32. "Every Black role outside the family was minimized " In response to In response to 0
Richard was portrayed as a man without friends and no family outside of his wife and children. No friends for his wife either. Akeelah and the Bee did an interesting job of adding nuance to every character and having them involved in the progression of the protagonist (you know, how real life works). Having the other Black male characters basically being gangbangers who just occasionally show up to be menacing is insulting and minimizes the richness of the Compton community (I’ve never been, but it’s gotta be more than an NWA song; I’ve been deep down Central Avenue though; definitely more nuanced than the media portrayal it gets)
Black women had very little to work with here outside the mother. Cool how she developed Serena. The nosy neighbor was so undeveloped she was just a cliche.
The actors playing Venus and Serena were fantastic
Will’s accent was terrible, but otherwise he did a decent job. Felt a bit like his role in Pursuit though. I would give more of the acting kudos to the girls.
Frank Castle as a tennis coach. Some comedy gold there in his interactions with Will.