Chris Rock's new piece on black hair is set to come out next month. I admit to at first being very guarded and assuming that Chris Rock's depiction of the issues surrounding black hair would be callous. And it's safe to say that the focus of the film isn't hard-hitting social critique, but perhaps this medium is more appropriate. Most Americans prefer humor over diatribes so a film that tackles America's vision of black hair and the chemical use of relaxers without being heavy-handed might draw a larger audience. (I keep thinking of how no one saw No End in Sight but quite a few did see Fahrenheit 9/11, which was considerably more entertaining (though perhaps less legit) than dour interviews.)
So there are some obvious criticisms we could throw out, one being that (so much as I can surmise from the interview) much of the criticism is framed in the context of sex and the use of women's bodies during sex. At the same time, that seemed to integrate men into the conversation in a way that they perhaps wouldn't have been otherwise.
What do you all think? While I realize that there are shortcomings with this as mentioned above, I wondering if things unattended to are an acceptable sacrifice for its mainstream appeal. And I know we can't really assess a film that we haven't seen entirely, so just give me what you've got so far.
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Some of it will depend on the role of his daughter's question in the film. If it starts with her asking about good hair, and then spins off into an investigation of black hair while basically forgetting about her, that will be a lot different than if he consistently comes around to how this or that piece of knowledge touches on what he wants to teach his daughter, and he does that repeatedly.
Whatever it is, it should do more good than harm. Chris Rock is an awfully smart dude. Even when he's rough, he makes points people understand, and that's who people will listen to.
I'm slightly confused - why would it be callous?
And why would it be centered around sex, if he is using his daughter as a starting point for the conversation?
And what is wrong with using humor as a vehicle within a serious documentary. He's not doing a stand up piece. Jon Stewart is funny but still gets his point across so why can't Chris Rock?
Not sure if you are a POC but just wondering what frame of reference you are using to criticise another POC doing a documentary on his own community which you haven't seen yet but seems to be eagerly anticipated by the black community that I am part of and have spoken to.