The new Netflix number one rom-com movie, “You People,” is a modern-day interracial love story.
The story is written by the Emmy Award Winning writer, Kenya Barris, and has a star-studded cast that includes Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Nia Long, Jonah Hill, Lauren London, and plenty more.
The movie focuses on the love between two main characters: Ezra, a white Jewish-American man played by Jonah Hill, and Amira, a Black Muslim American Women played by Lauren London. The movie is a lighthearted take on the struggle that both characters face when their differing families cannot accept their marriage because of their religious and racial differences.
The characters are both successful in their fields of work and are just searching for the right person to share their lives with. Amira has an overbearing father played by Eddie Murphy, who disapproves of Ezra just because he is white and prefers for his daughter to be with someone who is “a reflection of himself.” While Ezra’s mother, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, approves of her son’s marriage to Amira, she unfortunately makes Amira feel uncomfortable on every encounter because she unintentionally says many microaggressions towards her.
The movie does a great job in representing each character’s background with hilarious dialogue and a great cast that delivers in each scene.
Although Amira and Ezra may be different racially, they share many of the same interests and connect through fashion, music, and intellect, which the movie does a good job highlighting.
The lack of chemistry between Ezra and Amira in the movie made the ending seem like their love would not be everlasting for the future. I believe the movie’s turning point happened quickly and was also quickly resolved. I feel the ending was rushed and cliché. It seemed like a quick fix for a problem that is much deeper than a minute long apology and a spontaneous wedding. I was hoping for a happy ending, but I felt it lacked the depth of storytelling that the rest of the movie had.
The movie, although it may be lacking in chemistry between the protagonists, does a great job at highlighting the modern-day implications that many interracial couples face today. Interracial couples are accepted and are very common today, but many are presented with new obstacles that may not always be abundantly clear.
This movie is great for anyone to watch because it is a realistic take on what could happen in any family. It highlights an interracial demographic and shows some of the “do’s and dont’s” when two contrasting families are becoming one.
Aside from the storyline, the movie also has great cinematography that highlights the city of Los Angeles in many eye-grabbing colorful ways. There were great camera cuts, split screens, and overhead shots.
The movie soundtrack is also great, featuring songs from artists like Lil Wayne, Drake, H.E.R, and many more. The mood in each scene and the modernization of the love story that is depicted in the plot was highlighted well through the music selection.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie. It has moments that will have you dying from laughter, plenty of witty dialogue, great references, and an incredible cast.
