Two Los Angeles millennials from different backgrounds fall in love and face the ultimate relationship test: meeting the parents.
In our new rating scale, a rating of 2 means “poor”. So this is it : You People (You others in French version) is a bad film. The observation is all the more heartbreaking to make that this failed romantic comedy nevertheless brings together talented people. In addition to starring with Lauren London, Jonah Hill co-wrote the screenplay with director Kenya Barris, credited in particular for creating the television series Black-ish. Eddie Murphy, Nia Long, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and David Duchovny are also part of the distribution.
But nothing works in this modern variation of Guess who’s coming to dinner. In a lazy way, the story tries to interest us in this cultural clash between two families – one Afro-descendant and the other Jewish – thanks to a romantic relationship between two thirty-somethings. On the one hand, a family whose main spokesperson is a man converted to Islam offering a very square vision of things (Eddie Murphy cannot really exploit his comic talent here), on the other, a matriarch of liberal spirit which, even when thinking of doing the right thing, obviously always says the worst thing at the worst time. Julia Louis-Dreyfus does try to make the most of her character’s lines, but everything falls flat. The other two parents, played by Nia Long and David Duchovny, are tapestry.
Netflix has a knack for seeking out renowned filmmakers to ensure its prestige (Alfonso Cuarón, Martin Scorsese, David Fincher in particular), but also has stews of the genre in its too abundant production. You People is one of those films where you can easily guess in advance all the details of a wobbly plot sewn with white thread. Moreover, we do not even make the slightest effort to try to reach at least the level of the most ordinary sketches of Saturday Night Live.
A waste of talent, a big waste of time. Damage.
On Netflix
Romantic comedy
You People (VF: You others)
Kenya Barris
With Jonah Hill, Lauren London, Eddie Murphy
1:57 a.m.