BAADDASSSSS
Breaking Down Boundaries - both then and now
By Daya Vaidya
·2003 Toronto Film Festival –
Official Selection
·2004 Sundance Film Festival – Official
Selection
In our hip-hop, bling bling culture,
where minority filmmakers feel
pressured by white male dominated
studios to make either gangster or
shuckin’ and jivin’, clownin’ flicks,
it is refreshing to see an urban film
with not only substance, but a non-
preachy, highly entertaining, powerful
message.
“Baadasssss,” produced and directed by
Mario Van Peebles is a film about the
making of the 1970’s film, “Sweet
Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song,” directed,
written, produced and starred in by
Melvin Van Peebles, Mario’s father.
In “Baaddasssss,” Mario portrays his
dad as a driven, passionate, "son of a
bitch," who uses his indie, guerrilla
film to comment on, as well as battle
racism, oppression and stereotypes in
America during the 1970’s. Using
documentary style interviews,
traditional storytelling and black and
white stills depicting the historical
misrepresentation of minority
characters in film, “Baadasssss”
transports its audience into this era,
and takes us on one man’s journey to
get his controversial film made against
all odds. The viewer doesn’t just
identify with the protagonist’s
struggle, but gets swept into that
rare, but wonderful moment when the
walls of the movie theater fall and the
desires, challenges and pain of the
characters on the screen become our
own. The social and political images
are personal and poignant and the
message is inspiring; thus, the story
of a film within a film becomes a
microcosm for our life individually and
this country as a whole.
Melvin Van Peebles is described by Bill
Harris as "the perfect combination of
insecurity, passion and
boastfulness." Mario captures this
dichotomy in his charismatic
performance. He stays true to his
film’s theme by refusing to, as he
stated in a Q & A after one of the
movie’s screenings, “marginalize” his
Dad’s character. By
producing “Baaddasssss” independently,
he prevented today’s studios from
forcing the character of Melvin to be
more audience friendly or “likable.”
Consequently, we have a
hero that is neither liked nor
disliked, but respected.
Humor, especially in the hysterical
performances of David Alan Grier as
Clyde Houston and Rainn Wilson as Bill
Harris, prevents this film from
becoming a preachy, self-important,
dogmatic piece of cinema. On the
contrary, it is a moving, inspiring,
highly entertaining visceral experience
that ANYONE who has struggled, can
relate to.
Release Date: May 28, 2004
Running Time: 108 minutes
Rating: “R” by MPAA
Official Website:
www.sonyclassics.com
