Hollywood Shuffle (1987)

Really Surprised!

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Hollywood Shuffle is one of the best black comedies of all-time. It served as a big f--- you to Hollywood for its sickening portrayal of black people. Robert Townsend used comedy for a great purpose(to convey a truth) and it worked out splendidly.Premise: Bobby(played by Robert Townsend) has dreams of making it big in Hollywood. He works for a crummy hot dog stand called Rinky-Dinky Dog(no, really) with idiotic co-workers as well as an idiotic boss. The only problem Bobby faces is the negative roles that Follywood tends to offer black people. He soon has to make a decision if he wants to go with the BS roles of the movie industry or to go a different route.Opinion: This movie hits the nail on the head with the types of roles that Follywood has destined for us to play. Its funny as well as sharp in its delivery. The Black Acting School skit has to be the funniest sketch in the movie. The black detective is the second funniest thing. Sure most people might say that the acting is over-the-top but these actors who play in the types of movies that Hollywood Shuffle parodies are always over the top with their performance so what are you talking about? I respect Hollywood Shuffle for using humor to address a serious subject instead of stooping to the brainless comic dung that you get from these Chittlin Circuit movies that are produced nowadays. And the sad thing is that people are trouncing gems like Hollywood Shuffle while embracing minstrel rubbish like Soul Plane, Norbit, Code Name: The Cleaner, Juwanna Mann etc. A sad state of affairs. In closing I would say support comedies like Hollywood Shuffle any chance you get. They're the only bright light you get in the dark tunnel of comedy in Hollywood.

One of the best movies I've ever seen. This a movie that makes you think. First you laugh, then you think about why you're laughing and if you should be laughing or crying. There isn't a wasted scene in this movie, each one is relevant and true. I have known about the virtues of this movie since its release, my siblings and I call each other 'hocake' and no one knows what we're talking about. I was amazed that there aren't even photos of the stars and director (Robert Townsend and others) on the cast page of this movie. This is such an under-rated flick, the only movie I can think of offhand that is this poignant and clever is 'A day without a Mexican', another great movie. If you are a simpleton who likes movies to watch things blow up this isn't for you. If you are the cerebral type who actually uses their brain this movie is right up your alley. You'll think about this movie for a while.

Interesting and impressive, Hollywood Shuffle allows the characters to make the point that Townsend is making, without being too harsh or lecture-like. The film incorporates some great parody scenes such as the Siskel and Ebert inspired "Speed and Tyrone" where the reviewers sneak into movies. Most impressive is the background to the film, which makes the finished product all the more impressive. Townsend's freshmen effort is a true success, and goes where few first timers are normally able to go.8/10

As a black man and a longtime movie fan, it angered and frustrated me as to how blacks were stereotyped and exploited in Hollywood over the years. This was especially true during the first half of the 80's when I saw talented actor like Larry Fishburne play a hoodlum in DEATH WISH 2, Wesley Snipe play a hoodlum in WILDCATS and Mario Van Peebles play a hoodlum in EXTERMINATOR 2. Of course they've gone on to bigger, and totally unexpected, better things. That's why this satire hit a nerve with me. The one scene that sticks in my mind are the audition scenes where blacks audition for demeaning roles casted by clueless white producers and directors trying to tell blacks to act the way they think blacks should act (ain't that a blip!) and looking for an "Eddie Murphy type". The script, co-written by Townsend and co-star Keenen Ivory Wayans is accurate and on the money. While Wayans has sone on to better things (IN LIVING COLOR, I'M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA and SCARY MOVIE), Townsend has not been so fortunate (The uneven THE FIVE HEARTBEATS, The lame TV sit-com THE PARENT 'HOOD and the godawful B.A.P.S.). The film also features Helen Martin, Damon Wayans, Anne-Marie Johnson and John Witherspoon. If you a fan of on-target satires, I strongly recommend this movie.