A disappointing docu debut drom the gifted Hughes brothers, a soft, uncritical exploration of pimps that ignores issues of race, misogyny and violence; helmers seem carried away by the "exotic" lifestyle of this morally dubious profession.
American Pimp (1999)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:20
Fresh:10
Rotten:10
Average Rating:5.9/10
Runtime: 86 mins
Genre: Education/General Interest
Synopsis: After their mainstream commercial successes (MENACE II SOCIETY, DEAD PRESIDENTS), this documentary from twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes feels like a labor of love. The subjects are pimps, and... After their mainstream commercial successes (MENACE II SOCIETY, DEAD PRESIDENTS), this documentary from twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes feels like a labor of love. The subjects are pimps, and they don't mind the attention. In fact, it's not long before the jewelry, cars, clothes, and even women take a backseat to the barrage of explanations, instructions, and anecdotes unleashed by macks and players from all over the United States. That they are exploiting women--as evidenced by the testimony of white "squares" at the beginning of the film--is rationalized by the almost-all-black pimps, who live by their own code of ethics on the margins of a society that they claim needs them. Men with names such as Gorgeous Dre, Fillmore Slim, and Bishop Don Magic Juan (who proudly displays photographs he took with Donald Trump and Marion Barry) take the viewer through the origins of pimping, pimp style, and the ups and downs of dealing with the prostitutes--who don't even get a cut. Through it all, the Hughes brothers intercut the blaxploitation films that not only popularized pimps in the public imagination but were based on the culture of real pimps and in turn inspired a new generation to become pimps themselves. [More]
Director: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes
Director: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes
Producer: Kevin J. Messick, Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes
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Reviews for American Pimp
There's a built-in staleness to American Pimp that the Hughes Brothers are never able to overcome.
The Hughes Brothers stylized and provocative expose' about street hustling flesh merchants...comical, disturbing and revealing.
A surprising -- and surprisingly non-salacious -- non-fiction treat. It's a credit to the Hughes brothers that viewers leave with a much grayer picture of what an American pimp is all about.
By the time the movie ends we’re left wondering if perhaps we weren’t just celebrating these predators.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
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| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
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| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
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| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
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| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
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