The American Society of Magical Negroes, 2024.
Written and Directed by Kobi Libii.
Starring Justice Smith, David Alan Grier, An-Li Bogan, Drew Tarver, Michaela Watkins, Rupert Friend, Nicole Byer, Aisha Hinds, Tim Baltz, Mia Ford, Eric Lutz, Kees DeVos, Chase Ryan Jeffery, Moe Irvin, Ethan Herisse, Nozipho Mclean, Isayas Theodros, Aaron Jennings, Jeremiah Birkett, Gillian Vigman, and Gregor Manns.
SYNOPSIS:
A young man, Aren, is recruited into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making white people’s lives easier.
In The American Society of Magical Negroes, the mission statement of the long-standing, secretive group is to use their special powers to destress white people, particularly ones that might become threatening toward Black people if their day keeps getting worse. Think of the trigger-finger-happy police officers who “accidentally” shoot Black people. At one point, writer/director Kobi Libii introduces an annoyed cop, attempting to use him as a satirical source, except the scene comes across as toothless and without any edge, much like the film itself.
Trying to ground its humor in the real world, there is also never a sense that these white characters with problems are anything but goofy whiners more likely to sit around and cry than hurt anyone. That’s not to deny that the unlikeliest people are capable of inhumane atrocity, but rather making a point that the screenplay and jokes feel awkward and displaced as if the intent is to pull punches on making any audience uncomfortable. Even the tools given to the society members in aiding their clients don’t feel like fleshed-out devices for a feature film but rather ideas from a comedy skit that aren’t funny or interesting the first time they are used, let alone the second or third.
Not being funny is a problem here, but The American Society of Magical Negroes has far more pressing issues, like the fact that, even by the end, not much has changed for the group. The story is more about individual growth, centered on Justice Smith’s Aren, an overapologizing, timid, struggling artist who goes out of his way to ensure white people feel comfortable in the room at the expense of his space and happiness. After narrowly avoiding a mugging with magical assistance from Roger (David Alan Grier), he is quickly assessed as having what it takes to calm white people and is recruited into the organization with a job.
Following a brief session of being shown the ropes (which mostly consist of undefined abilities and an invisible thermometer to gauge the stress levels of aggrieved white people), Aren is given his first client and a work badge for easy access into his world. That client is Drew Tarver’s Jason, a high-ranking tech developer for a Facebook-reminiscent app currently undergoing a scandal because their newly integrated facial recognition features were unsuccessful at recognizing Black people. It sounds like another solid starting point for humor, but much like the society, the film never actually does anything with the tech company; the presentation is flat, with characters standing around in ugly corporate spaces, messing around with virtual reality headsets for minutes while talking about nothing.
There is also another baffling narrative pivot in that this also becomes somewhat of a romantic comedy, with Aren hitting it off with one of his coworkers, Lizzie (An-Li Bogan), an ambitious, hard-working woman with ideas similarly unable to stand up for herself, even when men surrounding her are given greater opportunities for doing significantly less work. This puts Aren in a bind, as Jason is also attracted to Lizzie, meaning that he has to step aside since society prioritizes the wants of white people. If someone steps out of line, for some reason, all of their magic disappears until the rogue worker is banished. The question then becomes if Aren will live for himself or his job, easing white people in a society that increasingly makes less sense the more they explain themselves.
One does get the feeling that Aren and Lizzie would make a cute couple, so The American Society of Magical Negroes does have that going for it, alongside a pretty intense monologue from Justice Smith when he finally does get fed up with behaving a certain way around white people, speaking up. The performances all around are solid but in service to bafflingly confused and spineless storytelling. As a film, it feels complacent and, to an extent, fine with the magical Negroe trope rather than deconstructing and doing something radical with the concept. Like the yarn sculpture art Aren has trouble peddling, it’s tough to imagine anyone buying what Kobi Libii is selling here.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
