As time has progressed and we as a society have developed, there are many films and depictions that used to be enjoyable that have now been found and called out to be incredibly offensive to various groups. Movies, shows and clips that were once found to be funny and lighthearted are recently being scrutinized for their disgustingly racist, sexist and overall inappropriate natures. One movie in particular, I will admit I watched, enjoyed and laughed at, is “White Chicks.” I would call this a “problematic favorite,” in the words of Dr. G, since there is so much wrong with this movie, yet it is still so laughable and funny. It was impossible to pick a single scene or moment from it to reflect on, but rather felt it necessary to address the film in its entirety, as well as the creators/actors and their continuous support of the film’s plot line and nature.
https://youtu.be/aeVkbNka9HM
https://www.netflix.com/title/60034587(link to stream the film on Netflix)
If you have yet to watch this movie in its entirety, I will give a brief rundown. This 2004 film revolves around two adult black men physically dressing up and impersonating two young blonde, white women in a silly effort to stop them from being kidnapped. Throughout the movie the two impersonators are very clearly not white women and, in fact, more resemble Michael Jackson in my opinion. Despite the painfully obvious fact that the two men are not the Wilson sisters, bystanders seem to be completely blindsided when they are revealed to be imposters, which I assume was supposed to add to the comedic value. I was shocked to find out that this movie received a rating of 4.7/5 stars on Google ratings, with very few statements popping up in the search regarding the offensively weird nature of this “comedy.”
Main characters before and after their “transformation” https://inewsnetwork.net/7881/arts-entertainment/white-chicks-is-it-offensive/
The weirdest thing about this film is that its crude and offensive nature is not just a single scene or joke, but the entire point and plotline that is fully defended by the creators to this day, even in this time where cancel culture is so incredibly prevalent. In an interview with Entertainment (https://ew.com/movies/marlon-wayans-defends-white-chicks-slams-cancel-culture/) the writer and director of the film, Marlon Wayans, pushes against the “cancel culture” and makes a statement claiming that the people that should be offended are the ones laughing the loudest (the “white chicks.”) However, I feel the movie is not only crudely offensive on the race level, but also in terms of gender. The men essentially pretend to be trans, and I feel like they very poorly represent having “male features” as a woman and just poke fun at the fact that they have features like big hands and feet or a larger butt since that is a sort of physical stereotype for African Americans.
The New York Times recently posted an article on the movie, which included some historical background on the practice of “whiteface” and defended why it is not on the same level as blackface. “While blackface has minstrel roots, whiteface arises from a different impulse. Often employed in comedies, the practice enables Black people to pass as white, putting them in proximity to the believed benefits and privileges the skin tone provides… the practice not only gives the infiltrator a financial and social advantage, it allows the racial passer to upset the perceived stability of racial identity.” The New York Times defended the film claiming it did have educational value, specifically in scenes showing the privilege the two men gain when in costume as the wealthy white girls. Another scene that I also agree shows something educational is when the two guys are dressed up in the car with their newfound white girl friends. When an explicit song comes on, the guys accidentally slip up and sing along using a racial slur. The girls all turn in shock to which he replies “So? Nobody’s around.” After coming to the agreement that no one is there to stop them, all the girls begin to shout the slur with no remorse, showing the fact that they only care to be inclusive and non-offensive when it is in public and helps their image.
(https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/25/movies/white-chicks-anniversary.html)
Another portion of the film that is seen by some as educational and eye opening is Spencer, a straight black man, unknowingly pursuing “Tiffany” who is actually a black man in costume. Even the New York Times article on “White Chicks” states that Spencer’s blind pursuit of the imposter Tiffany “destabilizes his own assumptions about what defines manhood and whiteness.” While this movie seems to be purely hypothetical and comical, in a literal sense this romance raises a few questions in terms of sexuality. Can he really consider himself straight after pursuing a man the entire time? Would this be comparable to pursuing a transgender woman or is this a different story since the “transition” is purely dress up and not a pursuit of self-searching?
Overall, it is very much up in the air whether this movie leans on the funny educational side or if it’s just downright offensive and weird. Either way, it has come to be considered a cult classic by many and continues to be defended by the creators and many fans alike. With all that said, regardless of personal opinions, I do not see this movie being publicly cancelled anytime soon as I believe it would have already occurred.