Baadasssss!

2004 "A Father - A Son - A Revolution"
7.3| 1h48m| R| en
Details

Director Mario Van Peebles chronicles the complicated production of his father Melvin's classic 1971 film, "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song." Playing his father in the film, Van Peebles offers an unapologetic account of Melvin's brash and sometimes deceptive conduct on the set of the film, including questionable antics like writing bad checks, tricking a local fire department and allowing his son, Mario, to shoot racy sex scenes at the age of 11.

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Reviews

Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
meeza One thing was undeniable when I observed Mario Van Peebles "Baadasssss!", his dad Melvin was most definitely a baadasssss!! The film chronicles the true events on the challenging process of developing and direction Melvin's 70's trendsetter independent hit "Sweet Sweetback's Baad Assss Song". Sonny-boy Mario not only directed "Baadasssss!" but he also starred as his father. Mario tirelessly demonstrates in the film how demanding and challenging the direction process was back in the 70's for independent cinema during its embryonic era. Mario portrays his "Papa was a Rolling Stoner" as a committed visionary auteur who was fixated on developing a racially-themed revolutionary film. Mario shows how hardcore Melvin was in incorporating a culturally-diverse crew on "Sweet Sweetback". The offspring Mario does execute an admirable performance as the elder V.P. However, the jargon he infused in "Baadasssss" was kind of simply stated, "baaaddd!" If one is going to write a film on cultural bias and race, its imperative to have a cultural diverse scribe. Unfortunately, his screenplay was too "jivish". He should have contacted the Bee Gees to include the song "Jive Talking" on the film's soundtrack. However, I will stop being a tough "baadassss" critic and will marginally recommend goodasses and badasses (preferably female goodasses) to take a look at "Baadasssss!". *** Average
the_crock Mario Van Peebles take a bow, not only is this a brutally honest recount of what your father went through trying to make an independent movie. But you also made this movie so damn enjoyable. I wasn't sure whether I would enjoy a movie where a son admires his father, but this was more than that, this was a warts (forcing his son to have a sex scene at 13) and all movie, that is a damning account of the film industry and director who has had enough of the racism in his job and in his country.Melvin Van Peebles was a demanding, arrogant man who let nothing get in the way of his vision, which makes him not much of a person, but a hell of an inspiration and artist. His movie which I haven't seen, is shown as a fore runner to the Blaxploitation era of Hollywood, but to me Melvin Van Peebles was an inspiration to all Independent film makers who value there movie more than making money.Within hours of seeing this movie I ordered Sweetback on DVD from America, because none of the great black film makers have there movies released in Australia. I was really inspired by Melvin's I don't give a stuff attitude. There is just something special about an independent film maker, taking risks and making a movie that makes people think, shame Hollywood doesn't try and do the same.
stefanie-10 I had been putting off seeing this, and then was pleasantly surprised.I didn't know much about Mario Van Peebles, nor of his father ("Sweet Sweetback's Baad Asssss Song" came out 2 years before I was born) but after seeing this homage to Mr. Van Peebles and seeing how much he risked - everything from finances to his family and his own health, for his dream of "the world" to really see life from the African American point of view, the way it really is, is well impressive to say the least. The unimaginable struggle, the pressure and the sheer will that Mario portrays in his father is a touching tribute. Mario reveals his father's motives for making "Sweetback" in a moving and heartfelt way, documenting how Hollywood portrayed races other than white - if you are not white, then you are the white man's servant - how at that time - no one and no other film had film portrayed a Black Man as a hero or the struggles that he or any other race faces. It is a tale that is bigger than him and despite the risk and struggle, he fights to tell it. This is a fitting homage to a pioneer of a Genre and a Father. "Baadasssss!" It also depicts the rugged world of guerrilla film-making and the rabid fight involved in making an indie film from inception to distribution. After seeing this I take a much greater heed of the Van Peebles Name, "Baadasssss!" is worthy film as a Drama in its own right, an Homage to a Pioneer and Father and as a Documenty Tribute to a Piece of Film History.
anhedonia It's a real shame that mediocre indie films, such as "Open Water" and "Napoleon Dynamite," get tons of publicity while a gem like "Baadasssss!" goes unnoticed.Director and co-writer Mario Van Peebles affectionately, but truthfully, chronicles a fictional telling of his father, Melvin Van Peebles' attempt to make "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song," modern black cinema's groundbreaking film, which was compulsory viewing for the Black Panthers and paved the way for countless black actors, filmmakers and film technicians. The Spike Lees, Ernest Dickersons, John Singletons and Wayanses owe a huge debt of gratitude to not only what Melvin accomplished 33 years ago, but also how he did it.Mario Van Peebles' previous directorial efforts, "New Jack City" (1991), "Posse" (1993) and "Panther" (1995), showed potential, but were mired in clichés and turned out to be rather forgettable. That's not the case with "Baadasssss!"This is an exciting, funny and moving film about one man's zeal to make the movie he wants to make. Melvin did not want to kowtow to studios and was fed up with how blacks were portrayed in Hollywood movies. So he set out to make a movie where the black man fought back, then went on the run and got away. And he did it with an ethnically diverse crew (which was unheard of then), many of whom knew little or nothing about movie-making."Baadasssss!" brilliantly illustrates Melvin's struggles, including pretending he was shooting a black porno film to hide his real intent from the crafts unions, running out of money, losing his vision in one eye and finding a distributor for "Sweet Sweetback."Mario shows a deep sense of love and respect for his father's achievement. But Mario definitely doesn't sugarcoat his depiction of Melvin. The Melvin we see in this film is a driven, obsessive man who loves his friends and family deeply, but won't let anything or anyone stop his film, including the weekend jailing of his crew. Mario's reluctance about being forced to be in a "sex scene" in his dad's movie is one of the film's highlights. The moment works thanks to a nicely subdued and thoughtful performance by Khleo Thomas as the young Mario.Mario Van Peebles and Dennis Haggerty penned a smart, energetic script. They add a nice undercurrent to the story by creating a father-son dynamic, which adds a layer of surprising depth to the story. Mario Van Peebles so completely immerses himself into the role of his father that we forget we're watching Mario play Melvin.Where the script falters is in its over-reliance on voice-over narration used to to convey Melvin's thoughts. It works sometimes. But it also seems obtrusive. For instance, Melvin's thoughts about the contents of the props drawer aren't needed because we're smart enough to know how dangerous or funny it could have all turned out."Baadasssss!" is as much about Melvin's passion to make his influential film as it is about the importance of maintaining one's integrity. Just as Melvin didn't compromise his story, Mario, too, apparently held out and refused to compromise. Producers wanted him to make the film more acceptable to "a white audience" or toss in some hip-hop. But Mario didn't relent and made the film he wanted to make.The paradox about this film about the making of a film is that while Mario's movie is technically and cinematic ally superior to Melvin's seminal film, "Baadasssss!" ultimately isn't as politically, socially or historically influential as the film it chronicles. Nevertheless, for anyone interested in movie-making, "Baadasssss!" is a must, along with the documentaries, "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse" (1991) and "Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography" (1992). "Baadasssss!" is one of the best and most enjoyable films ever made about film-making.

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