Baadasssss! (2004) Movie Information:

Baadasssss! (2004) Directed by: Mario Van Peebles Baadasssss! (2004) Written by: Mario Van Peebles, Dennis Haggerty, Melvin Van Peebles Baadasssss! (2004) Cast: Mario Van Peebles, Joy Bryant, T Carter, Terry Crews, Ossie Davis, David Grier, Nia Long, Paul Rodriguez, Saul Rubinek, Vincent Schiavelli

Baadasssss! (2004) U.S. Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics Baadasssss! (2004) U.K. Distributor: Not available at this time

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Baadasssss! (2004) Synopsis:

Melvin Van Peebles stunned the world for the first time, with his debut feature, "The Story of a Three Day Pass." Filmed in France and selected as the French entry in the San Francisco Film Festival, Melvin's film was awarded the top prize. Saying it was controversial would be an understatement. In 1968 for a black man to walk up to the podium and accept the top festival award for a film he had to go abroad to make--now that's how you make your mark. After his comedy, "Watermelon Man," Melvin was determined to push the Hollywood boundaries with the groundbreaking, and even more controversial, "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song." Turned down by every major studio including Columbia, where he had a three-picture deal, Melvin was forced to basically self-finance. Risking everything he had Melvin delivered to the world the first Black Ghetto hero on the big screen--whether they were ready or not! More than 30 years later, history is being fashioned again in the telling of this very tale. Mario Van Peebles, Melvin's son, directs an honest and revealing portrait of his pioneering father. Mario now tells the story of the making of Melvin Van Peebles' landmark 1971 film, "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song," including Melvin's struggles to raise money to fund the film under the guise of creating a black porno film. Melvin had ducked creditors, the unions and had to bail out his camera crew after they were arrested because a white cop decided "a bunch of Negroes and hippies couldn't have come by that camera equipment honestly." Despite death threats and temporarily losing sight in one eye, Melvin somehow managed to whip into shape a rag-tag, multi-racial crew and finish the film that would give birth to birth of a new era which was about to explode: Independent Black Cinema.

Baadasssss! (2004) Movie Review:

People today find nothing strange about anyone who lashes out or takes a stand against protocol, but pushing the boundaries was not exactly the smartest thing to do back in 1971. Nevertheless, Melvin Van Peebles had had enough of racism, double standards and inequality. That’s why he made "Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song," a radical film he hoped might follow on the success of his other films, "The Story of A Three-Day Pass" and the amusing "Watermelon Man."

Watching his father make the movie and actually being a part of it in a porn scene at age 13, Mario Van Peebles uses his new film "Baadasssss!" to take a look back at the making of his father’s controversial "Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song."

"Baadasssss!" is clever, funny and certainly original. It’s part documentary – using actual footage of the his dad’s film – but in a feature sort of way; and yet it’s also a son’s look down the family tree at where he came from and where he was going. Mario, who takes on the role of his dad, details the filming of a movie his father was destined to make. He highlights the courageous, unrelenting but almost impossible struggle his dad had to endure to complete the movie.

It’s not that Melvin didn’t have a lot going for him already: he was the first black officer in the US Air Force, a writer and painter who moved to Paris, learned French and became a filmmaker. During one period he even had two plays running at the same time on Broadway.

But the father figure Mario sees in "Baadasssss!" is a lot more transparent. . Like many dreamers who have mortgaged their souls to Hollywood, Melvin took the low road to fame and entered the dungeon of reality in filmmaking. He was dedicated beyond reason, as if making the film would finally empower blacks to take their rightful stand in America.

After getting turned down for financing, Melvin was such a loose cannon he started the production without thinking about the sacrifices it would mean for his crew, cast and family. His crew got arrested; there were death threats; and the film received an “X” rating. Irrational right to the end, Melvin wouldn’t change a thing and advertised the X-rated fact, which landed "Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song" in only two theaters in the entire country.

So Mario has made his movie, but maybe one for his dad, too. “It was as if I had some parental unbiblical cord wired into my hard drive allowing me to channel directly,” said Melvin’s son, who would endure all the same things his father did in getting his “heart” movie made.

This boiling pot of politics, filmmaking and self-discovery contains pervasive language and some strong sexuality/nudity, but "Baadasssss!" is one of the freshest and most honest films to come along in years. It shows how willpower, strength and humor can help overcome all obstacles.

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Baadasssss! (2004) review written by: Diana Saenger