Baadasssss!

Baadasssss! is a great look at the struggles faced by Mario Van Peebles' father, Melvin, in the making of his film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song in 1971. An endearing film from a son about his father, Baadasssss! can be pretty abrasive as it starts, which is appropriate given the subject. However, as you get the hang of things, the unique style and half-documentary/half-biopic approach becomes as cool and endearing as the star. However, the film is not afraid to criticize its subject and shows his anger and negative actions that led to people plain disliking him. Yet, at the end, you still find yourself rooting for him entirely and hoping his film takes off, even if everybody wrote it off as "dangerous". For this, Baadasssss! is an effective and thoroughly enjoyable biopic that feels like a redemption/feel good story at the end of the day.

When "Sweet Sweetback..." came out in 1971, my friends and I ran to see it. We were in 8th grade. The theater in our neighborhood would let anybody in, no matter how young. My friends thought it was cool. I didn't like it. "Baadassss," on the other hand, is a much better film. There are a few shortcomings, but overall, the writing, direction, and production are more sophisticated. A bigger budget helped, too.