5 star well rounded entertainer. I don’t.
Some people think she can act really, really well. I don’t.
Some people think Beyonce is really smart. I’ve heard her talk though, so again, I don’t.
Some people think all that hair on her head is real- I’m not an idiot. But I digress.
When I was at the movies recently, I had the misfortune of seeing the trailer for Beyonce’s new movie, Obsessed, staring alongside Idris Elba and Ali Larter.
The movie is so bad one does not have to actually go and see the movie to find out what it’s about:
Black man marries Black woman.
Black man enters into a working relationship with White Woman
Black man catches himself slippin’ one day and muddies the relationship with White woman.
White woman is insane and decides she will take Black man from Black woman.
White woman uses the system and the stereotypes of the Black man to her advantage to gain control over Black man to force him to be with her or suffer the consequences for refusing her.
Black woman beats and possibly kills White Woman in defense of her family.
The end.
As the release date nears, I’m hearing sistas online and in the community talk about the movie:
“Girl I can’t wait to see that movie, Beyonce is doing the damn thing.”
“Hell yes you know she is! I just wanna see her kick the White girl’s ass.”
“Yup, yup. And that Idris Elba? Mm, I wanna take him home and show him a few things.”
This is usually followed by the terrorist fist jab, a high five, fits of laughter or all of the above.
I have not one single cell in my body that desires to see the movie. First, as I mentioned above, I am not a Beyonce fan. I do not think she is a great actress. The last thing I am going to do is waste money at the theater to see her on the big screen. I would truly rather stay home and clean the bathrooms.
Second, and more pressing, the movie’s plot plays dangerously at a subject that can be really…sensitive.
First of all, let me say that there is a clear double standard in this country when it comes to Black/White interracial relationships. If a sista hooks up with a White man, it’s usually accepted that she couldn’t find a descent brotha who has his ish together, is forward thinking, educated, employed, and in touch with self and his beliefs. This is a sad mentality when you consider the state of the Black man in America, and the fact that for all intents and purposes he is shackled to the bottom rung of societies ladder.
But when a Black man decides he wants to marry, date, hook up with or just fuck for a night, a White woman, it’s a different story altogether. The White woman in the scenario is seen as having “stolen” or “taken” a “good” Black man, and the Black man in the scenario is seen as “turned his back on” Black women because Black women believe the Black man believes that sista’s aren’t “good enough” for him.
Sure love is love, right? People across all racial lines fall in love all the time. It doesn’t change the fact that people harbor very strong feelings about who it is okay to love, and who it is okay not to love.
There is also a subtle and very real connection to our history as a people- yes, I am talking about slavery. Though it isn’t taught in the public school classroom, the relationship between Blacks and Whites, men and women, when it comes to relationships of any kind, and sex- well, c’mon.
Everyone knows that Black women were raped by White men throughout history. It’s just a fact.
But what is less discussed is what White women (certainly not all- please allow me to use my broad-stroked brush to make my points here) did to Black men. If there was an attraction, and she wanted to be with him, she had all the power to force him to be with her, or face big trouble. If you ever saw Maafa when it was Maafa, then you know what I’m talking about. White women blackmailed Black men into sex when they were attracted to them. And if those Black men did not submit, the White woman would raise hell to see he suffer for it. Accuse him of something- anything, and he could find himself facing 200 lashes or a rope around his neck.
So here we have a very complex situation, and now folks wanna toss in Beyonce and Idris and “the White girl” so they can make some box office cash.
Oh. Hell. Naw.
“Yeah but she get’s in that White girl’s ass by the end of the movie, she fights for her man!”
Mmmmm…no, no.
“But the White girl is tripping! I mean yeah, Idris’ character opens the door and starts the whole thing going, but how was he to know the White girl is crazy?”
Le sigh.
C’mon people. What does that even sound like?
No. No, no, no. I am not going to go pay nearly ten dollars to watch a Black man flirt with disaster and nearly ruin the lives of those in his family.
I am not going to go pay nearly ten dollars to see the White girl flip out and go to the police and start accusing the Black man of ish he never did, to try and control him and get revenge when he decides he loves his wife.
I am not going to go pay nearly ten dollars to see a Black woman suffer through the actions of her dumb-ass husband who allowed himself to be ruled by his member- even if only for a moment- and then have to drop kick the White girl.
Tacky, tacky, tacky.
In case you’re wondering, Sable Verity gives “Obsessed” 2 thumbs DOWN.
Sable,
This is why I read what you write. You tackle sensitive subjects and make us all take notice. Thanks for writing about what people need to be talking about.
I, like you, am not a Beyone fan. Whenever the subject comes up, I’m the rare one in the crowd. No way would I pay to go see a movie that is going make entertainment out of a subject steeped in historic pain. Especially because my date would be a Black man. I think we’ll pass on this one.
Im not QUITE as down on Yonce as you are, but I agree that she is on her best day, an actress of marginal talent.
What makes me REALLY curious is how she thought this would enhance her dramatic reputation.
This could go horribly wrong on SO MANY levels.
but hey, anything to quell her cinematic desires is okay by me.
More music, less movies, please.
As I read this all I could think of is the scene from the film “Goodbye Uncle Tom” where the white women were sitting around discussing the way all the little Negro babies were becoming lighter and lighter. They were so foolish that they accepted the explanation of assimilation from their husbands. They said there was no way their husbands would sleep with such savages.
LOL
Sable, good post! I refuse to watch this tripe and won’t. I agree with everything except for this one little part and that’s half disagreeing really. Some, usually black women, when they see black women with a white man feel like you described about black men. But it isn’t always that way. Some people feel and will say that it’s because something is wrong with the sister.
This movie plays into ridiculous stereotypes. I would LOVE to be a fly on the wall at the theater.
I ended up here when I googled “updated interracial fatal attraction” (lol) after seeing the trailer on tv for the first time. All I could think was “hot mess” and shake my head. Agreed on all points.
I’m no fan of Beyonce, but jeez, you’d think she could find a better movie to be in. You know I’d be firing that agent if I were her.
Looks like a bunch of race-mixing titillation hooey. Could be the pendulum is swinging back in that direction for a bit, what with Obama and all… the screenplay is by David Loughery who wrote such gems as Lakeview Terrace (haven’t seen it), Money Train, and Passenger 57.
This thread made me think of Public Enemy’s Pollywannacracka
Of course I Googled it and found pollywannacracka.com whadayaknow?
I like Beyonce as a musician, but she receives an EPIC FAIL for every movie she’s been in. She makes 60 million a year, someone please explain why she feels the need to add movies to her repuatour? (And yes I know, she’s trying to get a major award in all fields, but since they only give Oscars to the good actresses…yeah…)
interestingly, i feel that they could have made something poignant with this; provided commentary on social/racial mores about interacial couples or even something more subtle with the history of white female maniupulation of black men. but then, it couldn’t have had beyonce or ali larter (another of my least favorite actresses), and it would be screening at sundance or canes and not at the AMC down the street.
Good obersvations as always though, Sable.
Big Ups to you Sable for a poignant commentary. I agree completely with everything you said and you hit the nail way into the next dimension!!! I do hope that this topic is a point of discussion on college campuses, social groups and the like. On a related but side note, now that Obama is elected, let’s hope for more substance and less symbolism from now on when it comes to issues of race relations in the US!!!
Yup! I agree with it. ALL.*smh*
Lakeview Terrace is a movie that actually slightly touches on the subject and admits that there is a trend for black men to praise each other when they nail a white girl but chastise black girls for getting a white boy. Everyone knows its true, and a MAJOR trend. Meanwhile white men are being taught by Hollywood that we are supposed to be ok with our daughters floating from one black man to another (I dont have a daughter btw). What kind of fucked up double standard is this? Its like someone wants white men to disappear.
Just look at the recent cell phone commercials that featured the black girl who had to ‘keep tabs’ on her bf who was constantly dogging white girls. Why doesn’t she dump him if she can’t trust him? Why does she instead try to climb walls just to get to him? Its because black men are so desirable that you should claw you way through whatever obstacle you must to get one. And if you have one you should be ok with him getting some on the side, as long as he gives you some every now and again. Maybe you can have a threesome! That would really please him, and he has such an insatiable appetite that he probably NEEDS 2 women to satisfy him, so its only fair. Right now they have an ice cream commercial where the black man with his black girl are eating ice cream, and he imagines a perfect fantasy, which just so happens to be him in clouds with a white girl in a hot tub together, white a black woman standing behind him out of the tub. That about sums it all up though doesn’t it? Is that a coincidence or did they tap into the ultimate black man fantasy. To be able to screw white girls, but keep YOUR woman (the black ones) still faithfully, and literally, standing BEHIND you. Waiting and watching, for you to give them a little love.
They obviously chose the race of the characters in this movie for the purpose of touching on these issues. The white woman just simply MUST have a black man. Black men are gods on earth and you need one inside you NOW.
and by the way, slavery was over a hundred years ago, but since then, when discussing rape by strangers:
http://whytnblak.wordpress.com/2007/10/18/interracial-rape-statistics-just-who-is-abusing-who/
Just like all violent crime, its black on white more than the other way (which for some reason Obama failed to address during his speech on race and interracial crime). That says a lot more when you consider that there are LESS black people, doing MORE of the rape/murder. A white girl is 30 times more likely to be raped by black man than a black woman is to be raped by a white man.
But keep denying that the sky is blue.
Well this movie is bound to stir emotions in white and black people, but can we all come out and admit that Hollywood is purposefully putting out racially edgy material lately? When I say edgy I mean movies that will stir peoples racial insecurities ESPECIALLY white couples and black couples.
This movie was obviously intended to do just that. I mean if it was a white couple on screen in a happy relationship with a few kids and a dog and the seducer was a black guy some people would get uneasy just the same, and I dont doubt a movie like that is on it’s way, because hollywood is full of those producers who approve these stupid scripts in hopes that it will “break barriers” but what it only does is create racial tension.
agree/disagree?
i was sitting in the vip room at the bellagio in vegas one day when a trashy (i thought to myself) looking lady walked through with a guy and stopped. a worker who knew my sister walked over and said…”i’m not suppossed to tell you but do you know who that is?…it’s Beyonce.” i looked closer and realized it was her but i was shocked and very unimpressed to see her in person.