I'm Through with White Girls (The Inevitable Undoing of Jay Brooks) (2007)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Jennifer Sharp

Writer (WGA):

Courtney Lilly (written by)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

It's not you. It's him.

Plot:

Jay Brooks is that black guy who digs indie rock, graphic novels, and dates white chicks. After a slew of bad break-ups...

Plot Keywords:

Stereotype | African Canadian | Apostrophe In Title | Male Female Relationship | Hip Hop

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Anthony Montgomery	...	Jay Brooks
Ryan Alosio	...	Matt McKenzie
Lia Johnson	...	Catherine Williamson
Lamman Rucker	...	Drake Moore
Kellee Stewart	...	J.C. Evans
Lisa Brenner	...	Molly
Johnny Brown	...	Sam Moore
Esther Scott	...	Hester
Richard Lawson	...	James Evans
Ann Weldon	...	Julie Evans
Alaina Reed Hall	...	Jerri Moore
Lynn Chen	...	Candace
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gabrielle Castellini	...	Cindy
Cassandra Creech	...	Tamiko
Susan Dalian	...	Jada
Sarah Livingston Evans	...	White girl on bus
Lindsay Frame	...	Woman In Bar
John H. Freeland Jr.	...	Old Man in Bar
Matt Gorrek	...	Record Store Clerk
Kyra Groves	...	Nadeen
Jennifer Hogan	...	Beth
Emilie Jacobs	...	Erin
Phyllis Johnson	...	Evans Caterer
Dwight Jones	...	Wedding Guest
Cirroc Lofton	...	Nick
Heidi Mages	...	Christy
Lorelei Mahoney	...	Shyna
Brooke Michael	...	Lounge Singer
Aimee Miles	...	Thelma
Nafeesa Monroe	...	Detria
Mimi Moss	...	Girl on the Bus
Marcus Patrick	...	Michael
William Philip	...	Sigmund
Dionne Phillips	...	Cheryl
Tara Platt	...	Rachel
Camilla Rantsen	...	Tammy
Richard John Reliford	...	Wedding Guest
Paul Renteria	...	Ruby Room Bartender
Micheal David Ricks	...	Pooh Bear
Chip Sickler	...	Keenan
Troy Terashita	...	Hot Asian Dancer
Lisa Tharps	...	Celeste
Carla Toutz	...	Monica
Jeff Wadlow	...	Billy
Jimmy Walker Jr.	...	Old Man in Bathroom
Robert Wheeler	...	Card Dealer
Dimiceo Youngblood	...	Cousin #1

MPAA:

Rated R for language, including some sexual references.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Turn Soul Films

Soundtrack:

Mr. Git It Mane

A fun romantic comedy that doesn't rely on stupidity or stereotypes.

I saw this last night, with a packed house at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, as part of the Roxbury film festival. I can't remember the last time I went to the movies and missed some of the dialogue because the audience was laughing so hard.

The lead actors are both terrific, with a strong chemistry between them. Lia Johnson, as the lead, was especially noteworthy. I hope we'll see her in a lot more films. (She was co-producer, too.) What a relief to see a romantic comedy that deals with race that doesn't have to drop down into base stupidity or stereotypes. (Not that the characters don't sometimes do stupid things.)

It's interesting to see conscious references to Spike Lee's, She's Gotta Have It. (I remember seeing that at a festival when it first came out.) First-time director Jennifer Sharp doesn't have Spike's sense of innovation or visual style, but she does provide the film strong visuals and a fast pace.

The story is somewhat reminiscent of High Fidelity (slacker guy has a phobia of commitment), but in a good way (lots of scenes in a record story helps, too). But here we have race as the excuse that he's been using for his lack of commitment. Jay dates a long string of white women, yet always breaks up with them (by note), when it gets too serious, writing that maybe the world isn't ready for a relationship like theirs. Interestingly, though, the movie isn't about Jay trying to get in touch with his "true blackness" or about how white women really are horrible and now that he's looking for a black woman, he'll truly find happiness. Instead, it's really about him having to learn to grow up and allow himself to commit to the right woman. The woman he finds, Katherine, is awfully amazing (bestselling novelist, very smart) but with enough quirks to make her seem fully human, as well.

It's awfully tough for black films to get theatrical distribution, but this is one that's smart, that lots of people can relate to. I hope it makes it.