Welcome to James Toback’s world, a world where race is explored frankly, sex never shied away from and sexuality very much in your face. Hollywood conventions mean nothing to James Toback. His movies are about people and the world they live in and if he has something to say he doesn’t so much as hesitate. At its heart Black and White is a study on the state of race relations as they stand today, in this modern world. It pulls no punches, exploring the hypocrisies and irony that lie quite prreviewently amidst America’s clearly backward society.
At the centre of the multi-layered narrative is Rich Bower, a young black man for whom the easy life of crime has lost its appeal. Instead, he wants to make another kind of name for himself, in the hip-hop community. A group of privileged, uptown (New York) white teenagers become infatuated with his world, especially Charlie, the daughter of a particularly unctuous investment banker who revels in his wealth. Sam, an aspiring filmmaker who, with her openly, aggressively gay husband (don’t ask) Terry in tow wants to make a documentary on the racial divide, follows the kids on a typical day in their far from typical life. Meanwhile, Rich’s closest friend Dean a college basketball star is offered money to throw the big game by a stranger with a grudge. Will, a judge’s son is thoroughly entrenched in his “black identity,” a loyal member of Rich’s crew whose loyalty is soon tested. Perhaps the most interesting character involved – and this is merely just for the very idea of his presence here – is Mike Tyson. Rich and his black buddies hang out with him and it is his advice that hurtles the film onto its climax.
Black and White essentially shares its format with the likes of Magnolia and Short Cuts, introducing as it does a large cast of eclectic characters who come together in a clear, precise story. As a result, some of them suffer, but only a select few are essential to the main narrative. The first half of the movie is vibrant, full of life as it focuses on the impressionable youth, with James Toback employing some very sharp cuts to portray the two different worlds they live in. The second half turns its attention on a slightly more traditional revenge story-line which doesn’t really have the same urgency, bogged down as it is by a relationship that just isn’t interesting enough to play centre stage.
The margin between the white kids and Rich’s crew is well presented. The former come of as nothing more than spoilt brats who get turned on by the idea of rebellion. Their chosen route is in direct contrast to the black characters. The white kids are more than happy playing around in the sinkhole Rich and his buddies are so eager to leave through their music, in essence making a mockery of their struggle. Charlie and her friends are nothing more than poor little rich kids who have seen one too many movies.
One of the movie’s coups is its cast, a cross-pollination of talent from the sports, music and of course movie world. Mike Tyson’s performance is much more than a cameo. He commands the screen effortlessly, his scene with Robert Downey Jr’s Terry brutally real and downright scary. Professional Basketball player, Allen Houston plays Dean, a brave decision given the fact that his character plays no real onscreen basketball, leaving Houston to act, something he does well. From the hip-hop world come the Wu-Tang Clan’s Power and Method Man, the former of whom plays the movie’s focus with
Where the movie really succeeds is in its mostly improvised form. As Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick did with The Blair Witch Project, James Toback gave each of his cast members a basic direction in which to take each scene before letting them create their own characters. This decision works well, especially with the white kids, who appear incredibly naturalistic and real, especially when compared with their glossy She’s-all-That-esque peers. Bijou Phillips and American Pie’s Eddie K. Thomas are notable standouts, each brimming with life and youthful vigour. Of the adults, Robert Downey Jr continues his rather bad habit of stealing movies, with an impeccably nuance-filled performance. Keeping in mind the improvisational nature, he does an amazing job imbuing his somewhat perverse role with unforgettable authenticity. Ben Stiller also shines in his portrayal of a potentially duplicitous but by the end of the film unbearably pathetic man. Some of the women fare remarkably less well, most notably Claudia Schiffer, whose wooden performance stilts the last act badly.
At the end of the day, Black and White is a movie with honourable intentions, but no movie could do this huge, controversial subject justice. It however is definitely a worthwhile exercise, full of interesting ideas, acted out by a truly fascinating ensemble cast, more than ten of whom play themselves with - especially in Mike Tyson’s case - startling honesty. |
