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[unpopularblargh]

This is a five year old article but I thought it was highly relevant now with all the talk of Ghost In The Shell and Doctor Strange recently. This was also one of the nominated stories that won Wesley Morris a Pulitzer in 2012 for criticism.

Yes, it is about Fast and The Furious.

http://archive.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2011/04/24/fast_forward/

Right now, anyone who watches a lot of television, or listens to pop music, is familiar with a certain vision of America. If not exactly colorblind, this America is one in which different races easily interact, in which a white person might have an Asian boss, Hispanic stepson, or African-American frenemy. On TV, Khloé Kardashian, the part-Armenian mega-celebrity, has a new reality series about her marriage to the Los Angeles Laker Lamar Odom, who is black. In the music world, no one has time to notice that the Black Eyed Peas are ambiguously, strategically cross-racial because it’s much more important to debate whether their infectiousness is awful.

Then there’s a different America: the one in the movies. Of the 30 highest grossing films from last year, only two featured major nonwhite characters. One of them—“The Karate Kid”—was set in China. The other, “Grown Ups,” had a couple of scenes for Chris Rock (black) and Rob Schneider (part Filipino). The year before, only six of the top 30 had mixed casts—and two of those (“Avatar,” “District 9”) featured races that were computer-generated effects. The dismay over the overwhelming predominance of whiteness at the movies is almost as old as the movies themselves, but the divergence from normal American experience seems to be, if anything, getting worse.

There is one glaring exception. If you reach back to 2001, you’ll see the list of top-grossing movies has recurrently featured a hit series whose nod to diversity goes far beyond sassy neighbors, illiterate linebackers, or Will Smith. It’s a collection of movies that in its Utopian way puts blacks, whites, Asians, Hispanics, and their various combinations on equal footing. It would be like a grown-up “Sesame Street,” except for the deadly road races, and the fact that the puppets have tattoos, guns, muscles, bald heads, and a ton of moving violations.

Go on and laugh your Benetton, Kumbaya, Kashi, quinoa laugh, but it’s true: The most progressive force in Hollywood today is the “Fast and Furious” movies. They’re loud, ludicrous, and visually incoherent. They’re also the last bunch of movies you’d expect to see in the same sentence as “incredibly important.” But they are—if only because they feature race as a fact of life as opposed to a social problem or an occasion for self-congratulation. (And this doesn’t even account for the gay tension between the male leads, and the occasional crypto-lesbian make-out.)

I've only copied the first couple of the opening paragraphs here. I would highly recommend anyone who has an even passing interest in film in any shape or form to give it a read.

P.S. Here's a link to the other nominated articles that Morris wrote: http://archive.boston.com/news/specials/pulitzer2012/

 

[taimoorh]

I mean they stopped glorifying the stealing of cars. If anything, "circumstances", shady as they were on the legality of the whole situation, forced them to steal cars/ win them through illegal street races.

Also, large multicultural cast of likeable characters which touches base with a more international audience.

 

[Messofanego]

I wonder if the filmmakers and casting agents were scared of making a big blockbuster franchise with mostly non-white actors. And if so, how did they overcome it.

This franchise proved that it's not just white audiences that go to the movies. If you represent non-white races, they will come. Even towering above the white demographic.

'Furious 7's Diverse Audience Could be Responsible for Film's Huge Opening Weekend
"According to The Hollywood Reporter, Furious 7's audience was 75% non-Caucasian, with Hispanic viewers making up 37% of ticket buyers. Caucasian viewers were the second-largest demo at 25%, followed by African American moviegoers, who made up 24%. Asian viewers made up 10% and "other" made up 4%."

I don't even remember racial politics coming into the movies. It's just all good, uniting family fun. It's what American movies should strive for, embrace the melting pot.

 

[unpopularblargh]

I wonder if the filmmakers and casting agents were scared of making a big blockbuster franchise with mostly non-white actors. And if so, how did they overcome it.

This franchise proved that it's not just white audiences that go to the movies. If you represent non-white races, they will come. Even towering above the white demographic.

'Furious 7's Diverse Audience Could be Responsible for Film's Huge Opening Weekend
"According to The Hollywood Reporter, Furious 7's audience was 75% non-Caucasian, with Hispanic viewers making up 37% of ticket buyers. Caucasian viewers were the second-largest demo at 25%, followed by African American moviegoers, who made up 24%. Asian viewers made up 10% and "other" made up 4%."

I don't even remember racial politics coming into the movies. It's just all good, uniting family fun. It's what American movies should strive for, embrace the melting pot.

Plus it's not like Vin Diesel was a household name (or even close to) before the first film.

 

[Frozenprince]

Plus it's not like Vin Diesel was a household name (or even close to) before the first film.

He's not even one now really.

They don't see these movies because he's in them they see them because it's a Fast and the Furious movie.

 

[unpopularblargh]

He's not even one now really.

They don't see these movies because he's in them they see them because it's a Fast and the Furious movie.

I'm not denying that but was making a point about how people always bring up you need a well known AAA actor (most of the time a white guy) and how the first film shatters that perception.

 

[Sheroking]

I mean they stopped glorifying the stealing of cars. If anything, "circumstances", shady as they were on the legality of the whole situation, forced them to steal cars/ win them through illegal street races.

Also, large multicultural cast of likeable characters which touches base with a more international audience.

I don't think they were ever car thieves FYI.

They were performing heists on trucks and stuff, stealing merchandise. They just happened to be tuners and drag racers on the side. Paul Walker's character shared that hobby so he got the undercover assignment.

That movie really was just Point Break with cars instead of surf boards.

I'm not denying that but was making a point about how people always bring up you need a well known AAA actor (most of the time a white guy) and how the first film shatters that perception.

I mean... not saying you're wrong, but those movies didn't start breaking the box-office records until The Rock joined. He is certainly a well known AAA actor, at least in terms of fame and visibility goes.

 

[PastorOfMuppets]

It's an interesting point, I would have to say I agree with the article. Having not watched any of the movies I can't comment but I can say that the argument applies to the Harold and Kumar movies are so praised in the Asian-American (South and East alike) communities is that the stars of the movie are two Asian guys playing completely atypical roles for Asian-Americans. It's just your standard stoner flick - except two Asian dudes instead of white guys.

It's also the same reason why I gave Master of None a shot and don't care for How I Met Your Mother. In Master of None, New York resembles New York. There's a black lesbian who isn't your typical man hating sassy bitch. An Asian guy that speaks English and is the defacto cool guy. Even Aziz Ansari's parents who are portrayed as having Indian accents are portrayed in a respectful way.

Contrast that to How I Met Your Mother. New York City is as white as Salt Lake City. The only visible minority is Barney's re-occuring adopted brother played by Wayne Brady. The only non-black minority is the Indian cab driver guy that serves as comedic foil and just drives these four unlikable white people around New York City.

 

[jdstorm]

He's not even one now really.

They don't see these movies because he's in them they see them because it's a Fast and the Furious movie.

Umm...Tokyo Drift was a massive flop because Vin Diesel wasn't in it. At this point Diesel is his generations Sylvester Stalone

 

[bodyboarder]

Umm...Tokyo Drift was a massive flop because Vin Diesel wasn't in it. At this point Diesel is his generations Sylvester Stalone

Vin couldn't have saved it.

 

[Ashhong]

Umm...Tokyo Drift was a massive flop because Vin Diesel wasn't in it. At this point Diesel is his generations Sylvester Stalone

It was a massive flop because Asians. Duh.

 

[Kas]

I love Fast Five, despite nit really caring much for the other movies. I've seen them all, except maybe Tokyo Drift, but I'm just not a car person. All that car stuff just doesn't do it for me.

I do, however, love heist films. And the ending to F5 was just incredible. It's easily in my top 10 all time movies.

 

[unpopularblargh]

I would highly recommend people posting in this thread read the article. It has some great stuff in it:

That is the loose history of race as a subject in Hollywood: the province of a liberal white industry that wanted to promote fairness and equality, often at the expense of realism and sometimes at the cost of the black characters’ humanness. Movies about race still tend to be self-congratulatory (“Crash&#8221 or mine tension for comedy, the way “48 Hours” and its offspring have. As a rule, a movie starring a white guy and a black guy is a movie about a white guy and a black guy. The enormous success of 2009’s “The Blind Side,” in which Sandra Bullock makes a black teenager one of the family, demonstrates that America isn’t post-racial. It is thoroughly mired in race—the myths that surround it, the guilt it inspires, the discomfort it causes, the struggle to transcend it.

 

[Discotheque]

Yeah Fast and Furious franchise are the only big movies that seem to be casting wide range of diversities without feeling like a quota or bringing attention to it

 

[SomedayTheFire]

That's a wonderful article and I'm glad it touches on Brian's flip flop too.

 

[Messofanego]

It's an interesting point, I would have to say I agree with the article. Having not watched any of the movies I can't comment but I can say that the argument applies to the Harold and Kumar movies are so praised in the Asian-American (South and East alike) communities is that the stars of the movie are two Asian guys playing completely atypical roles for Asian-Americans. It's just your standard stoner flick - except two Asian dudes instead of white guys.

It's also the same reason why I gave Master of None a shot and don't care for How I Met Your Mother. In Master of None, New York resembles New York. There's a black lesbian who isn't your typical man hating sassy bitch. An Asian guy that speaks English and is the defacto cool guy. Even Aziz Ansari's parents who are portrayed as having Indian accents are portrayed in a respectful way.

Contrast that to How I Met Your Mother. New York City is as white as Salt Lake City. The only visible minority is Barney's re-occuring adopted brother played by Wayne Brady. The only non-black minority is the Indian cab driver guy that serves as comedic foil and just drives these four unlikable white people around New York City.

Considering How I Met Your Mother was trying to ape Friends, I'm not surprised at how white it is

I love this video of black people watching Friends for the first time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXS91f8UmhI

 

[StopMakingSense]

I wonder if the filmmakers and casting agents were scared of making a big blockbuster franchise with mostly non-white actors. And if so, how did they overcome it.

It's more by happenstance than anything. The original Fast and the Furious was a much smaller genre film, the series sort of blew the fuck up after Fast Five.

 

[Messofanego]

It's more by happenstance than anything. The original Fast and the Furious was a much smaller genre film, the series sort of blew the fuck up after Fast Five.

True, $38million for a budget of the first movie is kind of small.

Fast Five still the best.

 

[creatchee]

I expected Gone in 60 Seconds from the thread title.

Great read though.

 

[unpopularblargh]

I expected Gone in 60 Seconds from the thread title.

Great read though.

Wesley Morris is great. Him and MZS are easily two of my favourite critics atm.