My Review of Netflix’s “You People”

The movie seemed to mean well, but it was all over the place…

If you haven’t seen Netflix’s “You People,” it may or may not be worth the watch, depending on who you ask.

Some people say it’s okay, has it’s funny moments.

Others say it was too heavy-handed with the social commentary.

I say both.

Here’s my take on “You People,” a movie co-written by Kenya Barris (the man responsible for Blackish and Mixedish, not to mention the Netflix flop Black AF) and Jonah Hill (actor in Superbad, 21 Jump Street, etc).

Overall, the movie had some jokes that made me laugh out loud, but I wouldn’t call it funny per se.

It spent a little too much time on the Drake jokes in the beginning when Jonah Hill (Ezra) and his best friend, Mo, are talking in the kitchen in what I believe to be a shared apartment.

I was a little surprised to find pedo jokes sprinkled in there, mainly because they’re kind of dated and they’re not very PC.

Should we really be laughing at that kind of joke at this point? Hell, I’m surprised no one’s canceled either of them over this yet.

What I Liked

One thing I did like about the movie was seeing celebrities like Nia Long, Eddie Murphy, David Duchovny, Deon Cole, and Mike Epps.

I also liked the way the couple met. It wasn’t overly forced like some romantic comedies. It’s pretty believable. It wasn’t quite a meet-cute, but almost.

He mistakes her for his Uber driver, which leads to her calling him racist, but when he flashes her his phone, it turns out the two do have a striking resemblance.

Despite the fact that they have literally no chemistry throughout the movie, I didn’t mind seeing them together.

A line I thought was funny: “She smells like cocoa butter and expectations.” — Mo, describing Lauren London (Amira).

I also liked the scene where Ezra’s mom (Shelley), played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, is in the car with Amira and she starts belting out the lyrics to Rise Up by Andra Day, while Amira keeps giving her the side eye. Hilarious.

A similar scene where Ezra and his soon-to-be-father-in-law, Akbar (Eddie Murphy), are also in the car and the song Niggas in Paris by Jay-Z and Kanye West comes on and Akbar asks Ezra what the name of the song is, trying to see if he’ll say the “n” word. That was pretty funny to watch.

I also liked a scene where Amira and Shelley are at the spa and Shelley thinks she’s being discriminated against because she’s with Amira, because it appears that a white woman was allowed to go in front of them (but it turns out she just works there).

Another funny scene is when the families are discussing wedding ideas and Shelley brings up Old Hollywood as a potential idea. Akbar promptly responds that Old Hollywood was a time when black actors and actresses couldn’t stay at the hotels they performed in. It’s clearly meant to make her feel uncomfortable in a way only Akbar can do.

What I Didn’t Like

The chemistry between these two throughout the movie is virtually nonexistent. They come off more like two friends than a couple.

Despite that, the movie is still somewhat enjoyable. It’s not too cringey.

Except when they CGI’d the kiss at the end. I don’t know what Lauren London’s reason for not wanting to kiss Jonah Hill is, but that was a little ridiculous.

I think they could’ve gotten someone else to play the love interest if that was the case.

It was also a little weird how excited Ezra’s mom was to be a “family of color.”

Almost like getting a new handbag and showing it off to your friends. Gag.

And this movie stinks of Kenya Barris. It made a lot more sense to me when I realized he’d co-written it.

So, if you like Blackish on crack, you might like this movie.

Overall, the movie felt like a guide for how white people should talk to or act around black people (especially the scene where Amira tries to sneak past Shelley in the lobby of the hotel, but gets caught and has to gently explain why she’s not an accessory).

My rating: 6.8/10

Star Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Like My Content?

Enjoyed what you read? Want more? Hit that follow button and get a daily dose of content on TV, movies, travel, all things bookish, and whatever else that piques my interest or ruffles my tail feathers 😅

Or follow my other Medium page to learn how to make money online.