Review of Set It Off (1996) by Alex K — 16 Nov 2008

I watched Set it Off for a class, a class about the ways in which sexuality, gender, and race intersect within our society. The film was screened, papers were written, and the roles of characters were discussed at length in class, based on how they were portrayed in the film and how it reflects on society.

At one point, while the teacher was trying to analyze why the director chose to pan from one end of a tunnel to the other, in the climax of the film when the ladies are trapped by two police helicopters, a student raised her hand and explained that it was most likely just an easy way to show that they were trapped from both sides, and didn't mean anything.

Later, this same student said to me the extremely profound words, "It's hard to analyze a movie for hidden meanings when the movie fucking sucks." So true. No matter how in depth you want to get into Set it Off, no matter how important it is that yes, there is a masculine lesbian character, and yes, it does portray and tackle various gender and race stereotypes in society, none of these facts give the movie a free pass out of sucksville.

The problem is that no matter how pure the message is, the delivery is rotten. The movie is overridden with melodramatic slow motion (like Stony's brother's epic "WAIITTTTT" as he hits the pavement in the parking lot), by the books acting (especially from John C.

McGinley), stupid dialogue (whatever the fuck it is that Stony spouts out in the dinner reception with her new boyfriend), and just all around laughability at every turn. When Doctor Dre's cameo is the legitimate best part of your movie, granted it's a blessing for the audience, but it definately speaks something to the quality of the film you're engaged in making.

Set it Off deserves a little bit of credit for attempting to portray a race and gender struggle in modern day L.A., but it does it by villainizing EVERYONE, and in the end, there's no clear message, even a lack of message, portrayed about anything; just a complete void of emotional involvement and an hallelujah that the film has ended.