First Date

This film tells the story of how Barack Obama meets Michelle, his future wife, in the Southside of Chicago. They work in the same law firm, meet up for a day of activities, and get to know each other better.

"Southside with You" reminds me of the "Before Sunrise" series, where two people walk around and talk all the time. People say this kind of film is romantic, but I find them very boring. "Southside with You" is very similar, but with one slight difference - it showcases how brilliant and clever Obama is, and hence he wins Michelle's tough and seemingly impenetrable heart. I cannot say I enjoyed the film so much, though I am impressed by how eloquent Obama is portrayed to be. Having this film made around this time makes people wonder whether there is any political reason for it. To sum up, I do not think this is my type of film.

This is one of the worst films I've ever seen. And it's not that it's about the Obamas, or that it's political (it's not), or even that it is almost unbelievable (in spite of the fact that everything really did happen at some point). It's that the producer-writer-director is so obviously infatuated with the Obamas that he ended up making a movie which comes off as one big, fat, sloppy kiss. The movie spans one afternoon and evening. There's no conflict, there's no character development, there's no new information. The actors are well cast, and they do the best they can with what they're given. That may make for a sweet photo montage, but it doesn't tell a story (which has already been told many times anyway). Even if every incident depicted happened in the space of one day (which they almost certainly did not), no one would believe it. If there is one cliché that was missed, there was no place left to put it. If there was room for one more tracking shot, the audience would fall asleep. In short, if you are head-over-heels in love with the Obamas, you may love this outing. Otherwise....

I saw this film yesterday and I was pleasantly surprised. I thought the actors captured the essence of the Obamas wonderfully; what they may have lacked in appearance they certainly had in spirit.

The movie that kept popping into my head while watching Southside With You was My Dinner with Andre. Now some may find that a stretch but really it's not. It's been a long time since I've watch two adults on screen having a conversation for ninety minutes. I found the conversation interesting and compelling. (The other movie that comes to mind is Mind Walk)

A lot of folks will skip this film because it lacks over-the-top drama, action and violence. This movie is for a mature audience but for different reasons. It is insightful and intelligent and you'll be glad that you saw if indeed you do.

When I saw the trailer a few mouths back I knew I had to see it. It was just about a random women preparing to go out with a college from work, then you discover she's Michelle Robinson and her colleague is Barack Obama.

It was the best first date every caught on picture.

I like the fact that I feel I did not learn anything new about the President of the United States. Southside with You has taken the man I've seen for the past 8 years and put that personality on celluloid accurately to what I already know. There was no surprise coming as Barack explain to Michelle his anger towards his father, his upbringing before college, and where he wants his life to go. Brilliantly played by Parker Sawyers, Barry O is easy to parody, but Sawyers was able to really capture the man without doing that.

What I also liked about the movie is what it told me about Michelle Robinson, a strong black woman also trying to find her way in life. Not satisfied with where her life is going and knowing she wants more out of it. Tika Sumpter did a good job show casing a career orientated woman focus on being more than just the black woman at her law firm and feeling a relationship with Obama would change that. Making her stand offish at first to his natural charm.

It's funny. It's a tale as old as time: boy likes girl, girl's not having it, boy tricks girl into date, girl keeps saying it's not a date, and boy has to put on the charm in order to win girl's heart. However, the two people they chose to tell this tale on bring a flavor to it that's uncanny.

Very quiet, but well structured. Not nearly as impactful as the two people it's about, but real good portrait of a iconic love affair.

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There wasn't much to this film, so I'll be brief. "Southside with You" wasn't really what I expected it to be. It wasn't bad and it wasn't good. It was just a simple love story with powerful messages running through it, which is a good thing. I thought there would be more to this film like a lot of romantic drama and a more complex story involving the two main characters which could have built up into the present relationship they have now. I think the writer / director created this film more as a tool to spread valuable lessons rather than making it for entertainment. In that sense, it reminded me of the film "The Nativity Story", a film about the events of Mary and Joseph that led up to the birth of Christ, which was a film I thought, was made primarily to convey a message rather than entertain. The acting from Parker Sawyers and Tika Sumpter was good. Parker Sawyers actually reminded me of Barak Obama with his performance and the Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" scene was fitting. In my opinion this isn't the kind of film you should expect a lot out of, but what can be taken out of the lessons it presents is a good thing.