'oh he thinks he's black' - Be Cool (2005) Discussion

[–] AJAndSilentBob 19 years ago

Okay to everyone on this post:

This movie is a comedy and yes Vince Vaughn portrayed our society's stereotype of a typical "black person". No one is saying (or sanely believes) that every black person acts like that, it is funny because it is exaggerated. As a joke. So take it as a joke, just chill out and

be cool.

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[–] MrPureCinema 19 years ago

Yeah its a joke. Relax.

But if you think there AREN’T white guys who act like that, youre being naive. I saw a guy yesterday who was even more exaggerated than that, and he was completely serious.

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[–] srv_ver4 19 years ago

Yup. In merry old England esp. in the north East, people like Vaughn's character are called "Wiggers" (White-n*gg*rs) and is intended as an insult to THEM and NOT blacks.

Ali G is the best example and he's based on an actual radio DJ called "Westwood" who is a total c0ck. White, English...tries to speak with a Brixton flavoured Jamaican accent and THINKS it's cool...which to everyone else, just sounds stupid. And sad. And like a total c0ck.

"Oh he thinks he's black" is essentially pointing the finger at people like "Westwood" who are enamoured by the imagry they see in Hip-Hop videos of (rather cool looking) black guys surrounded by really fit birds covered in gold (wasn't it Ghost Face Killer that had the 1foot tall gold/platinum eagle on his arm?!) and driving around in snazzy cars and they think: *beep* yeah! that's so much cooler than my ultra safe, ultra boring life, i'll re-invent myself as a 'black man' coz then i'll pull loads of fit birds and drive snazzy cars and stuff" - meaning rappers. People do this, esp. whites (as opposed to chinese, asian etc.) and are totally soulless *beep* They buy into their OWN stereotype and just make everyone else mad.

"Oh no not Another teen movie" addresses this with the young kid who thinks he's Japanese...and "Ghost World" addresses soulless middle-class t1ts like the Vince Vaughn character - the line in the bar where the middle-class w4nkers say "lets go to mine and listen to some Reggae" - coz it's like "name dropping" - they thinks it's cool, where in essence, they embarrass themselves by showing how shallow they are.

I guess what I'm saying is: yeah, using the line like that, and taking in the context it reads is a bit *beep* but taken in the context it was mean't does make sense...it should've been "Oh he thinks he's *insert rappers name here* or a 'gangster rapper'" or something more specific.

sorry if a waffled, made no sense or offended, it's late, i'm tired and i'm rather crap @ explaining myself. but mainly my loathing of that radio w4nk head "Westwood" has made me see red and i wan't to kill hom now.

Ah well. Good night to all, and to all a Good Night! :)

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[–] mirogriffiths 19 years ago

Everybody who didn't realise that the actors were trying to play on the jokes of stereotypes, clearly need to take a course in film

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[–] Kinhell 19 years ago

This world seriously needs to shut the hell up with the politically correct *beep* I dont see anyone whining about the truckload of films lately to have black guys having a pop at "whiteboys" and theres plenty.

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[–] Neil3030 19 years ago

Ok, well in the defense of all "white bashing" movies, it's a common trait in society for satirical jabs at a majority to be accepted moreso than in a situation where a minority is ridiculed.

I am an Irish white kid, and so according to hollywood I am destined to:

1./ Beat my wife
2./ Drink
3./ Talk in a ridiculous accent (that noone in Ireland talks like)
4./ Drink

but I accept that it it's merely a form of exaggerational entertainment so I get on with it. Stressing over movies? Jesus, I'd be hard pushed to find more pointless things to do with my time. Do Italian people take offense to the Godfather for the fact that it depicts Italian-Americans as a race whose only shot at a successful life would be if they were to succomb to the attraction of organised crime? Well maybe they do. But some people here would have you belive that they should take offense because Marlon Brando wasn't actually born in Sicily.

My point is this: The only accuracy is what you experience yourself in the real world. So it can be argued that all movies are inaccurate. And they are.

The character in "Be Cool" was also speaking in a derogatory tone when referring to VV's character as trying to be black. I think a lot of people are overlooking this. She was not condoning his behaviour one bit. Her tone was certainly that of a "the feckless eejit thinks he's black, and is totally off the mark" implication. Had she of said something along the lines of "GEE WIZZ ISN'T HE COOL!! SEE HOW HE ACCURATELY REPRESENTS EVERY BLACK PERSON IN AMERICA BY USING TERMS LIKE "SPARKLE, SPARKLE" AND "SHIZZLE"!!" then you'd have grounds for offense.

But at the end of the day, it's a movie. Try not to take it too seriously. No matter what race you are, if you're certain of the type of person you are, it doesn't matter what a movie says. Now I'm off to the pub to get tanked up so I can clatter me wife. Ta toy ta toy.

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[–] Lebenselbst 19 years ago

That is totally true, URBANTAKEOVER. SHOCKEDSTUDENT is being a tad self-centered. Movies like Guess Who, How High... and many others, are made to bash on Caucasian Americans, and no one seems to mind. What about Hispanics? What about Russians? What about Jews? What about Indians? Most people understand that movies like this one are just movies to make people laugh at the idioticy of the characters! SHOCKEDSTUDENT, the road to a free mind is not only education.
Probably, Hispanics should feel more offended since in most movies they are portrayed as servants, or drug dealers. And those movies are not meant to be funny.

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[–] Heat6Jones 19 years ago

Uhhh have you ever seen a show called Fresh Prince of Bel Air? White people are stereotyped heavily in that show while carlton is used in the same way vince vaughs character is.

Or the David Chappele show is a good example of stereotyping whites.

Or in Soul Plane

Or in Head of State

Or in How High

Or in anything led by african american people, ohh wait Be cool is produced by an african american.....

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[–] aegothis 19 years ago

Neither is the white guy "trying to be black" or the black people in this film or anywhere else idiots. Some see white people "acting black" as idiots and that's both white and black. It is those people that want to keep us seperate instead of accepting someone who has learned/lived a certain way. Stop begging questions and dragging this on it makes everyone look immature on both sides.

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[–] yearsshallrunlikerabbits 19 years ago

This is one of the most well-written yet stupid message board arguements ever.

Vince Vaughn's character is an idiot. He is a psychotic wimp who pretends to be something he is not and has only a STEREOTYPICAL understanding of. He potrays what a mentally subnormal (ie a Hollywood Comedy's villian's) white man's view of how black people act.
He does not represent all white people.
He does not, and in no way, represents all back people.
He does not even represent what white people think of black people.
He does not even represent what black people think white people think of black people.

He represents an idiot pretending to be something he is not and who only has a stereotypical understanding of.

When Linda suggests he thinks he's black to explain the way he acts she isn't suggesting he is doing a bang up job for a white man representing her culture or race or any other black person's culture. She is just explaing what is going on in a fool's mind and why he is making a prick out of himself.

When people suggest to the overly sensitive soul who started this thread that his or her degree hasn't served them well, it is probably becuase you cannot understand the simple concept that one moron's understanding and replication of one extreme facet of black life is quite clearly meant to be as moronic as himself. To miss this rather unsubtle nuance in a very dull, inoffensive movie with no political agenda suggests that you are not yet ready to deal with a world were we all just are.

To back myself up, that film is no way racist in its representations of black people just becuase they are black (and I am aware there are black criminals in the film but there are also Russians, Cubans, European descent and Italians who do naughty things here), here's a quick list:

1. The most sympathetic and innocent character, Linda played by Milan, is black.

2. F Gary Gray, the director is black. Doesn't mean he can't make a film that denigrates his section of society but it unlikely that with his box office clout and non-political stance he'd bother.

3. The film has a key character who is Samoan and Gay. Name another Hollywood film were a gay character is either a raging queen or a creepy psychotic. And if you can do that... a film were that not effeminate nor mad queer is a man of colour.

Be Cool is a bad film, rambling, unoriginal, nothing to say, unfunny, indulgant. What it does perhaps by accident is represent non-whites' in stereotypical ways (Cedric and Andre's villians) and also in fresh ways at least for The Rock.

If your Russian though you should either placard the movie for representing you as hairy, incompetent goombas AGAIN or just laugh at the poor, inoffensive joke like everyone on this board with a collective stick up their collective arses should have.

Shame on all of you.

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[–] shaunsouthall 19 years ago

It doesn't take a course in film to work out what is quite obvious.

What a shame some people completely miss the point.

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[–] schlimig 19 years ago

The character Raji played by Vince Vaughn IS a hideous and extreme stereotype of "black" culture, this is true. Alas it seems you have completely missed the point here however...

The whole point of this character is that he was ridiculous beyond extremes. The character was brilliantly written and played to portray a clueless "WHITE" man who is so utterly ludicrous that he labours under this "black" persona throughout, in the highly comical belief that it is making him look cool. The reality shown however is far from this... the character is mocked throughout the entire film, repeatedly so, with jibes like "is it possible you're this stupid" from Chili and scenes such as the music video shoot where he ends up on fire through his overplayed stupidity. The audience is at all times led to laugh at Raji.

Perhaps the biggest point you have missed with all of this though is the way in which the line "He thinks he's black" is actually used. Christiana Milian delivered it perfectly, her words and expression dripping with sarcasm and contempt, for the point here was that he THINKS he is "black". The drive and purpose behind that which has evoked your comments on this forum is that the character is so completely absurd that he actually thinks that is how "black" people behave. The reason this character is actually funny is because he is shown to believe the ridiculous stereotype, so, far from the reinforcement of the "black" stereotype which you have discussed, it actually serves to mock "white" people who are stupid enough to believe the racial stereotyping. If you take this back to the very foundations of modern racism, it laughs in the face of the narrow-minded bigots who fuelled this hideous aspect of societal development back in the early Colonial settlements.

If one were to find any issue with racial stereotyping within the film, it should have been with the hysterical Dub MDs characters who played up to virtually every negative stereotype of "black" culture going. Once again however, the whole point of those characters was to mock the stereotyping in a comical manner. The character of Sin LaSalle played by the brilliant Cedric the Entertainer even scolds the Dub MDs for playing up to all the racial stereotypes.

It is about time that we "blacks" and "whites" started to realise that there is not one single difference between us that is in any way important. Whilst the Earth's long and bloodied history of oppression, slavery, apartheid and every other act of racial discrimination is appalling and by no means to be forgotten, it is time to move on and push forward into a new age of peace and understanding. This kind of reaction is upsetting and parallel to the recent knee-jerk reactions from “Christian” groups to the Jerry Springer Opera showing on the BBC. The more time that we spend posturing on these issues which are at the end of the day meaningless and nothing more than tomorrow's chip paper, the less time we spend on the important task of educating different cultures to each other's ways. Only when we understand each other will we come to be at peace; as long as comments and outbursts like this continue to occur, they will serve only to rub salt into the wound instead of allowing it to heal.

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[–] gamowu 19 years ago

have you seen "snatch"? there's the jewellery- dealer who thinks he's a jew...and he's ment to be greedy and looking after money...
well, and further more, i think vincents character is supposed to make fun of whites and not of blacks, or of white stereotypes, don't you think?
greetings from germany

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[–] johnny_calhoun 19 years ago

"I am an Irish white kid, and so according to hollywood I am destined to:

1./ Beat my wife
2./ Drink
3./ Talk in a ridiculous accent (that noone in Ireland talks like)
4./ Drink"

We DO talk like in that Ireland... And anyone can beat their wives, it's not just Irish... Although it is wrong.. And I'm not married anyway.. And yes, we're suppose to be "destined" to drink, although I do.. And you forgot number 5./.. Fight.. Hahah.. But see it's all in good fun..

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[–] Neil3030 19 years ago

"We DO talk like in that Ireland..."

Sorry buddy, where the jaysis are you from??

Because living in Ireland the last twenty years I can assert that Hollywood VERY VERY RARELY accurately depicts an irish accent.

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[–] mister_Kennedy 18 years ago

Doug the head in Snatch says he's jewish, because "it's good for business".
it may be stereotype (jews know a lot about diamonds), but it is certainly less offensive then some of the things black people say in movies. especially someone like chris rock. I'm really getting tired of him. the things he say are beyond comedy, it's racist and stupid!!

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[–] WACKY-PROPHET 19 years ago

Sure it was simple minded and one of the many reasons it wasn't a very well written movie but I think you are being a little too sensitive and should ignore idiotic stereotypes.

My family were of German descent.
I can't keep count of how many times I've heard, "Let's get them *beep* in a war movie or seeing people like Marlon Brando and Robert Shaw with fake blonde (peroxided?) hair pretending they are Nazi German Officers (most Germans are not blonde).

Congratulations for your Degrees.

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[–] WACKY-PROPHET 19 years ago

There's a good one. IMDB beeped my word, *beep*

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[–] WACKY-PROPHET 19 years ago

There's a good one. IMDB beeped my word, *beep*

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[–] shane_byrne2 19 years ago

the Jewish thing was done in Snatch and there was no problem

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[–] tempac91 19 years ago

ShockedStudent is another example of a supposedly highly intelligent/educated young black man that thinks, a) member of his race are being victimised b) he has concrete proof of it. Yes, blame all your problems on the EVIL WHITE MEN.

Seriously, I am a student at an English university and I can't remember the last time I saw a black man that WAS NOT acting gangsta. I see them in the gym, around the uni, in classes and everytime I think of taking a baseball bat to their *beep* head.

I am a sick and tired of Hindus, Muslims, Asians, Blacks, etc blaming the whites for their misfortunes.

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[–] kris-nz 19 years ago

These comments are directed at the original poster. Not being an African American myself I don't know if I even have any rights to be commenting on this BUT.....if you wanted insightful, thought provoking, uplifting, enlightening, lifechanging, politically correct cinema....you went to the wrong damn movie! It was a silly screw ball comedy, it was supposed to be ridiculous and politically incorrect and offensive and over the top!

I totally understand that some people find the whole white person acting black thing not funny and even a little offensive and that's their right. But if you don't have a sense of humor about these things don't go and see a movie where one look at the poster pretty much tells you what kind of movie it's going to be. Don't take life so seriously, but if you are going to then leave silly comedies like this to people who appreciate them and don't bother yourself with watching (and paying for) something that you find so disagreeable.

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[–] 19 years ago

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[–] maluqueen 18 years ago

wow tempac

i dunno what to say...since when have those people blamed their problems on the white people? and you need some therapy for that anger...

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[–] lightbassist-1 19 years ago

Ok. Quit whining. So maby he said "o he thinks hes black." Big Deal. Its a sterotype. Sterotypes come from somewhere, there not just made up.

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[–] Merrick00 19 years ago

I can't believe that with this amount of replies that no one mentioned the fact that Cedric the Entertainer's character had gone to college and gotten a degree.

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