Review of Hollywood Shuffle (1987) by Ray D — 31 Jul 2015
Hollywood Shuffle is the predecessor to future great black comedy sketch shows, with Chappelle's Show coming to mind more than anything else. Obviously low budget, the movie relies on its story, which follows a young black actor through movie auditions where he constantly gets typecasted into negative stereotypical roles of pimps and junkies, but the whole thing is done in a satirical tone similar to Mel Brooks' movies and The Naked Gun Series.
Even though watching this in 2015 feels slightly dated, it also offers a great look into the movie industry of the late 1980s and how black actors were treated back then, as a lot of their problems are still around. Lead actor Robert Towsend dominates and you can see where Chappelle got his inspiration from, but the whole movie is stacked with amazing black comedians, such as Paul Mooney and the Wayans brothers.
Low budget, lots of heart. Definitely worth watching.
This review of Hollywood Shuffle (1987) was written by Ray D on 31 Jul 2015.
Hollywood Shuffle has generally received positive reviews.
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