The American Society of Magical Negroes review – should satire be this polite?
Justice Smith in ‘warm, fuzzy’ The American Society of Magical Negroes. Photograph: Landmark Media/Alamy
If you’re going to riff on a trope popularised by a scathing lecture delivered by Spike Lee – the “magical negro” is a supporting character in a movie whose only function is to assist selflessly the white protagonist – you’d better make sure that your satire not only has teeth but also is prepared to bite. Unfortunately, Kobi Libii’s film is far too diffident and polite in its approach to leave much of a mark in the conversation about race and representation in US culture.
Justice Smith stars as Aren, a failed artist (he makes yarn sculptures) recruited into a secret Black society dedicated to reducing the stress of white people. Think Get Out, but with the horror stripped out and replaced by some warm and fuzzy gags about knitting.
In UK and Irish cinemas now