You People

This weekend, You People, a romantic comedy starring Jonah Hill and Eddie Murphy released on Netflix. You People follows Ezra and Amira as they try to pursue a relationship while having to deal with parents with clashing cultures and religions. I don't normally watch movies like this but heard it was a comedy with Eddie Murphy and Elaine from Seinfeld so decided to give it a shot.

The most positive things about this movie were Eddie Murphy and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Eddie Murphy just has this natural charm to him and delivers such a casual performance that you can't help but enjoy. Julia also does a great job as this way over-the-top mom who doesn't understand that what she is saying is offensive to those around her. This leads to some interesting and funny moments. As this is a comedy, there were a few funny moments that made me laugh out loud. While most of the humor is more subtle, there were a few moments that went for the more absurd humor. Finally, I can appreciate that the movie tried to comment on today's culture in terms of the culture and experiences of different races and at parts does a great job at getting its messaging across.

However, there is a lot about this movie that just didn't work for me. While Eddie Murphy was the best part of the film, the role he was given just seems so neutered. You don't get to see Eddie Murphy at his full potential either humor-wise or just acting-wise. As a whole, I didn't really think the movie was all that funny. There were a few moments I laughed at, but overall a lot of the jokes fell flat for me. I think the main issue was that too much of the humor was geared towards awkward interactions more so than actually funny lines, so you find yourself cringing more so than actually laughing. I also didn't really find any of Jonah Hill's jokes very funny. I am not sure if it was just the delivery or if that is just his style but I really didn't find him funny at all. Finally, I felt that the movie gets a little too heavy-handed in its messaging, especially toward the end of the film. I am fine with the film trying to get an important message across but not at the expense of a cohesive story. There were times when it feels like the movie just straight up stops so a character can give the message of the film to the audience. Even with all of this, at the end of the movie, I'm still not 100% sure what exactly the message was supposed to be.

In the end, while the movie had some great talent and some funny moments, it seemed to be more focused on its message instead of telling a funny and interesting story.

Score: 4.5/10 Grade: C- Recommendation: Skip it