The Stream: A detour into a romantic comedy distracts from the main storyline.

The Big Screen: A clever and interesting premise with some really funny moments.

The Final Bill: This movie has a lot of good ideas, but it fails to come together in the end.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: Kobi Libii
Writers: Kobi Libii
Stars: Justice Smith, David Alan Grier, An-Li Bogan, Drew Tarver, Michaela Watkins, Nicole Byer
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
Rating: PG-13 for some strong language, suggestive material and thematic material
Runtime: 1 hour 38 minutes
Production Companies: Offscreen, Sight Unseen Pictures,
Platform: In theaters March 15, 2024
Notable Trailers: Monkey Man, Back to Black, The Bikeriders, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Hey, Streamers! One of the most persistent movie tropes in American cinema is that of the Magical Negro. You know that a Magical Negro is a Black supporting stock character that exists to come to the aid of a white protagonist, and these characters often possess special insight or even mystical powers. Well, The American Society of Magical Negroes is a satire of that trope brought into the real world. In this movie, when meek artist, Aren (Justice Smith), gets recruited by Roger (David Alan Grier) to be a part of the American Society of Magical Negroes, Aren is assigned the task of helping to make his white person, Jason (Drew Tarver), comfortable and happy. When Aren and Jason vie for the attention of one of their colleagues Lizzie (An-Li Bogan), Aren must confront his place in society, his obligation to put Jason’s desires ahead of his own, and the entire institution of the Magical Negroes. Mysticism and crotch-grabbing hijinks ensue.

Kobi Libii, who is the writer and director of this movie, starts with a really clever and fun idea for a movie. The audience is introduced to this magical world inhabited by these chosen Magical Negroes. The movie does a good job of building a lore and referencing the movie tropes that we associate with these characters, particularly John Coffey from The Green Mile. There is interesting production design and some visual effects used to bring the school of the Magical Negroes to life. There are funny lines and sight gags to go along with the premise. The problem is that the movie seems to not have as many ideas about how to satirize the Magical Negro to fill out a feature length movie, and instead it veers off into romantic comedy territory. The critique of the Magical Negro and the role of Black people in society becomes pretty weak as a result. If the movie doesn’t get sidetracked by the romantic storyline, then maybe there could be more focus on the conflict between Magical Negro trope and the white protagonist.

Nevertheless, the movie is entertaining. David Alan Grier is great in all of his scenes. He even has some emotional moments that highlight why this was an interesting premise in the first place. Justice Smith is okay, and he has a good chemistry with An-Li Bogan. There is a decent romantic comedy wedged into this movie, but I think it is a distraction overall.

Ultimately, The American Society of Magical Negroes has a fun and interesting premise, but the movie gets distracted from its main storyline to focus on a weak romantic angle. The cast is generally good and there are some interesting design elements that bring the world of the Magical Negroes to life. Unfortunately, as the movies loses sight of its central premise, the satire it attempts loses its bite. Nevertheless, it is an entertaining movie even if it doesn’t entirely deliver on its promise. Grab a bowl of popcorn for a matinee viewing.