''Meet the Blacks'' is a 2016 American
black comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
horror film directed by
Deon Taylor
Deon Taylor is an American filmmaker. He is the founder of Hidden Empire Film Group.
Life
Deon Taylor was born in Chicago and grew up in Gary, Indiana. During high school, he with his brother and mother moved to Sacramento, California. He has ...
, written by Taylor and Nicole DeMasi, and is a parody of the 2013 film ''
The Purge
''The Purge'' is an American anthology media franchise centered on a series of dystopian action horror films distributed by Universal Pictures and produced by Blumhouse Productions and Platinum Dunes, which are written and in some cases also d ...
''. It stars
Mike Epps
Michael Elliot Epps (born November 18, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He played Day-Day Jones in ''Next Friday'' and its sequel, ''Friday After Next'', and also appeared in ''The Hangover'' and ''The Hangover Part III'' as "Bla ...
,
Gary Owen,
Zulay Henao
Zulay Henao (born March 22, 1979) is a Colombian-American film and television actress. She has co-starred in a number of films such as '' Illegal Tender'' (2007), ''Fighting'' (2009), ''Takers'' (2010), '' Boy Wonder'' (2011), '' Hostel: Part II ...
,
Lil Duval
Roland Powell (born June 12, 1977), better known by his stage name Lil Duval, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. In 2005, he was a finalist on BET's comedy competition series ''Coming to the Stage''. Powell is a series regular to the MT ...
,
Bresha Webb
Bresha Webb (born Breshae Renee Webb; May 6, 1984) is an American actress. She starred as Imunique Jefferson in the TV One (American TV channel), TV One comedy series ''Love That Girl!'' from 2010 to 2014. She later has appeared in films ''Meet t ...
,
George Lopez
George Edward Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is an American comedian and actor. He is known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including Mexican American culture. Lopez has rec ...
and
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is cons ...
. This was
Charlie Murphy's last film role before his death from leukemia in 2017 as well as the final role for
Paul Mooney who died in 2021.
The film was released on April 1, 2016, by
Freestyle Releasing
Freestyle Releasing, LLC is an independent film distributor based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 2004, specializing in releasing films theatrically. Unlike most distributors, Freestyle Releasing does not put up any prints and advertising ...
. Although the film received generally negative reviews from critics, it was a box-office success, grossing over $9 million on its $900,000 budget. A sequel, titled ''
The House Next Door: Meet the Blacks 2'', was released on June 11, 2021.
Plot
Carl Black and his family are getting out of Chicago. After having stolen a lot of money from a famed criminal drug king, Key Flo (
Charlie Murphy), and believing that he will be imprisoned for the next five to six years, Carl Black (
Mike Epps
Michael Elliot Epps (born November 18, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He played Day-Day Jones in ''Next Friday'' and its sequel, ''Friday After Next'', and also appeared in ''The Hangover'' and ''The Hangover Part III'' as "Bla ...
) leaves the hustling lifestyle behind for something better. Carl, his new wife Lorena (
Zulay Henao
Zulay Henao (born March 22, 1979) is a Colombian-American film and television actress. She has co-starred in a number of films such as '' Illegal Tender'' (2007), ''Fighting'' (2009), ''Takers'' (2010), '' Boy Wonder'' (2011), '' Hostel: Part II ...
), son Carl Jr. (Alex Henderson), daughter Allie Black (
Bresha Webb
Bresha Webb (born Breshae Renee Webb; May 6, 1984) is an American actress. She starred as Imunique Jefferson in the TV One (American TV channel), TV One comedy series ''Love That Girl!'' from 2010 to 2014. She later has appeared in films ''Meet t ...
) and cousin Cronut (
Lil Duval
Roland Powell (born June 12, 1977), better known by his stage name Lil Duval, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. In 2005, he was a finalist on BET's comedy competition series ''Coming to the Stage''. Powell is a series regular to the MT ...
) pack up and move to Beverly Hills. Turns out, Carl could not have picked a worse time to move. They arrive right around the time of the annual purge and all Carl's personal issues intertwine while all crime is legal for twelve hours.
Cast
*
Mike Epps
Michael Elliot Epps (born November 18, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He played Day-Day Jones in ''Next Friday'' and its sequel, ''Friday After Next'', and also appeared in ''The Hangover'' and ''The Hangover Part III'' as "Bla ...
as Carl Black
*
Gary Owen as Larry
*
Zulay Henao
Zulay Henao (born March 22, 1979) is a Colombian-American film and television actress. She has co-starred in a number of films such as '' Illegal Tender'' (2007), ''Fighting'' (2009), ''Takers'' (2010), '' Boy Wonder'' (2011), '' Hostel: Part II ...
as Lorena Black
*
Bresha Webb
Bresha Webb (born Breshae Renee Webb; May 6, 1984) is an American actress. She starred as Imunique Jefferson in the TV One (American TV channel), TV One comedy series ''Love That Girl!'' from 2010 to 2014. She later has appeared in films ''Meet t ...
as Allie Black
*
Lil Duval
Roland Powell (born June 12, 1977), better known by his stage name Lil Duval, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. In 2005, he was a finalist on BET's comedy competition series ''Coming to the Stage''. Powell is a series regular to the MT ...
as Cronut
*
Paul Mooney as Klan Member
*
Charlie Murphy as Key Flo
*Phil Austin as Jim Smith
*
King Bach
Andrew Byron Bachelor (born June 26, 1988), also known as King Bach is a Canadian-American Internet personality and actor who rose to fame on the now-defunct video sharing service Vine, where he had 16.2 million followers, making him the most fol ...
as Freezee
*
Lavell Crawford
Lavell Crawford (born November 11, 1968) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Huell Babineaux in ''Breaking Bad'' (2011–2013) and its spin-off ''Better Call Saul'' (2017–2022). He also played the role of ...
as Parole Officer
*
DeRay Davis
Antoine DeRay Davis (born February 26, 1982) is an American stand-up comedian and actor.Todd Davis (February 2, 2008)Steph Jones: Heart & Soul ''HHNLive''. Accessed July 18, 2008.
Life and career
Davis was born in Chicago, Illinois. He began ...
as Tyrone
*Kate Enggren as Mary Smith
*Alex Henderson as Carl Black Jr.
*
George Lopez
George Edward Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is an American comedian and actor. He is known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including Mexican American culture. Lopez has rec ...
as President El Bama
*
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is cons ...
as James Clown
*Shawn Kavanaugh as Marcus
*
Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. (born March 23, 1978), known professionally as Perez Hilton, is an American blogger, columnist, and media personality. His blog is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities, and for posting tabloid p ...
as Denis Strahan
*
Michael Blackson
Michael Blackson is a Ghanaian-Liberian actor, philanthropist, and comedian based in the United States.
Early life
Michael Blackson was born to a Ghanaian parents. He spent his young years in between Monrovia and Ghana before relocating to t ...
as Mr. Wooky
*
Tameka Cottle
Tameka Dianne Cottle Harris (born July 14, 1975), known professionally by her nickname Tiny, is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the multi-platinum R&B vocal group Xscape. She received a Grammy Award ...
as Shoranda
*Kathrien Ahn as Ming
*
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
as Todd
*
Tyrin Turner
Tyrin Turner is an American film and television actor and writer from South Central Los Angeles. He is most known for playing the lead role of Caine Lawson in the critically acclaimed 1993 urban drama ''Menace II Society''.
Career
Turner is b ...
as Big Head Rico
Reception
Box office
In its opening weekend, early tracking suggested the film would gross $4–5 million from 1,115 theaters in its opening weekend, and was released alongside ''
God's Not Dead 2
''God's Not Dead 2'' is a 2016 American Christian drama film, directed by Harold Cronk, and starring Melissa Joan Hart, Jesse Metcalfe, David A. R. White, Hayley Orrantia and Sadie Robertson. It is a sequel to '' God's Not Dead'' (2014), and the ...
''. In its opening weekend the film grossed $4.1 million, finishing 8th at the box office.
Streaming
In January 2021, it ranked fifth on a list of the most streamed films on
Hulu
Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
.
Critical response
On review aggregation website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film has an approval rating of 17%, based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 3.30/10. On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film has a score of 26 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". The ''
Herald & Review
The ''Herald & Review'' is a daily newspaper based in Decatur, Illinois. It is owned by Lee Enterprises.
The Herald & Review was named one of Editor & Publisher's "10 Newspapers That Do It Right" in 2019 for its use of government documents and p ...
'' named ''Meet the Blacks'' the fifth worst film released in 2016.
''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' gave the three out of five stars writing, "While there is a whiff of social commentary in this low-budget spoof of the 2013 horror ''The Purge'', only a comic performance from Bresha Webb provides any impact", saying that her performance was "so unpredictable and versatile it virtually makes up for the film’s many dull patches."
The ''Truckee Sun'' gave the film an F, writing, "Given the family's chaotic and disagreeable state, we have every reason to hope they are purged along with this movie that ought to have been killed months before it reached any cinema." The ''
Citizen Times
Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection".
Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...
'' wrote, "In the hands of gifted performers, this open approach has the power to inspire in-the-moment hilarity often greater than the best lines and gags cooked up by the film’s creators, but no individuals who fit that description are present here." The ''
Arkansas Times
''Arkansas Times'', a weekly alternative newspaper based in Little Rock, Arkansas, is a publication that has circulated more than 40 years, originally as a magazine.
Founded as a small magazine on newsprint in 1977 by publisher Alan Leveritt, i ...
'' wrote, "Movies don't come much worse than ''Meet the Blacks,'' and when they do, they tend to go straight to video. At this quality level they tend to slink beneath the classification of movie per se, because technically they're just some dude screwing around with a camera and his buddies so he can get better at
Final Cut. There are many markers of the overall badness of ''Meet the Blacks,'' but none perhaps more damning than George Lopez playing a character named President
El Bama, maybe the funniest thing in this film's 90-minute run time."
''Substream Magazine'' described the film as "criminally bad
..an alleged horror-comedy that fails spectacularly at being either one of those things. Carried by a funny, yet uninspired Mike Epps, the films
ictries to reinvent the parody genre with a lazy and uninspired take on ''The Purge'' franchise that is dead on arrival." ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' called the film "a wrongheaded, utterly incompetent and nearly laugh-free satire".
Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. called it "nearly unwatchable
..crass and forgettable".
Christy Lemire
Christy A. Lemire (née Nemetz; born August 30, 1972) is an American film critic and host of the movie review podcast ''Breakfast All Day''. She previously wrote for the Associated Press from 1999 to 2013, was a co-host of '' Ebert Presents at ...
, writing for
RogerEbert.com
''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times' ...
, gave one out of four stars, saying "every once in a while it seems to be trying, slightly, to make a vague point about racial prejudices and tensions. Mostly, though, ''Meet the Blacks'' is too scatterbrained to be so self-aware." ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' said the film "may not actually qualify as one after all. It’s more like an extremely confusing and sloppily written chunk of ''Purge''
fan-fiction
Fan fiction or fanfiction (also abbreviated to fan fic, fanfic, fic or FF) is fictional writing written in an amateur capacity by fans, unauthorized by, but based on an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted characters, setti ...
—a tortured use of another movie’s absurd mythology to help make muddled quasi-satirical points, while indulging the apparently fail-safe punchline of saying the word “purge” about once a minute."
Sequel
In October 2017, a sequel was confirmed to be released in February 2020, called ''
The House Next Door: Meet the Blacks 2'', with
Mike Epps
Michael Elliot Epps (born November 18, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He played Day-Day Jones in ''Next Friday'' and its sequel, ''Friday After Next'', and also appeared in ''The Hangover'' and ''The Hangover Part III'' as "Bla ...
reprising his role.
The sequel was released on June 11, 2021.
See also
*
List of black films of the 2010s
The following is a list of black films that were released in the 2010s. Black films listed here are generally associated with the peoples from the African diaspora; the cinema of Africa is distinct from this topic (see list of African films). Lawr ...
References
External links
*
*
*
{{The Purge (franchise)
2016 films
2016 black comedy films
2016 comedy horror films
African-American comedy horror films
African-American films
American black comedy films
American comedy horror films
American parody films
2010s English-language films
Films directed by Deon Taylor
Films scored by RZA
Films set in Beverly Hills, California
Films set in Chicago
Parodies of horror
2010s American films