For whatever reason, there are some movies that we in the entertainment media fail to notice. Take documentaries as an example Am I a racist?for whatever reason, we are liberals. Not a single major media company has reviewed the film – it’s the first theatrical release from Ben Shapiro’s conservative media company The Daily Wire – and it’s been in the top 10 for two weeks. . so this hollywood reporter Recruited a man who didn’t care about losing all his friends. That person is me.
Even more surprising than this fact is that Am I a racist? The film grossed over $9 million at the box office, making it one of the 40 highest-grossing documentaries of all time. The 14th highest-grossing theater was AMC 16 in Burbank. So on Thursday, I went to Burbank, a town where 70% of voters chose Joe Biden in 2020, to see who would go see the movie. I picked the latest show, which was 2:20 p.m.
I smiled as I nervously asked the Latin conductor for a ticket. Am I a racist? He didn’t seem worried, which made me less worried when I handed my ticket to the Asian lady who took me to Theater Six, which was deserted except for a can left by an audience member at the noon screening beer.
Before the movie starts, five people are scattered in the theater: an old white man, a young white woman and three generations of a Latino family, none of whom I guess want to be called Latino.
This movie is a BoratComedy style, podcaster Matt Walsh dressed up in disguise and told his subjects that he was documenting his anti-racism journey on film (although it was never revealed in the documentary, he reportedly told his viewers , his film will be titled shadow of justice). His disguise included a man bun wig and skinny jeans. I can’t believe this is what he thinks liberals are wearing in 2024.
Although Walsh got some laughs from my four audience members, he lacked some of the comedian’s skills, such as being funny. He was a gentle and confident presence, which kept everything on an even keel. He occasionally cracks serious jokes: When a grief-themed anti-racism workshop began and attendees were asked to introduce themselves with the weirdest compliment they’d ever received, Walsh said, “I take it. Got a lot of compliments from my black friends. But most of the time, his comedies are mimeographed copies of comedies that are based on other mafia movies rather than real criminals. Am I a racist? It feels like a comedy made by aliens who have seen comedy. There was a slow, ironic clap. The plate falls. He pretended to cry.
In Walsh’s defense, what Sacha Baron Cohen did was really difficult — and he’s a professional actor. Most of the time, Cohen himself didn’t succeed (Bruno, the dictator). Even when his movies are released, he leaves a lot of scenes on the cutting room floor. Walsh appears to be more conservative in his cuts. Reenactor Jussie Smollett’s fake hate crime isn’t going anywhere. Getting 20 people to sign a petition to rename the Washington Monument to the George Floyd Memorial feels weak, because it’s easy to get 20 people to sign any petition. His interview with a woman who sued Sesame Street for racial discrimination when a character was not five points above her black children was so ineffective that he would be fired. daily show.
However, Walsh did reach out to prominent DEI experts who he hoped would embarrass him, which they largely did. He got Robin D’Angelo, ” white brittletook $30 from her purse and gave it to his black companion as compensation. He’s a waiter at a Race2Dinner event hosted by Regina Jackson and Saira Rao, where white women pay to be yelled at – and they get their money’s worth. When he’s not doing something inconsequential (dropping a plate, overfilling a water glass) and out of his way, his subjects literally stab themselves.
He also often succeeds in making DEI coaches look like liars. D’Angelo was paid $15,000 for appearing in the documentary; Sesame Street moms took home $50,000; and the organizers of Race2Dinner received $5,000. Walsh even gets people to pay to attend his DEI workshops (Do The Work! Workshops), at the end of which he hands out whips so attendees can whip themselves.
After watching the movie, I spoke with fellow audience member Lacretia Lyon, a stand-up comedian and podcaster who was there when Walsh was interviewed on Adam Carolla’s podcast Heard about this movie. In addition to her interest in the subject, she came because she is a member of the AMC Stubs A-List, which allows members to watch three movies per week. “I was surprised at how much fun it was,” Lyon said. one Borat Van, she thinks Walsh nailed the secret part. “The narcissism is amazing,” she said of the many DEI coaches who tout their heightened sensitivity to racial issues. They are all women. This reflects the reason why Lyon didn’t invite any of her friends over. “A lot of girls wouldn’t be interested in that,” she said.
Latino families are reluctant to go public. There were concerns that cameras in the lobby might record what they said. But as they left me, the youngest in sunglasses, long hair, and a beaded necklace whispered, “Vote red.” I worried that poorly disguised disenchantments might be everywhere.
