The trailer for the controversial new satire, The American Society of Magical Negroes, has been eviscerated online.
The movie, starring Justice Smith and Rupert Friend, aims to poke fun at the trope of the Magical Negro – a role seen frequently in historical American cinema whose only purpose is to serve a white character.
The plot centers around the fictional society of black Americans who seek to make white people comfortable in their daily lives. There were high hopes for the film, which many thought would be a comedic spin on a ‘black Harry Potter’.
Justice Smith and David Alan Grier appear in the trailer for The American Society of Magical Negroes. Grier jokes in this scene that the most dangerous animal on the planet is an ‘uncomfortable white person’
‘White people feeling uncomfortable precedes a lot of bad stuff for us,’ says one character while a white police officer is shown next to a dial measuring ‘white tears’
Movie director Kobi Libii said: ‘I hope this is a nourishing and joyful space where everyone can feel a little bit more appreciated’
Those hopes were dashed by the movie trailer, released this weekend, which reveals a romcom plot involving the black protagonist, Aren, trying to win the affections of a An-Li Bogan’s character.
It also includes the joke that ‘uncomfortable white people’ are the most ‘dangerous animals on the planet’.
‘White people feeling uncomfortable precedes a lot of bad stuff for us. That’s why we fight white discomfort every day.
‘Because the happier they are, the safer we are!’ Grier’s character explains.
The theme fell flat with many and outraged others, who said it further stokes division.
‘Imagine any other Hollywood film, influencer, journalist, public figure saying something like this about another race of people while still pretending to be the good guy in the story,’ fumed the conservative group Based Latinos.
The movie plot centers around a secret society of black wizards that works to protect white people from feeling uncomfortable
A line-up of white actors is shown in the opening scenes of the controversial trailer
Others said they were disappointed that the protagonist’s purpose seems to be not only to make white people’s lives easier, but to win over a girl.
Actor Rupert Friend also stars in the film
Friend, the best known actor in the film’s cast along with David Alan Grier, has not commented on the criticism.
The movie is the directorial debut of Kobi Libii, an actor who previously appeared in series Madam Secretary.
Libii, in an interview with BET, said this week: ‘This movie is about learning to be seen how you deserve to be seen.
‘That’s something that a lot of Black people can connect with, but I think there are a lot of people who also maybe feel pushed to the side or not regarded as fully as they deserve to be.
‘So I hope this is a nourishing and joyful space where everyone can feel a little bit more appreciated than in some of these movies I’m criticizing.’
The movie by Focus Features – the same production house behind Asteroid City, the Fifty Shades franchise and Promising Young Woman, is slated for release in March 2024.
