Dear White People (2014)

Justin Simien's debut film is not as funny as I was expecting--to be sure, it is a comedy-drama, mostly drama.  And I think that is a bit of a detraction from the film.  At times in the middle, the movie takes itself a little too seriously.  Granted, this is serious material, but some of these dialogues are a little too blunt and soapbox-y. Maybe Simien is a little too intelligent, assuming his audience is at the same level.  Most of the movie, however, is very tactful in getting its message across.  That message is very important and much needed.  Race is a touchy subject in this country, but Simien stares unflinchingly at this issue and confronts race in the context of our top universities.  Simien is brutally honest about the systemic racism that pervades our population.  Simien's message is helped along by a strong cast.  Tyler Jesse Williams is perfect as a black homosexual student and Tessa Thompson is excellent as a charismatic student activist and host of "Dear White People," a campus radio show that just might be what our schools need in 2015.