A Good Day to Be Black & Sexy

With a little fear and trepidation, I saw this film at Sundance in Jan 2008. I ended up enjoying it immensely! Instead of one story with a single set of characters, the movie used several vignettes (each with different actors) to cover different sexual scenarios with realism, sensitivity, humor and intelligence. The camera angles and editing style lent a visceral "reality TV" feel to the movie, but never was it pornographic or in bad taste.

This set of stories have a little something for everyone because these experiences and situations are universal to being human. Two of the stories in particular still make me chuckle when I think of them because I've been there (well, almost!). Lastly, the soundtrack is a perfect match for the film. Filmmaker Dennis Dortch spent some time as a recording engineer before deciding to go into film, and this results in a soundtrack that is tight and very complimentary to the mood; a work of art in its own right.

Touted as a between-the-sheets peek at black love and sexuality, this bit of gold is one of the purest representations of those moments that you either find yourself in or overhear when you're not listening.

Written and Directed by Dennis Dortch, this film delivers five bite-size vignettes that touch on some very good points about sex and its ruses. The cast is made up relatively unknown actors and that brings some authenticity to it since you're not setting yourself up to see what a big-wig actor is doing in the movie. The soundtrack is also a very solid stand-out feature and a fringe benefit indeed, every song or instrumental quip adds a bit more flavor to whatever mood or tone is on the screen, building an ambiance that pulls you in more to the stories. After watching it though you may feel a bit mislead as all the stories are fairly universal and not set in stone as stereotypically black. The fact that most of the actors are black and it's not a sleaze-fest or an overly-dramatic, Tyler Perry-esquire film brings it to an avenue that makes it accessible to just about everyone.

Each story has a mood and pretext of its own, so as to not give anything away, I'll be as vaguely detailed as possible. Reciprocity dips into the whole 'giving and receiving' scenario and shows how persuasive and impatient we can get when what we want is dangled in front of us. The characters, Jeanette (Kathryn Taylor) and Tony (Brandon Valley Jones) engage in some foreplay and one whimsically shortchanges the other after getting a late-night special. The reactions and the haggling is very rewarding and the clip is just long enough for you to appreciate the gist of the moment. Her Man touches on an all-too-familiar exchange, for Bahamians at least, sweet-hearting. We get to see a gradual heated exchange between a married man, D'Andre (Marcuis Harris) and his woman-on-the-side, Helena (Chonte Harris). This is probably the most dramatic of the vignettes and stands out amongst the others because of its emotional value, brilliant acting and dialogue. You will find yourself not knowing who to root for or even if you should root, given the situation. Broken up into two parts, Tonight puts us with Tamala (Mylika Davis), a sprightly teen, as she celebrates her Fourth of July birthday. The first part touches a bit on peer-pressure and how some guys can get aggressively persistent when it comes to sex and it shows just how strong and resistant women can - and should - be in those situations. The second part introduces, Julian (Jerome Hawkins)- a friend's older brother and deals with the laws of attraction, basically, and shows just how cocksure women can get when they want something and how resilient one should be when things fall apart. (Reprise), the shortest of the bunch with Candi (Nana Hill) and Russell (Kareem j. Grimes), gives us a peek into sexual exploration and a nice heads-up on how couples can ease each other into new territory. The last is American Boyfriend, this is the only one that I felt sold itself short because it had so much potential. It deals with interracial coupling and takes it a step up by having the girlfriend, Jasmine (Emily Liu) be Chinese and the boyfriend, Jesse (Alphonso Johnson) be not only American but African-American. This dives in to two stereotype pools as people will tell you that Asians are notoriously cliquish when it comes to coupling, especially if the family is traditional and African- Americans can be very political when it comes to dating outside of the shaded area. With that, Jasmine has yet to tell her parents that she has a boyfriend- that isn't Asian and, as fate would have it, her family comes by for dinner whilst her boyfriend is over, ushering her to hide him until they leave. As the day passes, Jesse gets restless and the family starts to weigh in on Jasmine's personal life and an abrupt interaction happens, much to her dismay. The dialogue from both perspectives is pretty decent and it leaves you jumpy to see what happens, however, this is probably the only one from the bunch that will leave you wanting more.

A Good Day To Be Black & Sexy is a great find and you will enjoy it with friends, albeit friends that are mature and comfortable enough with their own sexuality. There aren't any Gay or Lesbian interactions here and that may alienate a few but it's still a great watch, even if you just want a fresh black-themed flick to relax to.

Standout Line: "You called and invited yourself over, I cooked and now you got beef. What is up with all of that? You got a problem with me trying to make you happy today?"

That's what it should be called. Just a series of actors simulating sex and beefing. I watched for 35 minutes before giving up. Hands down makes the list of the top worst movies I've ever wasted time watching.

Most of them didnt feel like they we're in love or didnt want to have sex.... What was the point of this movie being made at all??? It wasnt anything sexy coming from this movie... The director shouldve done better... This movie was boring & horrible....

A GOOD DAY TO BE BLACK AND SEXY - this is a fantastic picture! I went from the depression of seeing the worst black film ever in my life to seeing one of the most promising films since I got a sneak peak of Spike Lee's SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT over 20 years ago!

The audience was packed, the room was ready, and we loved every frame of it! I did not want to see it end. The openly loud and excited crowd response was electric from the first frame! And then wow, that opening title sequence!

This is truly a wonderful picture. You have the opportunity to do something incredible with this film. Although this film is artful and erotic, NOT porn, it has the power to do for adult black audiences what DEEP THROAT did for hip couples in the 1970's.

Magnolia Pictures has made a shrewd move to give black audiences both inspiring and hopeful family and faith images as well as now open the bedroom door cinematically for black adult audiences hungry to see our sexuality in all it's complexity, humor and uniqueness.

Bravo! When's the sequel coming out!!!???!!!