Black and White (1999)
Average Rating: 4.8/10
Reviews Counted: 80
Fresh: 31 | Rotten: 49
The atmosphere is affecting, and the story, at times, is compelling, but with a lean script and limp direction, Black and White doesn't add up to much.
Average Rating: 5.2/10
Critic Reviews: 26
Fresh: 13 | Rotten: 13
The atmosphere is affecting, and the story, at times, is compelling, but with a lean script and limp direction, Black and White doesn't add up to much.
liked it
Average Rating: 2.8/5
User Ratings: 5,280
My Rating
Movie Info
The inner workings of the New York hip-hop scene, and the fascination of white observers with rap music and hip-hop culture, set the stage for this drama written and directed by James Toback. Rich Bower (Power) is a mover and shaker in the world of rap music (he's involved with a number of other licit and illicit business ventures as well), and his apartment is a favored meeting place for musicians, hangers-on, and hipsters who want to seem cool, including a clique of white kids who want to be
Jun 7, 2002 Wide
Sep 26, 2000
Palm Pictures
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Scott Caan
Scotty -
Robert Downey Jr.
Terry -
Stacy Edwards
Sheila King -
Allan Houston
Dean -
Gaby Hoffmann
Raven -
Kidada Jones
Jesse -
Jared Leto
Casey -
Marla Maples
Muffy -
Joe Pantoliano
Bill King -
Bijou Phillips
Charlie -
Power
Rich Bower -
Raekwon
Cigar -
Claudia Schiffer
Greta -
William Lee Scott
Will King -
Brooke Shields
Sam -
Ben Stiller
Mark Clear -
Eddie Kaye Thomas
Marty King -
James Toback
Arnie Tishman -
Mike Tyson
himself -
Elijah Wood
Wren -
Kim Matulova
Kim -
-
-
ADVERTISEMENT
All Critics (85) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (31) | Rotten (50) | DVD (10)
As lively and amusing as the film is in some ways, it does set up expectations at the outset that are never really delivered upon.
It looks like a mess -- if one stuffed with incident, issues and intrigue.
Top CriticIt doesn't try to spell out all aspects of the issue or arrive at any particular point. Toback presents specific characters dealing with specific problems and, through their stories, somehow manages to take the temperature of the times.
This lively mess proves that when Toback loses his head, he does it with style.
Black and White is defeated by its structural shapelessness, and a down-with-it attitude that glosses over the script's lack of any real analysis of hip-hop's cultural influence.
The aliveness that Toback brings to Black and White owes at least as much to his continuing racial obsessions as it does to the cultural moment. Lucky for him right now, the two are joined.
... Black and White is sort of a mess, but it's the kind of worthy, ambitious mess that a director like Godard might make.
A daring film that has some sloppy flaws but is far better than Toback's previous effort, the dismal Two Girls and a Guy.
James Toback's Black and White is meant to be an incendiary movie, but it's really only just OK.
The best thing I have seen come from director Toback.
Mostly watchable and well-acted, but neither as engaging nor as exciting as it needs to be.
While Toback certainly makes a game effort to study the infiltration of hip-hop into the mainstream, his inability to choose what ground to cover ultimately results in an episodic hotch-potch.
Short bursts of captivating information are strung together in a series of quick-cutting vignettes, alternately hitting their mark and falling disastrously flat.
The unfocused story travels through so many subplots that none of the individual stories are ever explored fully enough to pay off.
Perhaps you remember "The Pick-Up Artist," the movie that single-handedly killed Molly Ringwald's career? That was another Toback production. "Black and White," for all its arty pretensions and supposed shock value, doesn't break his losing streak.
Audience Reviews for Black and White
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for Black and White yet.
Latest News on Black and White
November 10, 2005:
Critical Consensus: "Zathura"'s Got Game, "Get Rich" Dies Tryin'This week's wide releases raise a number of questions. Is "Zathura" a game worth playing?...
What's Hot On RT
Bradley Cooper's Best Movies
Fast & Furious 6 is Certified Fresh
Fast & Furious cars gallery
Blockbusters ranked!
Featured on RT
- Weekly Ketchup: Fox and Marvel Both Courting Quicksilver for Comic Blockbusters 30
- Critics Consensus: Fast & Furious 6 is Certified Fresh 62
- Red Carpet Photos with Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Gina Carano and More 0
- Video: The Hangover Part III Cast Interviews 0
- Total Recall: Bradley Cooper's Best Movies 50
- Parental Guidance: Epic and Beautiful Creatures 2
- Comic Book Movies You Can Watch Online 16
Top Headlines
-
Evan Peters Joins X-Men: Days of Future Past
0
-
Toby Jones Talks Captain America: The Winter Soldier
1
-
The Poltergeist Reboot May Actually Be a Sequel
18
-
Will Forte Promises MacGruber 2
5
-
Universal Plans Timecop Reboot
2
-
Return of the Jedi Turns 30
2
-
Vin Diesel Says Fast & Furious 7 Will Take Place in L.A.
0
Fresh Links
Featured
Star Trek Movies Ranked
HitFix offers their own take on the worst-to-best of the Enterprise crew's cinematic adventures.
Top 10 Star Trek Villains
Rolling Stone unveils the Enterprise's most irksome adversaries.
Celebrity Yearkbook Flashback
We'll bet you never realized how many stars were cheerleaders and high school athletes!
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
Weirdest Movie Siblings
From Twins to The Royal Tenenbaums, Moviefone explores cinema's oddest siblings.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Foreign Titles
- Black and White (2000) (DE)
- Black and White (2000) (CA)
