#blackAF

Netflix | Release Date: April 17, 2020

4.4	USER SCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 11 Ratings

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IndiefilmloverJul 5, 2020

As sitcoms go, #blackAF is competently written. The production values are topnotch. It employs the popular pseudo-documentary style that is used by shows such as "The Office," "The Bernie Mac Show," and "Veep," where we follow that charactersAs sitcoms go, #blackAF is competently written. The production values are topnotch. It employs the popular pseudo-documentary style that is used by shows such as "The Office," "The Bernie Mac Show," and "Veep," where we follow that characters along throughout the day. Sometimes the characters seem aware of the cameras shooting them (including when they participate in direct interviews) and other times they do not seem aware that they are being recorded. The question for the potential viewer to ask is whether or not he or she would be interested in following this particular family around for thirty minutes at a time. If the answer is yes, you may find much to enjoy about the show. If the answer is no, you may find the series boring and annoying. The key to your enjoyment (or lack thereof) depends largely on how you feel about the character Kenya's worldview. He's a classic nouveau riche that defines success by the accumulation of things such as designer clothes, fancy cars and the oversized house in the suburbs. In his role as a television showrunner he views himself as more than just a cog in the network wheel, but as an artist. He also doesn't shy away from his support of the black cause du jour and sees himself as some sort of revolutionary that is working within the system. As one will see in the first season, Kenya's vision of himself and the reality are often two very different things. His wife Joya is an ex-corporate lawyer that is struggling to find a purpose to her life beyond motherhood. Fortunately for the viewer, you don't have to watch each episode in sequence to decide if the series is for you. Unlike other streaming shows, it's not heavily serialized. If you're on the fence about watching this series, skip ahead to episode five (entitled, "yo, between you and me... this is because of slavery"). In that particular episode, Kenya is baffled by the enormous amount of acclaim that a new black film is receiving and seeks feedback from fellow black filmmakers (featuring cameos by filmmakers that have achieved either commercial or critical success) about his role as an artist. It is by far the best episode and the essence of what the series is about. If that episode fails to impress, there is no need to continue. On the other hand, if it grabs you, there may be a few nuggets worth discovering in other episodes. Kenya and Joya mean well, but are less than stellar parents. Their six children have their own distinct personalities, but to varying degrees are casualties of their parents skewed priorities. For example, Kenya is more interested in telling his son that he shouldn't mix designers in his sweatsuit than say, the importance of doing well in school or eating healthy. Kenya does an acceptable job essentially playing a version of himself. One would imagine the same is true with the young cast playing the couple's six children. Therefore, Rashida Jones seems to be the only one of the regular cast members that is really playing a character. Once again, a viewer's enjoyment of the series is determined in large part by how interested he or she is in spending time with these people. Ms. Jones may be phenomenal in her role as Joya, but if you aren't interested in the journey of her character, you won't appreciate the skill of her craft. In short, #blackAF is not for everyone. Some will identify with the characters. Others will not. Some will find the situations amusing. Others will find it trite. Others still might not be interested in a show about Hollywood and the people who work "behind the scenes." Some will laugh with the characters and some will laugh at the characters. Others will not laugh at all. Keep you expectations in check and you just might find it worth watching.… Expand

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Lukas02Jan 17, 2023

With a coherent and an unfailingly continuous storyline and hilarious one liners, #blackAF somehow manages to provide new insight on black experiences for people beginning to listen and learn of black plight and people who are continuingWith a coherent and an unfailingly continuous storyline and hilarious one liners, #blackAF somehow manages to provide new insight on black experiences for people beginning to listen and learn of black plight and people who are continuing their search for knowledge. All this and surprisingly stellar cast performances make #blackAF a short, worthwhile television experience. Imagine it as a more comedy-oriented “ The White Lotus”, just if it actually had black people.… Expand

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