By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2 cats
Director: Mario Van Peebles
Starring: David Alan Grier | Joy Bryant | Mario Van Peebles | Nia Long | Ossie Davis | T.K. Carter | Terry Crews
Country: united_states
Year: 2004
Running time: 108
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367790/combined
Hilary says: “BAADASSSSS! is Mario Van Peebles’ biopic of his father Melvin’s attempt to make his groundbreaking film SWEET SWEETBACK’S BAAD ASSSSS SONG (1971), the first of the ‘blaxploitation’ genre.
“There are some interesting elements to the story as it portrays the struggle to make a film, much less an underground or independent feature, plus the added difficulties of being a minority in Hollywood, particularly in the late ’60s/early ’70s.
“However, the larger part I took away from it was what a tough, unrelenting figure the elder Van Peebles was. While this may have served him well as a filmmaker, it had an overwhelmingly negative effect on his relationship with his children. I suppose this film is an opportunity for Mario Van Peebles to work through those feelings in a creative way, while paying tribute to his father as an important figure in the artistic history of African-Americans. 2 cats, mostly for groovy costumes and soundtrack.”