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Black and White

Play trailer Poster for Black and White R 2000 1h 38m Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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39% Tomatometer 82 Reviews 29% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Rich Bower (Power) is an up-and-coming star in the hip-hop world. Everyone wants to be around him, including Raven (Gaby Hoffman) and her fellow upper-class white high school friends. The growing appeal of black culture among white teens fascinates documentary filmmaker Sam Donager (Brooke Shields), who sets out to chronicle it with her husband, Terry (Robert Downey Jr.). But before Bower was a rapper, he was a gangster, and his criminal past comes back to haunt him and all those around him.
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Black and White

Black and White

What to Know

Critics Consensus

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.

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Critics Reviews

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Todd McCarthy Variety 06/17/2008
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. Go to Full Review Time Out 06/24/2006
It looks like a mess -- if one stuffed with incident, issues and intrigue. Go to Full Review Ben Falk BBC.com 01/13/2004
2/5
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. Go to Full Review Justin Brown Medium Popcorn 05/21/2021
1/5
I never want to see this movie ever again. This is terrible. How dare we subject ourselves to this... Go to Full Review Brandon Collins Medium Popcorn 05/21/2021
1/5
This is absolutely wild. So problematic and a mess of epic proportions... Go to Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 01/17/2013
C
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Audience Reviews

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Stephen C @bob25009 06/11/2025 Failed pride in 1 hour and 38 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Claudio O @RT27354005 12/12/2024 The most disgusting and gross movie I have ever seen. See more Juan R @RT32420764 03/24/2024 A boring and disjointed film. See more 01/06/2021 this film is, at best, homophobic and at worst an amazing waste of money.Incredible someone funded this trash. See more 04/25/2020 I love Bijou Phillips🥰 See more 01/01/2020 I gave this movie 2 stars kinda didn't want to though, this movie kinda reminded me of the movie Kids, but a adult version. Brooke Shields with cornrows, braids that was interesting and the parts with Mike Tyson and Rob. Downy Jr. was all off the cuff so it was kinda funny to find that out and watch that part. Gritty on the street type movie about different people and the way they live Brooke Shields plays a woman filming different people, small talk kinda slow would I would probably not watch this one again. See more Read all reviews
Black and White

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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James Toback

Director

Scott Caan

Scotty

Robert Downey Jr.

Terry

Stacy Edwards

Sheila King

Allan Houston

Dean Carter

Gaby Hoffmann

Raven

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Black and White

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Movie Info

Synopsis Rich Bower (Power) is an up-and-coming star in the hip-hop world. Everyone wants to be around him, including Raven (Gaby Hoffman) and her fellow upper-class white high school friends. The growing appeal of black culture among white teens fascinates documentary filmmaker Sam Donager (Brooke Shields), who sets out to chronicle it with her husband, Terry (Robert Downey Jr.). But before Bower was a rapper, he was a gangster, and his criminal past comes back to haunt him and all those around him.
Director
James Toback
Producer
Ron Rotholz, Michael Mailer
Screenwriter
James Toback
Distributor
Screen Gems
Production Co
Palm Pictures, Bigel/Mailer Films
Rating
R (Language|Drug Use|Strong Sexuality|Violence)
Genre
Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 5, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$5.2M
Runtime
1h 38m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, DTS, SDDS, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)