Streaming giant Netflix's latest comedy, You People, combines the talents of funnyman and Oscar nominee Jonah Hill with comedy legend Eddie Murphy. Influential television writer Kenya Barris makes his directorial debut with the film, in addition to co-writing the script with Hill.
Ezra (Jonah Hill) is a Jewish finance worker navigating the highs and lows of adulthood while living in Los Angles. Despite his success in the field, Ezra is much more passionate about the podcast he co-hosts with his best friend Mo (Sam Jay). Making matters worse, Ezra's parents, Shelly (Julia Louis -Dreyfus) and Arnold (David Duchovny) keep pressuring Ezra to find love.
Things start to look up when Ezra has a chance encounter with Amira (Lauren London) when he mistakes her for his Uber driver. The two form a friendship that leads to a relationship. Ready to propose, Ezra has the daunting task of meeting her parents, Akbar (Murphy) and Fatima (Nia Long). This also means that Ezra's parents will meet Amira's parents. Will Ezra and Amira make it to the altar?
It's no secret that many viewers will take You People as nothing more than another version of the Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac 2005 comedy Guess Who, which was another version of the Sidney Poitier and Spencer Tracy classic Guess Who's Coming To Dinner. In hindsight, that's what the film with Barris employing a direction style reminiscent of his television work.
I was unbothered by this approach because I'm a Barris fan. As for the writing, it appears that Hill focused on the Jewish elements while Barris concentrated on the Black side. The two then came together to give us our final product. Mostly, the film is familiar and follows a standard formula with the issues it wants to address.
Thankfully the cast is ready to elevate the simplistic material up a notch. Hill and London have organic chemistry, and their relationship comes off as natural While everyone gets a moment to shine in the film, the real comedy MVPs are SNL albums Murphy and Louis -Dreyfus, both of whom have scene-stealing moments. There are also some great cameos from Mike Epps, Anthony Andreson, Deon Cole, and Andrea Savage.
You People is sure to divide audiences and critics, but as a part of interracial marriage, I thought the film was spot on. Never taking itself too seriously, You People is worth a look.
Final Grade: B
You People is streaming on Netflix now.
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