kavanf1
Member
He was the Magic Negro in Snakes on a Plane.
Is the Magical Negro genre heading for a resurgance?
- Thread starter Slayven
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I missed that. Either one of these films really coming out in February? They can't be that blatant.
theignoramus
Member
You might wanna watch The Spook Who Sat By the Door. The movie was so subversive & true to reality, when it was released the FBI pressured theaters to not show it and basically had it blacklisted. Its about a first-of-his-kind Black CIA agent who uses all of his top flight training & intelligence to start a nation-wide, armed Negro revolt , its extremely well done.
lightskintwin
Banned
Hi Five on Life. A truly underrated comedy film.
Yeah the Pryor biopic was fast tracked by The Weinstein Company and had Lee Daniels as a director, Oprah Winfrey as Pryor's grandmother, Murphy as Pryor's father, Kate Hudson as Pryor's widow, and Mike Epps in the lead role as Richard Pryor.
Lee Daniels dropped out as director due to scheduling conflicts this year in May, and I've heard nothing about it since. Maybe they're waiting for Daniels to come back after his schedule is free, I don't know. I was really looking forward to it.
Y'know, I've never really watched that. Just bits and pieces of it. Might check it out next time it's on TV just to see what level of Magical Negrosity it's at.
One movie old school movie I've always wanted to check out.
kavanf1
Member
Oh don't watch it on my account, the magical negrosity levels are near zero. However the levels of badass non-supernatural negrosity are off the charts, so worth watching for that and the stupid humour.
Lord Frieza
Member
I'm like...90% sure he's joking there. I can't say I'm 100%, because I don't know how far some want to stretch the trope.
EDIT: Okay, he is.
lightskintwin
Banned
Never heard of it, and after reading about it I'm surprised to see In 2012 the film was added to the National Film Registry.
I also see there was documentary made about the film in 2011.
I'm definitely interested in seeing it now. Thanks.
Oh, so it's Jackson's John Shaft put on a plane with snakes then.
GabeTheGrouch76
Member
The Mr. Church trailer seemed pretty standard for Magical Negro trope fair (right down to the mistake of more or less revealing most of the movie)...at least until I read the story. Good lord lmao, what a crock of sludge. That said, if Eddie turns out a decent performance that gets some acclaim (though judging the RT and MC scores for the film overall, that won't help much :v), I don't mind. I just want him to go back to appearing in good movies again. The Richard Pryor biopic was interesting, shame it slipped into development hell along with BHC IV.
On the other hand, the Same Kind of Different as Me is hilarious for its lack of subtlety. Especially with the scary black man trope it's coated its black character with.
It's a bit out there for the trope, but surely Black Snake Moan could count?
On the other hand, the Same Kind of Different as Me is hilarious for its lack of subtlety. Especially with the scary black man trope it's coated its black character with.
It's a bit out there for the trope, but surely Black Snake Moan could count?
TimeEffect
Member
I forget what that movie is. Can someone recap why its racist
Lord Frieza
Member
It could, I guess, but it'd be stretching a little there. I think the main thing with that one is that Jackson's character is a pseudo-shaman within the narrative itself, so black or not, he would probably confront Ricci's sex demon or whatever. I think his character is a lot more realized in Black Snake, and he's less of a gleefully, helpful negro, and more of a reluctant savior. I don't think most look at that as a Magical Negro trope example.
Count Dookkake
Member
The genre is ripe for parody.
Oooh, good one. I forgot about Black Snake Moan.
A Croatian family and an old Serb who fixes their lives. But then it's discovered he was in on some war crime which he didn't take part of himself but allowed it to happen. The Croatian family doesn't know what to do after the old Serb brought so much good to them. the old Serb cries and says if he could go back in time he would have acted differently. All is forgiven. aaaand I don't know where the hell I'm going with this.
lightskintwin
Banned
An excerpt from Wikipedia:
"The Blind Side has been criticized as presenting a white savior narrative in which Oher, an African-American male, is unable to overcome poverty and personal failure without the guidance of adoptive, white mother Tuohy. For example, Jeffrey Montez de Oca of the University of Colorado writes that in The Blind Side's portrayal of adoption, "charity operates as a signifying act of whiteness that obscures the social relations of domination that not only make charity possible but also creates an urban underclass in need of charity." Melissa Anderson of the Dallas Observer argues that the "mute, docile" portrayal of Oher effectively endorses the Uncle Tom stereotype of African-American submission to white authority."
Yo, I was thinking the same thing. If executed right, it could be one hilarious film.
Grimm Fandango
Member
Shocked it hasn't been mentioned yet (searched on mobile) but Radio is one of the lowest of the low.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_(2003_film)?wprov=sfla1
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Radio-movie_Poster.jpg
Let's make a movie about a Magical Negro who is also severely mentally challenged and saves a football town.
Based on a true story be damned. Cuba went "full retard" and it's just awful.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_(2003_film)?wprov=sfla1
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Radio-movie_Poster.jpg
Let's make a movie about a Magical Negro who is also severely mentally challenged and saves a football town.
Based on a true story be damned. Cuba went "full retard" and it's just awful.
from Wikipedia:
"Cuba Gooding Jr. earned a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actor for his performance in the film but also an NAACP Image Award for best actor in a motion picture."
Now I kinda want to see it after you built it up.
Lord Frieza
Member
Well, at some point, I think you have to draw the line with this trope. Is every helpful black person within a narrative a Magical Negro? I mean, it's been a long time since I have seen Black Snake Moan, but I really don't think Jackson's character in Moan fits the bill. If it does, it's a much darker version than typical I would say then.
DontBeThatGuy
Member
Mr. Church looks like the kind of shit you might see on The Hallmark channel.
Sibersk Esto
Banned
People would have seizures if that movie came out nowadays
SENPAIatLARGE
Banned
We need a crossover movie like AvP or Freddy vs Jason called Magic Negro vs White Savior. The White Savior uses her wealth and kindness to save the Magic Negro's son from the ghetto. But at the same time, Magic Negro is helping the White Saviors husband with their failing marriage. Jealous and fearful of their respective abilities to change lives within a month of contact, they wage war across the city, financially saving minority families and repairing white peoples broken marriages in their wake.
Count Dookkake
Member
Randomizer
Member
It is known that the most magical person of all time was white.
SENPAIatLARGE
Banned
It is known that the most magical person of all time was white.
Are you telling me that Jesus was the original Magical negro?
Any Questions
Member
Grimm Fandango
Member
What in the fuck. I can only imagine he won that by the judges reading only the synopsis while drunk/high.
DontBeThatGuy
Member
Radio is a terrible film.
Right? LOL
I'd watch it.
kavanf1
Member
Damn why has this gone private, I wanted to show it to my wife. It's hilarious.
I know you are just being cheeky, but the two tropes are not mutually exclusive, and frequently appear together. (See Radio, and The Blind Side, both already mentioned in this thread)
GabeTheGrouch76
Member
Oh most certainly. Heck, I'd argue a no-holds-barred, over-the-top scorched-earth evisceration of the genre and everything that comes with it (presumably something in the line of Blazing Saddles) would be absolutely glorious. Dare I say it would even act as a Jaws: The Revenge-tier genre killer, like no modern filmgoer would be able to take the premise seriously for decades.
Fun fact: His previous movies he starring were among the most rented films at that point in time, up until the film's release.
As TVTropes put it, you could say that Radio Killed the Video Star.
And lol, "full retard". Perfect reference match.
lightskintwin
Banned
Are you sure? It's not private for me, I can still watch it.
My favorite magical negro is probably Mr. T's spoof on the concept in Not Another Teen Movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af_J2e4r328
Just all-around great. And then they had the whole "too many black dudes in 1 scene" joke too which was hilarious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af_J2e4r328
Just all-around great. And then they had the whole "too many black dudes in 1 scene" joke too which was hilarious.
kavanf1
Member
Thanks, I tried again on my PC - for some reason it came up private on my phone but works on my PC.
Frozenprince
Banned
He stole Rick James life essence.
Professor Beef
Banned
Pretty sure cocaine did that.
Bob Coffee
Member
when are we going to get the magical negro adaptation of madoka magica? with samuel l jackson as homura?
SENPAIatLARGE
Banned
So Gen Urobochi is doing a deconstruction of the magical negro genre in the style of Madoka Magica or Evangellion? That sounds great, but I personally cant wait for Tenga Toppa Giga Negroes, which is really a celebration of the genre, in which a black man must save a space pilots marriage in order to save the universe.
Sam can play anything
jesus christ, that trailer just showed the entire movie, like, the entire movie.
i mean, it looks like schmaltzy garbage that i wouldn't want to see anyways, but now even if i was interested there'd be no reason to see it now.
Its racist.
Clearly has roots in the all knowing all kind all the time white loving uncle tom kind of white fantasy about old black men.
Mrs. Manky
Banned
What about The Last Kiss Goodnight?
kavanf1
Member
I like what they did with Freddy in House of Cards. Though I didn't know of the name for the Magical Negro thing at the time, initially I thought they were going to play his character out quite stereotypically, as being a seen-it-all old guy who keeps Frank right with wise counsel. Instead they turn him from the benevolent old purveyor of wisdom to the one guy who has the balls to say
right to the president's face.
fuck you
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