The American Society Of Magical Negroes (12A)

Struggling Los Angeles artist Aren has a forthcoming solo show cancelled after his latest piece - an untitled sculpture fashion from Peruvian wool - fails to attract a single bid from collectors. On his way home, he meets Roger, who introduces Aren to The American Society Of Magical Negroes, which has worked tirelessly behind the scenes throughout history to protect African Americans by shaping white lives. Aren becomes the society's newest recruit.

LondonNet Film Review

The American Society Of Magical Negroes (12A) Film Review from LondonNet

The term “magical negro” was coined to refer to a black character in fiction, who performs acts of service to prop up the storyline and promote the success of a white character. Some obvious examples would be Whoopi Goldberg’s hilarious medium Oda Mae Brown in Ghost and Mykelti Williamson’s kind-hearted Bubba in Forrest Gump. Writer-director Kobi Libii’s toothless satire attempts to poke fun at the trope but fails to draw blood with obvious jabs at centuries of prejudice, intolerance and segregation…

The American Society Of Magical Negroes builds to a stirring monologue about belonging that should land with the same sledgehammer force as America Ferrara’s cri de coeur in Barbie. Libii’s script leans in tentatively to its provocative premise then retreats into the conventional storytelling and stereotypes it promises to subvert. There are sparks of impishness with nods to The Green Mile and Driving Miss Daisy alongside toe-curling team talks from Rupert Friend’s tech billionaire, who is painfully out of touch with the society he purports to reflect. However, social commentary is repeatedly sidetracked for a belaboured romance that doesn’t know how to satisfactorily resolve itself and ultimately stops trying. The closing five minutes of Libii’s picture are wild and disorienting for the wrong reasons.

Struggling Los Angeles artist Aren (Justice Smith) has a forthcoming solo show cancelled after his latest piece – an untitled sculpture fashion from Peruvian wool – fails to attract a single bid from collectors. “If you can’t stick up for your own work, I can’t do it for you,” warns the gallery owner. On the way home, he is falsely accused of theft by a drunk white woman and the barman from the gallery event, Roger (David Alan Grier), rescues Aren from the tense situation.

This kind stranger introduces Aren to The American Society Of Magical Negroes run by DeDe (Nicole Byer), which has worked tirelessly behind the scenes throughout history to protect African Americans by shaping white lives. “We are the vanguard of white relaxation,” explains Roger, who successfully mentors Aren to boost the self-confidence of a shy white police officer (Tim Baltz). A first official posting to lift the gloom of social media high-flyer Jason (Drew Tarver) is compromised when Aren develops feelings for Jason’s co-worker Lizzie (An-Li Bogan).

The American Society Of Magical Negroes dismisses any discomfort around the title early on when Smith’s nice guy stutteringly suggests an update to modern, politically correct parlance. Arriving so soon after Oscar-winning comedy American Fiction and TV series I’m A Virgo, the bluntness of the humour is evident despite the best efforts of a stellar cast to provoke vital debate and understanding through irreverence. Smith’s innate likeability is the yarn that holds the film together.

– Kim Hu