Film Overview"Whiteboyz" is a 1999 American comedy-drama movie directed by Marc Levin that spoofs white culture's appropriation of African American culture. The movie's main element is the expedition of the main characters' misguided efforts to adjust black culture. Starring Danny Hoch, Dash Mihok, Mark Webber, Piper Perabo, and Dr. Dre, the film provides a view of white boyz lost in the fantasy of living a life they observe through music and popular media.
Plot DescriptionThe story revolves around the protagonist, Flip (Danny Hoch), an 18-year-old aspiring rap artist who has problem with his identity in a predominantly white mid-western town of Holyoke, Iowa. As one of the 3 white children who dream of the 'ghetto life,' Flip lives in constant chaos as he feels caught in his dead-end town. He dreams of residing in a black area of Chicago, decorating his fixation with African American culture, street style, and rap music.
The film delves into the lives, dreams, and disillusionments of Flip and his two buddies, Trevor (Dash Mihok) and James (Mark Webber), who share his fascination with city African American culture. They wear the most recent hip hop style, use African American Vernacular English, and effort to blend into a world that does not exist in their mainly white community.
Shift of RealityThe turning point of the film comes when Flip, Trevor, and James choose to take a trip to Chicago in the pursuit of the 'real gangsta' experience, their fantasy dream. Nevertheless, the severe realities of life in Chicago's Cabrini-Green housing jobs confront them. Here, they satisfy a white lady, Sara (Piper Perabo), who informs them about the genuine concerns that the dreams of gangsta life conceal, like the poverty, violence, and institutional racism that African American neighborhoods face.
Flip is presented to the reality of life in the ghetto by his cousin, Mike, who has joined a white supremacist gang. Flip is caught in between his fascination with African American culture and the unvarnished 'white power' attitudes in his cousin's world. The flexibilities and opportunities Flip and his friends formerly delighted in due to the fact that of their whiteness starts to decay as they witness the real black life not fitting their idealized dreams.
ConclusionThe climax comes when Flip gets shot in a gang crossfire, where he is neither a hero nor an innocent victim, restoring that the truth of gangsta life is far from the glamorized dream of tough, daring living. The movie ends with Flip's return to Holyoke, where his whole journey and the fight with socio-cultural issues extend the film from a funny to a pedagogical drama.
Total Analysis"Whiteboyz" satirically explains the cultural appropriation and fetishization of African American culture. It looks at the ill-conceived transracial dreams of the primary characters, who see this as an escape from their ordinary lives. The movie slams the imbalance of social structures and the misconception and commodification of black culture through a white lens. It does not avoid checking out plain socio-cultural realities regardless of, or maybe due to, its comedic structure.
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