This movie is about Anna, an "executive assistant" at a Black music video channel owned by a giant corporation. (Think MTV and Viacom.). After four years as an EA, soaking up all the wisdom her boss, Edna, is willing part with, Edna gets fired. The suits bring in a new executive to turn things around, Zora. She's the ONLY fair-skinned employee in the office. Zora is willing to give Anna a shot at producing her own show. There's just one small condition: Anna, who normally wore her hair in natural styles, would have to get a weave.
I am a huge fan of Dear White People, Justin Simien's thoughtful, funny, sometimes tragic examination of what it's like to be a Black student in an overwhelmingly white Ivy League-type of university. Here in Bad Hair, Simien asks the question: What are Black women willing to do to advance in the white business world? According to this movie, too many Black women sell their souls to be palatable to white bosses. The topic is very timely. While this movie is an allegory, there really is an "awakening" around Black culture, history, struggle-especially as they relate to Black women. As in Dear White People, writer/director Simien knows Black women's voices. He knows that, although set in the 1990s, appearance was everything. And if a Black woman wears natural hair, she's often seen as unprofessional by white co-workers and superiors alike. This same struggle is taking place even in 2021.
This is not a great movie, but it's a really good movie. I'm not sure those without kinky hair and darker hues will be able to grasp the cultural significance Black people place on hair, but they should give this film a shot. I laughed a lot, and I'm not someone who likes comedy in general because it often isn't smart or funny. Bad Hair is both! What's a measly hour and 42 or so minutes?
I am a huge fan of Dear White People, Justin Simien's thoughtful, funny, sometimes tragic examination of what it's like to be a Black student in an overwhelmingly white Ivy League-type of university. Here in Bad Hair, Simien asks the question: What are Black women willing to do to advance in the white business world? According to this movie, too many Black women sell their souls to be palatable to white bosses. The topic is very timely. While this movie is an allegory, there really is an "awakening" around Black culture, history, struggle-especially as they relate to Black women. As in Dear White People, writer/director Simien knows Black women's voices. He knows that, although set in the 1990s, appearance was everything. And if a Black woman wears natural hair, she's often seen as unprofessional by white co-workers and superiors alike. This same struggle is taking place even in 2021.
This is not a great movie, but it's a really good movie. I'm not sure those without kinky hair and darker hues will be able to grasp the cultural significance Black people place on hair, but they should give this film a shot. I laughed a lot, and I'm not someone who likes comedy in general because it often isn't smart or funny. Bad Hair is both! What's a measly hour and 42 or so minutes?