Movies with BM/WW Couples

I'm not going to edit my post I'll just mention it here go watch that Steven Soderbergh film Full Frontal he exposes Hollywood's issue with IR between the main white female character as well.

 

You and I don't always see eye-to-eye. There are certain things you champion as progress that I'm more meh about. And there are things you find underwhelming that I see as being important steps in the right direction or a leap forward. And that's okay. I respect where you come from and I want you to be you. Besides there are plenty of instances in which we agree.

I will stress that I don't think there has been anyone on this board more attuned to what I refer to as the Plantation Scenario, that in which white women are off-limits to black males but white men can have any female that he pleases, than me. I've been having this discussion for over a decade here. I've have collected articles and essays and books on the subject for even longer. It's a bit of an obsession of mine. This means I don't go around celebrating something that is a step backward for the presentation of black male-white female pairings on screen nor do I get overly excited by things that seem cautious or too tentative. I keep an eye out for actual shifts that could help change the landscape and sometimes I come here to talk about it with you guys. To some people's eyes on this site "Get Out" was a leap forward because it had a list of key ingredients that some of you want to check off : onscreen emotional intimacy, onscreen physical intimacy, scenes of tenderness, apparent commitment. But this movie never cleared my own hurdles because of the very fact that the white female was lying to her black fiance all along, was using him for her own sadistic means and never actually loved him. While I'm certain Jordan Peele didn't intend on this, the treacherous nature of the white female allowed the African American audience to embrace the film far more so than if she had actually been true to the black dude. And this portrayal allowed people to confirm their small, petty beliefs that a relationship a black man has with a white woman is fraudulent. It was Jungle Fever to the 10th power. That's a step back.


So here are some examples of what I see as progress in the year 2018:

1-Does a white female lead have a lover/boyfriend/husband who is black and someone she actually cares for and/or loves? If so that is progress even if there is not a lot of physical intimacy onscreen before. This may not seem great but the truth is we have rarely seen that in the history of western cinema.

2-Is this white female lead also THE central character of a movie from a major Hollywood studio? If the answer is yes then that is huge tilt forward because such examples are even more rare.

3-Is this white female lead played by an actress who is a rising star or considered still one of the A list actresses in the game or is she played by an actress who may still have some clout but is on the way down or played by someone who is clearly passed her peak as a major attraction? If its the former than that is progress.

4-Is the black guy she is paired with some actor whose clout is as strong or stronger than her, perhaps a bigger star; an individual that audiences are more likely to accept being paired alongside her because he is beloved in his own right? Or is the black actor chosen a guy who hasn't come close to achieving her level of fame and accomplishments and is therefore being elevated onto a higher platform of exposure? If it turns out the black dude is a less recognizable talent then its progress because it suggests Hollywood is allowing up and coming black actors or B/C level black guys to be placed in a position that could truly benefit their careers.

This new Chastain film has the potential to meet all of those important criteria I have laid out. We'll have to wait and see.

You tossed in examples like United Kingdom, A Mountain Between Us, Candy Jar, The Anomaly, Focus and Little Boxes.
United Kingdom is an epic love story based on true life events which meant that the only way to do the film was by casting a black male and white female lead. No one conjured up a fictional tale about such a pairing and sold it to Hollywood nor did any producer/director/studio take some gamble with racebend casting turning a pairing into an interracial one. The story was always about a black man and a white woman and it only came about because a black man was determined to have the story told; no one else, no studio was trying to make it. It also helped that the production was British and that the main stars were from the UK too. Britain is much more open-minded than America on this type of pairing. That said it was undeniably an example of progress.

The same could be said about A Mountain Between Us which did go the route or colorblind casting to give us a BM/WW pairing. And while Kate Winslet was on the decline at this junction of her career, her being paired with Elba still gave the movie star power. Even more noteworthy was that there was blatant physical intimacy between the two of them onscreen. A huge step forward, a movie that could serve as a landmark for the portrayal of black men-white women pairings on screen. But landmarks are such for a reason. They are a big deal that can lead to change but the change isn't always immediate.

I'm a sucker for Focus which I consider to be the best and most complicated romantic pairing between a black guy and a white woman in a mainstream film. Ever. The film, unlike Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner, is clearly about Will and Margot's character. And its a major studio film that provides gorgeous backdrops, beautiful on-location scenery and plenty of heat between two ATTRACTIVE leads with very nice chemistry. The two characters care about one another, are drawn to one another and have a sexy love scene, the type of love scene that white guys and white women as well as white guys and women of color get all the time without anyone batting an eye. And the two characters end up with one another. Now I will mention that the only way a black guy gets a romantic role like this is if he has huge clout like Will Smith, not to mention that the actress they set him up with was a relative unknown at the time. But who gives a fuck? Margot Robbie was hotter than 99% of more established young white actresses out there at the time. HUGE PROGRESS.

I recall seeing 2 Days in New York in the theater and that it wasn't as good as I was hoping it to be. That said to see such a pairing on the big screen in a romantic comedy was almost surreal. Shame it doing do better box office to influence more films coming after it but it was a positive step forward.

The others? Well...Candy Jar is cute. I think it was a small independent film that Netflix happened to purchase but nonetheless I was grateful that the black lead's love interest wasn't Latino or Asian. She was white. Progress indeed but a small one considered its scope, budget and overall buzz. Little Boxes? Come on. I appreciate it had a black husband and a white wife who had a black son. But so much about the movie is about the dysfunction of the family and how they struggle to keep it altogether. I appreciate the portrayal of such a couple as real people with real problems but we haven't gotten enough of the typical standard love stories to balance out this more down-to-earth portrayal. The Anomaly really looks like the equivalent of a cheap mid to late 80s Mario van Peebles action/sci fi flick, one that would have opened in like 20 theaters across the nation before heading to video. That period was also probably the last time in which a white female could be seen on the poster/cover of an action flick alongside her black male star as well as be his love interest without Black America making a huge issue out of it. I don't see this as progress in 2018 especially when you consider it too is a UK production. Different rules have applied over there.


(I'll continue this in another post)

 

@JamalSpunky Do you have different rules for TV shows or do use these same rules?

 

Progress in terms of what the racist in Hollywood tries to use as an excuse along with some black producers and that is the audience.

The audience has made these movies and shows popular as to the reason why we are seeing more of them, because those that want to normalize IR now have an audience. What you're looking for or hoping for will always be split. Which is why I don't get up and super excited for a mainstream actress doing an IR scene or having a love interest until I see how the story is done in terms of story. American audiences have turned out well for A United Kingdom(even in it's limited release) and The Mountain Between Us and REALLY well for FOCUS. And CandyJar was a social media hit among young folks when it was released if you type it into the search bars on google and twitter a lot of young folks liked it. And Cloak and Dagger, The Innocents just made the audience bigger and stronger. That is the progress that matters because it allows those in Hollywood TO normalize IR onscreen and not treat it different or put kid gloves on it when it comes to intimacy.

Even MBJ still with his Emmy nominated HBO movie was able to excel not only with being nominated but delivered in the ratings and on social media.

"1-Does a white female lead have a lover/boyfriend/husband who is black and someone she actually cares for and/or loves? If so that is progress even if there is not a lot of physical intimacy onscreen before. This may not seem great but the truth is we have rarely seen that in the history of western cinema."

^ I agree with that to a certain extent because intimacy is normalizing IR relationships onscreen which is what they have been proven to be against. I think it was said Denzel took out the kissing scenes in The Pelican Brief. Most racist don't like it when IR is normalized like that onscreen. Both in the business and the audiences. That's why I always look to how it is done. For example The Innocents, The Mountain Between Us wouldn't have worked without the intimacy. CandyJar would have.

 

Being a Christian film...no romance...but life long Interracial friends...

Unconditional 2012:

 

I read about that flick for many years until I finally saw it on TCM. Hate the ending of course but it was a breakthrough flick . Richard Mulligan who plays the White ex later played in the show SOAP.

 

CAPTIVE STATE


John Goodman, Vera Farmiga, Ashton Sanders, Madeline Brewer.

 

That one looks like it'll be tough to watch lol

 

Why not just list the actors involved in the IR in this movie instead of listing the whole cast? I have no idea who supposed to be involved with watching the trailer.

 

This "Ride" movie must be the film starring Bella Throne that @JamalSpunky has been talking about in this thread for over a year.

Interesting that Urban Movie Channel is producing this film.

 

My fault. I just thought it would've been obvious if people watched the trailer that it was between Ashton Sanders & Madeline Brewer. Plus it is only a shot of them spooning in bed together because I thought potential IR couples were okay to post if it seems that way in the trailer.

 

It kind of gives me the feel of that Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Tom Cruise movie I think was called Taxi. I liked that movie. If the writing is as good as the concept seems in the trailer, I just might want to see this in theatres.

 

The Tom Cruise-Jamie Foxx-Jada Pinkett-Smith film was called Collateral.

 

Thanks I had trouble remembering and I was obviously way off!!! LOL!

But RIDE gives me that feel.

 

Hope to see that flick soon.

 

The Nutcracker and the 4 Realms has a black young man as the nutcracker, which at the very least is interesting. The nutcracker and ballerina/princess always have some sort of romance or hinted affection so will be interesting to see if Disney goes that route.

 

Uhhhhh... What do you mean by "Emmitt Till type of a IR"?

 

This looks actually good. I like how they just snuck it in their in a subtle way that he was The Nutcracker. However he seems to be more of her sidekick by the first trailer anyway than any hint of a romance. But I do know there was a cartoon way back in the day called The Nutcracker Prince that was a love story.

 

My illness kept me from coming to the site listing all of the three films discussed on this page. RIDE may not be any good but it passes all the tests, including showing an actual kiss between the black male and white female leads.

Learned couple of months ago about this young black actor who appears in the Nutcracker but didn't realize he had such a big part until I saw this most recent trailer and learned that he has his very own character poster. Don't know if there will be any hint of attraction (I wouldn't bet on it) but I'm sure more African Americans will be wasting their time pissed off that he appears to be British.