The Problem With Apu
  • Network: truTV
  • Series Premiere Date: Nov 19, 2017
User Score
2.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 29 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 29
  3. Negative: 20 out of 29
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User Reviews

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  1. entitet
    Nov 23, 2017
    4
    The problem with Kondabolu is his strong emotional hate for Apu and what that character (i.e. the people imitating the character) has done to him, which is sad of course. The people imitating Apu to his face are a-holes. But even tho he's pretty levelheaded; if you really hate something, the reasoning becomes strongly subjective and by that, the way you narrate the documentary becomesThe problem with Kondabolu is his strong emotional hate for Apu and what that character (i.e. the people imitating the character) has done to him, which is sad of course. The people imitating Apu to his face are a-holes. But even tho he's pretty levelheaded; if you really hate something, the reasoning becomes strongly subjective and by that, the way you narrate the documentary becomes subjective and pretty flat. The hate against Azaria felt a bit over the top. He probably have his fair reasoning for not doing the documentary, so it doesn't feel fair to judge him that hard. And Azaria is not the entire Simpsons. He probably had to consider that.
    So what's the problem with Apu? The Simpson became a hugely popular long running show. Apu became popular and beloved, hence a recurring character. With that said: Apus funny line "Thank you come again" and repetition is the problem with Apu. Yes, The Simpsons are poking fun at many stereotypes, just as many other shows and movies do, but there has probably never been a show with a character as loved, popular and recurring with a funny phrase as Apu. That makes the thing stick. If the stereotypical Italian chef was the popular character, he would be "the problem." Is this reversible now? Will things change if they kill him? The show is out there now - 29 seasons. It won't disappear. Or is it damage done, lesson learned, let's not repeat this.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Daniel Fienberg
    Nov 20, 2017
    70
    Not all documentaries need to "show both sides," but it becomes disingenuous when Kondabolu declares, "I realize some of you think I'm some annoying PC social-justice warrior" and then calculatedly skips those voices, and disappointing when Kondabolu and friends wonder what can be done about Apu now and there's nobody around to make it into a real conversation. Still, there's great virtue in getting that conversation started and, in under an hour, The Problem With Apu does that well.
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  2. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Danette Chavez
    Nov 20, 2017
    83
    Though the ending isn’t tidy, the film still offers a lot of insight from Kondabolu’s contemporaries like Aziz Ansari, Aparna Nancherla, Kal Penn, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Russell Peters, and several more.
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  3. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Verne Gay
    Nov 20, 2017
    75
    A congenial and persuasive argument for why Apu must go.
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