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Reviews Counted:105
Fresh:95
Rotten:10
Average Rating:7.4/10
Consensus: An entertaining and intriguing tribute to a father from his son.
Theatrical Release:May 28, 2004 Limited
Box Office: $289,955
Synopsis: In "Baadasssss!" Mario Van Peebles pay tribute to his dad, pioneer black filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles. The Movie dramatically recounts the saga of what his father went through more than 30 years... [More]
Starring: Joy Bryant, Ossie Davis, David Alan Grier, Mario Van Peebles
Director: Mario Van Peebles
Van Peebles' stiff, needlessly flashy direction lacks the energy this material required to become truly transporting, and the relationships between the characters, particularly the father and son, is never convincing.
Through the filmmaking, and inside the film itself, the son visits the sins of the father and discovers a triumph, a legacy, a purpose.
Not just forgiving toward the elder Van Peebles, it's filled with a spirit of comic amazement about what he accomplished.
Top CriticIt succeeds in one very important aspect: It makes you want to see the original movie that spawned it.
The last face we see belongs to the real Melvin, who doesn't say a word -- but his fierce look confirms the story's veracity and his pride in his son.
In Baadasssss! 1970s blaxploitation cinema finally has its own Day for Night.
A reminder that good intentions don't always make for good movies.
Top CriticThe rousing and irresistible story of the making of the 1971 action film Sweet Sweetback's Baad Asssss Song.
If the crude style of Sweetback worked to its advantage, the same case can't be made for Van Peebles fils' erratic docudrama.
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A great glimpse inside an artist's struggle. That is, an artist's funky, nasty struggle.
[Melvin's] utter cruelty toward Mario is shocking, especially watching the now-grown Mario re-enacting these episodes and taking the side of his former aggressor.
Mario Van Peebles, bearing an uncanny resemblance to his father, illuminates the soul of a man driven by a belief in himself and a love for his community.
A jolting, lively film.
What it lacks in focus, it makes up for in energy and commitment.
Top CriticIs it political? You bet your asssss.
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Though you know it will end in eventual triumph, with the breaking of records and the making of black movie heroes, still you're sucked into the struggle.
Mario's done a good job of depicting Melvin's accomplishments. Yet it seems to me that he's still selling his father's legacy short.
Top CriticNever feels like anything more than kids playing dress-up.
Top Critic
January 03, 2006:
Vincent Schiavelli Passes at 57
Character actor Vincent Schiavelli, the long-faced veteran of over 150 film and television appearances, died of lung cancer December 26 at home in Sicily. He was 57 years old. More...
September 14, 2005:
Van Peebles "Wood" Direct a New Mystery Thriller
Mario Van Peebles has signed a deal with Spyglass Entertainment to direct and star in the mystery-thriller "Yellow Wood," says The Hollywood Reporter. More...
March 16, 2005:
Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival 2005
A 70-mm French comedy by Jacques Tati will open my 7th annual Overlooked Film Festival this April, and a Bollywood musical starring "the most beautiful woman in the... More...
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