Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Coming attraction: ‘Never Back Down’

Pop quiz, y’all...

In the upcoming mixed-martial-arts flick “Never Back Down” (due in March), Djimon Hounsou portrays which of the following time-tested Hollywood racial archetypes?

A. Magical Negro

B. Wise Negro Mentor

C. Big Black Buck

D. Drug Dealer

E. Sacrificial Negro

The answer is contained in the trailer:

at

16 comments:

  1. SJDecember 19, 2007 at 9:28 PM

    So he is the modern-day Mr. Miyagi? I guess a white guy can never fill that role.

    This movie reminds me of the Karate Kid so much.

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  2. Undercover Black ManDecember 19, 2007 at 10:11 PM

    ^ Yah. "Karate Kid" meets "The Fast and the Furious." That's probably how they pitched it.

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  3. Paul S.December 20, 2007 at 6:12 AM

    The funny thing is I've only been watching Mixed Martial Arts for about a year now and these fight scenes look hilariously cheesey. It's like they hired a bunch of people who have never seen a single UFC show to make a movie about MMA.

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  4. bklyn6December 20, 2007 at 6:30 AM

    D. Drug Dealer

    He'll be the one providing the 'roids. *snark*

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  5. EricDecember 20, 2007 at 7:21 AM

    Yeah, MMA without all that ugly "ground fighting" stuff that just happens to be what tends to win matches.

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  6. AnonymousDecember 20, 2007 at 12:29 PM

    Is that all the archetypes you could come up with? How about these?:

    1. African-American Best Friend

    2. Sidekick

    3. Gibbering Clown

    4. Credit to his Race

    5. Sit-on-the-Couch Mama

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  7. Undercover Black ManDecember 20, 2007 at 1:07 PM

    ^ We could go all day, anon...

    Gruff Police Lieutenant

    Cocky Athlete

    Sassy Servant

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  8. AdamDecember 20, 2007 at 3:36 PM

    Loved him as Magical Negro in Jim Sheridan's IN AMERICA.

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  9. Undercover Black ManDecember 20, 2007 at 4:20 PM

    I never did see "In America," Adam. I thought he played Credit to His Race. ;^)

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  10. AnonymousDecember 20, 2007 at 11:15 PM

    Dear UBM:
    Djimon was the ULTIMATE Magic Negro in that one. He not only helped the poor white family by *SPOILER* dying for their sick newborn (soul exchange i guess) but then he left them *SPOILER* all his money as he was an AIDS ridden artiste living in a tenement. good times.

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  11. Undercover Black ManDecember 21, 2007 at 11:00 AM

    ^ Wow... Magical Negro, Sacrificial Negro and Credit to His Race.

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  12. Browne MolyneuxDecember 21, 2007 at 11:58 AM

    I'm not going to even look at the trailer, it's got to be the Magical Negro.

    A. Magical Negro

    Browne

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  13. odocoileusDecember 21, 2007 at 12:00 PM

    There's a formula.

    Put the pretty young white people in the foreground, and put the black people/asians/latins in the second tier.

    Works like a charm. Just ask Shonda Rhimes.

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  14. Undercover Black ManDecember 21, 2007 at 12:17 PM

    ^ Ease up on Shonda. You gotta do what you gotta do to get a show sold in Hollywood.

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  15. JenniferDecember 23, 2007 at 10:25 AM

    I blame Kimora. :)

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  16. Undercover Black ManDecember 23, 2007 at 3:11 PM

    ^ Jennifer, welcome here.

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