Pierre Delacroix (Damon Wayans) is a network TV executive. His boss Dunwitty (Michael Rapaport) berates him for the faltering viewership and programs which are too white bread. Delacroix decides to make an offensive minstrel show to prove that it's bad programming. He recruits Manray (Savion Glover) and Womack (Tommy Davidson) to play the black-faced Mantan and Sleep'n Eat. Instead, the show becomes an instant success and duo becomes overnight superstars with all the accompanying racial issues.
Director Spike Lee has a great idea on his hands but I question the reaction of the audience. I'm willing to accept its success as part of the plot but the show is simply not funny. It's not just offensive. It's not actually funny. Spike Lee should have made the initial success to be an academic one. Some could see it as satire or even an exercise to confront racism in an ironic way. Its subsequent success could be racists taking over and not seeing it as satire. Delacroix would play into the racism until he is confronted by its racist audience. Then his mother's rejection would be the coup de grâce. Also, Damon Wayans' performance is rather annoying. It would be more compelling if he would play it straight. This is an important issue and a really interesting idea. It does need some reworking.
Director Spike Lee has a great idea on his hands but I question the reaction of the audience. I'm willing to accept its success as part of the plot but the show is simply not funny. It's not just offensive. It's not actually funny. Spike Lee should have made the initial success to be an academic one. Some could see it as satire or even an exercise to confront racism in an ironic way. Its subsequent success could be racists taking over and not seeing it as satire. Delacroix would play into the racism until he is confronted by its racist audience. Then his mother's rejection would be the coup de grâce. Also, Damon Wayans' performance is rather annoying. It would be more compelling if he would play it straight. This is an important issue and a really interesting idea. It does need some reworking.