The Corner Penthouse

Universal recently released the American Society of Magical Negroes (2023) Blu-ray. Read on to find out more about it...

[ SYNOPSIS ]

A young man, Aren (Justice Smith), who is recruited into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making white people's lives easier.

[ SPECIFICATIONS ]

The movie is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:44:12. The movie has been rated PG-13 for some strong language, suggestive material and thematic material. Audio languages include English, English Descriptive, French, and Spanish. Subtitle languages include English SDH, French, and Spanish.

[ SPECIAL FEATURES ]

All of the content listed below can be found the Blu-ray disc.

• Audio Commentary - with director/writer/producer Kobi Libii.
• Secret Society Members (5:20) - Cast converse about their roles and discuss the journey their characters took throughout the film.
• Crafting A Magical Society (4:14) - Step through the secret entrance and see what goes into creating a magical society. Hear from cast and crew on the production design, wardrobe, and cinematography involved in crafting the fantastical world.
• Speaking Your Truth (4:14) - The American Society of Magical Negroes might blend humor with romance, but the topic of race is at the forefront of the film. Filmmakers and cast share the importance of the narrative and the impact telling this story had on them personally.

[ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ]

A digital copy code voucher is included inside the standard one-disc blue Blu-ray case. The first print run includes a slipcover.

[ NOTES ]

The American Society of Magical Negroes (2024) is available on Blu-ray, and DVD. I can't recommend this as a blind buy. You really need to rent the film, or check it out on Peacock, first.

This movie has an intriguing concept, but it doesn't know what to do with it. The "Society" is presented as a cross between Men in Black and Harry Potter, but it's never fully-explored and none of the "magical" rules are ever explained. How do they get their powers? How does Aren go from novice to having full powers so quickly? Most importantly, why do the "Negroes" enjoy grabbing white men's crotches? Would they do the same to white women? We don't know because we are never shown any "Negroes" helping any white women. The whole "Society of Magical Negroes" concept is never properly thought out. Also, the whole concept doesn't work in a world where there are more than just "black" and "white" people. I guess Asian and Spanish people don't matter here. It certainly doesn't take into account mixed-race individuals, such as our protagonist.

The most notable Society members are played by David Alan Grier, Aisha Hinds, Nicole Byer, the latter two are given nothing to do. Nicole plays the president of the Society, but all of her scenes feature a stupid running gag about her having to appear higher than the other members - be it floating above them or sitting on a very high chair - which makes her highly unlikable. It is never explained why she has some kind of superiority complex over her fellow "Negroes".

Aren is tasked with helping making the life of Jason (Drew Tarver), a white computer programmer, easier; but at no point did I ever get the feeling that Jason was close to putting black people "at risk". Ironically, Jason seemed to be the "Magical Whitey" whose character changed to suit the needs of Aren's story. It was only after Aren fell in love with his and Jason's co-worker Lizzie (An-Li Bogan) that Jason suddenly had an interest in her, thus providing some conflict to Aren's story. It was only after Jason suggested that Aren join him on stage for a presentation to provide "diversity" did Aren have an epiphany about his own live as a "black man in America". If anything, the Jason character served to make the Aren character's life better.

Near the end, when Aren joins Jason on stage, he has a serious monologue that comes out of nowhere. Up until that point, the movie was a satire and a love story that was kinda playing it light-hearted about a serious subject. Then the movie decided to get dead serious, even though it failed to miss the point of why Jason wanted Aren to join him on stage for a corporate presentation to provide "diversity". It's not racism, it's optics. It's the same reason the corporations who run the television stations air these disingenuous "X History Month" promos that are never shown at any other time of the year. It's because corporations want to appear as if they are caring and diverse.

Most of the movie isn't about the Society, but is actually a love story between Aren and Lizzie. These scenes were lovely, and not just because An-Li Bogan is super-duper cute. Seriously, just watch the scenes that she's in and fast-forward through the rest. I get the feeling that this concept of a "Society of Magical Negroes" - be they American or International - would have worked better as a comedy sketch or a short film. Now, the "SO SWAG" concept presented in the film's twist ending (that I saw coming a mile away) is something that I would like to see explored, if it's put in the hands of a better writer... but how does it acknowledge lesbians?

This item has been provided by Universal for review on this site.