A Day in Black and White (2001) Reviews

• The Best Film There Is On Race Relations!

  Zen Bones2000-06-28

  This is simply the best film I've ever seen on race relations. It focuses on all the millions of little frustrations that both blacks and whites have regarding race, and it covers everything from inter-racial dating, barbie dolls, east coast porn verses west coast, L.S.P. (light skin presumption), gangsta rap, Star Trek, affirmative action, Thanksgiving, and organic chitlins. It is also VERY funny! It is not a passionate film like "Do the Right Thing" but it covers just as much ground. It does it subtly, through discussion and humour, and manages to get perspectives of both men and women from teen years through middle age (and without ever seeming rhetorical or preachy!). Some of the acting is a bit amateurish but that just adds to to the film because essentially all of these people are us, no matter what their race. The only bad thing about this film is that Spike Lee's name is not on it. If it had been it would have seen a much wider release and would be as highly acclaimed as any of the best of his films. Unfortunately Spike had nothing to do with this so it just floats around various cable stations hoping to catch the eye of a viewer who is adventurous enough to watch a movie with no big names attached. Check it out. You won't be disappointed!

• A striking little film

  Tuva-32000-02-04

  What a pleasure...considering the sort of garbage that one usually finds on Cinemax late in the evening, I almost didn't watch this. It has an undeniably amateur feel to it, but I lost myself both in the dialogue and the great sight gags (the three boys running would have had the Marx Brothers absolutely howling). Mr. Hall did a laudable job of staying one step ahead of me; every time I thought that I had figured out where a particular strain of conversation was going, he would derail it completely with an undeniable truth. There's nothing particularly groundbreaking here, but, like all good art, it made me think.

• The best Race relations film HANDS DOWN!

  montel1112009-07-06

  Do you know how CRASH one the Academy Award for best film?! Well, I HATED CRASH! When people tell me why, I tell them that the only reason it won the best film is that the masses did not want to give it to Broke Back Mountain! SECRET: The real reason is that in my mind I was comparing it to this film. A DAY IN BLACK AND WHITE! There is no comparison! This film covers EVERY TOPIC I had seen or heard in my 42 years on this earth form BLACKS AND WHITES and from WOMEN AND MEN! It even brought to light some prejudices that had crept into my subconscious, both regarding BLACK AND WHITES! (NOTE: I am Black man living in the suburbs and date both black and white. I also have very close relatives that are White!) On a personal note, when people want to start those long dreary conversations on race, I refer them to this movie immediately, so it can save a LOT of time! IT IS THAT GOOD. ENTERTAINING, and INFORMATIVE!

• No Big Names?

  weeeeeble2004-05-28

  Harold Perrineau Jr.is a pretty big name. He filmed this while starring on screen as an inmate in a wheel chair and the narrator on OZ on HBO. He has done quite a bit since, check out his IMDb Also a NY radio personality is featured. This was done before he became a radio performer, Billy Staples There are some decent names here. Spike Lee would have been great though, I agree.The big name thing and all, this is taking nothing away from Desmond This movie, if you have never seen it, really gets you thinking. 2 very close friends who can honestly say anything to each other discuss their own feelings on race relations and how they can be misconstrued. Heck, it is out on DVD