User reviews

This is a great movie. It is absolutely hilarious, and it easily represents R. Townshend's best work. In fact, it's far, far better than anything else he's ever done, which is remarkable considering the film's tiny budget.

The humor is biting and relevant. The movie is highly recommended.

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

Hollywood Shuffle (1987) was the directorial debut of Actor/ Director Robert Townshend. His self financed film Hollywood SHUFFLE pokes fun at the struggles many black actors face whilst looking for an acting career in Hollywood. It's sad as well because many of these stereotypes are still true to this day. While progress has been made in the American Movie Industry, they still need to make more progress. This film showed people how the Movie making business handles the majority of young black actors who're trying to make it in the movies.

The story is about a young, talented and aspiring actor who wants to make it in Hollywood as a director. But when he tries out for roles, he meets a lot of stumbling blocks. Many of these are about his racial background (i.e. he's not black enough, he's too black, doesn't act black, etc. etc.). Eventually he's offered a role but will he throw away his dignity to accept it? Can young Robert make it in Hollywood without "selling out"? Will his peer drag him down? To find out you'll just have to watch Hollywood SHUFFLE.

Highly recommended film.

I've forced this film on all my friends and there isn't one who regrets seeing it. A couple haven't been that enthusiastic at first; thought it was all right but didn't understand the fuss I make about it, but the next day they'll want to watch it again.

I find it pretty embarrassing when someone quotes the inevitable Austin Powers, but for months after seeing this film I just couldn't help it - probably the reason I had to get everyone I know to watch it.

Some films have great scenes and some are just good films; this is both. Genuinely funny with real heart.

Say it with me now: WINKY DINKY DOGGG.

by Dane Youssef

Movies in general are so formulaic that even most independent films are pretty routine and by-the-numbers.

Maybe that's why "Hollywood Shuffle" feels so refreshing, like a much-needed change of pace. Most indies are made almost entirely by hand---one man writing, directing, producing (hey, they need every single spare cent they can get their grubby hands on) and this one is no exception.

Townsend wears all the indie hats here… and he wears them proudly.

This is the film that introduced the world to Robert Townsend. Well, that was it's whole purpose. Like "The Brother McMullen," this star-vehicle was written and directed by Townsend about his dream to make it as a professional actor, trying to break into Hollywood, while at the same time, trying to over-come the cruel limitations mainstream Hollywood has set up for black people who want to act... and actors, in general.

Whereas the '70's was the birth decade of the blaxploitation, so many of them were just cheap, cheesy, corny knock-offs of popular white films. Blaxploitation got more blacks into films, but the films themselves weren't really about anything. "Hollywood Shuffle" is a Blaxploitation film that really has something to say... that has an agenda.

There is so much burning talent, so many struggling entertainers wanting to make something of themselves, that Hollywood can afford to treat the auditioning talent the same way a really strong cleanser treats germs.

Townsend's efforts to make this movie are inspiring--he borrowed every dollar he could, asked for movie footage that was left on the cutting-room floor, called in every favor he could, threw everything he had and more to get this one made.

To tell his story, get his foot in the door... and at the same time, tell a story about what this kind of life is like. For those with talent who dare to dream big.

Greats Keenan Ivory Wayans and John Witherspoon have bit players as people who work at a hog stand in the neighborhood who don't ask for much out of life... and don't get it. They're the kind of cynics who believe, "You're a fool for following your dreams."

When you near the end of your journey in this world, you really fully understand the meaning of the old phrase, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Townsend interlocks a variety of skits with this all-too autobiographical tale, all of which are pretty funny and inspiring. You have to admire the way that Townsend wants to put out some legitimate roles for black actors to play and black actors to idolize. But most of his skits go on too long after the point has been made and there are quite a few moments that feel like someone (Townsend obviously) should have punched up. Townsend is a far better actor than he is a writer/director.

Perhaps because he is only a filmmaker by necessity for this one. He's more interested in using this to make up of all those dream roles he never got to play and showing his chops as an actor than really making a great movie.

There's a scene where he takes-off "Siskel & Ebert"--before everyone started doing it. Almost all the skits (where Townsend is fantasizing his dream roles as an actor) go on way too long, probably because Townsend is far less concerned with how funny the skits/movie is and more interested in using this movie to play all the dream roles he never got to before.

Every actor is perfectly cast, especially Townsend himself. It's great to see him playing all these roles you know he's always dreamed of doing (he plays them while his character actually IS day-dreaming).

The movie captures the struggle of the out-of-work actor just right. We see lines and lines of actors warming-up, rehearsing their roles, going into the audition... all to hear, "Thank you, next!" But some blessed, precious few are picked.

But those that are black are given racially-biased drivel to perform. Ethnic caricatures that shame and set back their race. Brothers and sisters who talk like stock characters from the slave era, wearing redneck farm clothes, picking cotton, eating chicken and getting stinking drunk. Townsend tirades many black archetypes, most of which went out of style around the same time as black-face. Lil' Bobby obviously wants to say something about the way the brothers and sisters are treated in the biz. There are some moments here you'll roar with laughter at, as well as put a lump in your throat and a strange feeling of hope and pride.

Like many other breakthrough films, especially independents, "Hollywood Shuffle" was another arrival of a fresh new talent. It happens as often as the rise and setting of the suns, but here is a film where it feels a little more special… because Townsend was really about something. You can see it here, not only in some of his satirist scenes, but some of the quieter moments where real drama in brewing and dreams are at stake.

We see where Townsend is asking himself if he's good enough, if he face the whole world (which is how it is when you're struggling to make it as an entertainer… or in life) and when life-long happiness is at stake. It almost hurts. And at the end of it all, when we wonder for Townsend's character, Bobby's sake… what will become of him? And then we realize we already know. We just found out.

It's like looking in the sky at the stars like you always do… and then there's a brand-new star shining in the night sky, standing out just a little bit bigger than the others. Haven't seen that one before. Hey, is that a new one? Couldn't be, could it? I don't remember… there are so many. Another star is born.

Or made.

--Love (or Like), Dane Youssef

. . . just the idea of having the audacity to finance a major movie using one's credit cards. And while it's unclear what those card companies thought of the project, the movie-going public are the recipients.

Robert Townsend, infant terrible of the late 80s makes a splashy, dynamic debut in "Hollywood Shuffle." There's no doubting Townsend's unbridled energy, imagination, and punch. Here's a man who has something to say, and uses comedy, parody and satire to make his points.

How the film will appeal depends on individual tastes. However, Townsend has assembled a good looking cast, which throws itself into the proceedings with enthusiasm and verve.

More power, Mr. Townsend.

Robert Townsend's independent debut is a light-hearted farce that explores the struggles of black actors of Hollywood. But the issues that the film could be applied to talented folks in any field who are prevented from reaching their full potential because of stereotypes.

Many of the cast were unknowns at the time but they did an excellent job in the various skits. My favorite is the parody of Siskel and Ebert's TV show, where two street hoods sneak into the movies to give their own rather unique reviews. Amadeus is slammed by the amateur critics because "the movie's title is too hard to pronounce" while a movie about Zombie Street Pimps is given the thumbs up, because of the attention to detail. This is typical of the kind of humor employed throughout the movie - Townsend takes a racial stereotype and turns it outside out, making us think and laugh out loud at the same time.

I wish more directors, black or not, would follow Townsend's personal, self-effacing approach to movie-making but I guess it's easier to produce yet another violent shoot-em up or special effects showcase. Oh well.

Robert Townsend comes off like a real troublemaker in 'Hollywood Shuffle", an incisive and often hysterical indictment of typecasting in Tinseltown. It's made on a shoestring budget, and that shows in the production values - but who gives a rip about that? There's always a cheesy gag waiting around the corner and that levity is what makes this so fun. It's the delivery that's a real stroke of genius; the message is couched in harmless (and hilarious) movie parodies . Townsend's spoof of Siskel and Ebert (Sneakin' in the Movies) alone is worth the price of admission.

Yeah, I'd say this has held up nicely. It's great stuff.

7/10

Bobby Taylor (Robert Townsend) is an aspiring black actor from a middle class LA neighborhood. He and Donald (Keenen Ivory Wayans) work at fast food joint Winky Dinky Dog. His family, his friends, and girlfriend Lydia are generally supportive despite the degrading stereotype roles.

This tackles the issue of race in Hollywood. It needs a more concrete central plot. His search for acting work gets scattered. The structure is vignette in nature. Townsend is a little too old to play this wide-eyed character. He's 30 and should be more weary. It does have a lot of individual sections that work. The film criticism is fun. The auditions are pretty standard. The acting class is hilarious with the white guy doing jive. The black and white does not suggest noir but rather blaxoploitation. The Rambo speech is great but it needs to be more epic. Some of this works more than others but when it works, it's fresh.

Non-white actors and actresses have faced an uphill battle since the earliest days of cinema. Even today, other than a privileged few superstars, many minority actors struggle to find roles. When they do get cast, it's often in a very limited breadth of stereotypical roles - whether it be the Asian nerd, the Middle Eastern terrorist, or the black gangster/thug. Actors often have to weigh their ethical qualms at playing a role they find tactless (or even out-and-out racist) against the practical demands of paying the bills.

In Hollywood Shuffle, Robert Townsend shows the African-American side of these difficulties in the story of aspiring actor Bobby Taylor in late-80s LA. Bobby's story is interspersed with fantasy sequences that address and parody various popular films and genres.

For an indie film, the visual look of Hollywood Shuffle is quite good. Apart from some actors playing multiple roles, you wouldn't think this had a budget barely over five figures. I certainly respect anyone who would self-fund a movie the way Townsend did, especially to draw attention to an important social issue such as this. However, the movie suffers from several problems. The balance of comedy and seriousness seems skewed, and the writing often seems very ham-handed and uneven. Many of the fantasy sequences are too long and drawn-out, and Bobby's story seems to suffer for it, feeling too simple and rushed. It feels like Townsend couldn't decide between two types of movie - one a silly comedic satire lampooning Hollywood from a black perspective, and the other a more serious story with a more wry sense of humour derived from his real experiences as a struggling actor - and so he just tried to make both (but succeeded at neither).

Much of the movie seems like it would have been dated even at the time it was released. It feels like it would have been more at place if released five to ten years earlier, with references to Superman, Rambo, Dirty Harry, Roots and the jive-talking' blaxploitation genre that was so popular in the 70s (but, as far as I know, was long-dead by 1987). Perhaps this dated feeling is because of the big shift that was about to took place in the late 80s and early. Hip hop was growing and maturing into a real mainstream force, TV shows like In Living Color and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air were soon to become huge hits, and more nuanced portrayals of urban black life like Do the Right Thing and Boyz n the Hood were in the pipeline. Now that's not to say that these new portrayals and perceptions of black characters and life weren't without their own particular problems - just that much of what Hollywood Shuffle presented feels like it would have been irrelevant by then.

Overall, I agree with some of the other reviewers in the use of the word "uneven". I'd like to give it more credit for its ambition and guts, but it seems like it didn't really have much effect on things.

Final summary: 4/10 | C-

I had never heard of this movie until my friend whose film taste I greatly respect posted about it a week or so ago. He mentioned how it was sort of a pre-cursor to In Living Color, which I grew up watching, so I immediately felt drawn to checking it out. I wasn't sure how I felt for the first 20 minutes, but once the movie gets started, it launches off into a no-rules rampage of doing whatever it wants. Seriously, it's like a sketch comedy show but in the format of a film. It weaves in and out between a primary narrative, other films within a film, and random sketch-like segments in a way that is almost entirely structureless. Now, typically this seems like it would be a nightmare, but in this film it really works - mostly because it's actually really funny. I wasn't familiar with Robert Townsend before but he carries this movie with flying colors, and dang, does he do a hilarious Eddie Murphy impression, hahaha. You can call me a fan of this guy now - I'm definitely gonna be checking out the rest of his offerings (Meteor Man is apparently really good too?). It's always great to see Keenan Ivory Wayans, and often Damon as well. Of course, I should also mention that this movie boldly mocks the way that black people were perceived, cast, and treated throughout the history of Hollywood productions up through the 80's (well, it kind of carried on until the late 90's I'd say) - it's one of the main themes in the film. So, there is some relevant satire involved in this too - a lot of it actually. Literally anyone who's a fan of comedy, if you haven't seen Hollywood Shuffle, you absolutely should. There are more than enough memorable moments and jokes to make this one completely worthwhile.

When this film first came out, I saw it and loved it. For years, I've quoted (and, as it turns out, misquoted) a few of its lines--some of the funniest I've ever heard. I recently watched the DVD version with my wife, who'd never seen it. She wasn't impressed, and I can't say that I blame her. I was surprised how tedious and un-funny some stretches of the film are, and how disconnected the various skits were. The funny parts are still riotously funny (Nearly every second of "Sneakin' In The Movies with Tyrone and Speed" is laugh-out-loud funny), but other parts are boring and flat. The film-noir parody is especially poor, with unfocused, stale gags delivered slowly and without zest. A final note: those easily offended by four-letter words should skip this film. In keeping with its urban "street" vibe, rough language is pervasive--especially in the funniest scenes.

Was this a comedy or was it a drama? I begin this review by asking this question because the film that I just witnessed, Hollywood Shuffle, was neither funny or rather dramatic. While it tried so hard to make a point, because of this lack of definition (comedy or drama), the clever themes and pointed remarks were lost. While I am a strong believer that there is too much racial profiling happening in Hollywood, even today, I do not believe that Townsend's directorial debut did much to stop it. Instead, I feel it only added more fuel to the fire. Townsend's comic timing in this film was disastrous due to the fact that the elements he was supposed to be making fun of, he was instead promoting and vice versa. The parts that were supposed to be serious were somehow destroyed by the poor lack of funny comedy. Townsend had a decent concept with this film, but sadly the execution is what ultimately hurt this film. If you watch the preview before the film (which I constantly do), you will immediately get the wrong impression of what you are going to see. The preview gives the impression of a very intelligent, comic film that prides itself on the intelligence of the viewers, but the actually film could not be further from the truth.

The main problem with Hollywood Shuffle is not story itself (because it is lacking in elaboration); it is Townsend's direction. He had a wonderful concept with this film. Exploit the Hollywood that exploits our race. Decent idea, but why couldn't he execute it very well? The first reason is that his ideas are too random and sporadic. The structure of this film was like watching a heart attack on a monitor at the hospital, we are literally everywhere without any warning or map. It was obvious that Townsend had quite a bit to say, but only a short amount of time to do it in. So, instead of defining his characters, developing his themes, and actually creating a smart film, he just throws it all together and prays that it works. Sadly, it doesn't. Instead of a smart comedy, we have a hodgepodge of so many ideas, comedic skits, and underused actors that this film goes from decent to nearly unwatchable. What hurts Townsend the most are his brief, attempt to be funny, interruptions throughout the film. From battling a villain known as Jerry Curl to parodying Siskel & Ebert, Townsend's attempt to poke fun while speak a message about the film industry falters. This is because these small intermittent skits actually distract from the central focus of the film and actually destroy internally. While Townsend seems to be trying to make a joke about life in Hollywood, he actually is simply connecting to every stereotype and cliché in the book. What could have been beautiful satire transforms into simply generic humor that never quite stands apart from the rest.

So, if you find yourself not laughing at the humor of this story, perhaps there is some comfort in knowing that some of the Wayans brothers are around to help spice up this dull story. WRONG! The Wayans are in this film, but Townsend demonstrates that he has the ability to even bring the worst out even in this entertaining family. Definitely in their pre-In Living Color moments, we see that comedy was something that all needed to constantly improve upon. Perhaps it was Townsend's direction, or just maybe this atrocious story, but these typically funny comedians were obviously underused and ignored when it came to critics of this film. I just thought that with the talent pool that Townsend had to pull from that Hollywood Shuffle would have been funny, bright, and a true stab at this obvious Hollywood dilemma. Sadly, it was none of the above.

Finally, I would like to say that this was a workable film. There were some moments (while they were few and way far between) that had a smile on my face, the final product just didn't settle well with me. Townsend can be funny, but in this film it just felt like he was playing against himself, instead of through his personal experiences and troubles. I realize that he was probably speaking the truth, but it never came through as that. Instead, we are threaded through a weak story, which supports itself with idiotic flash clips that may have worked for a sitcom, but surely didn't work for this film. Even for those that comment that this was his directorial debut and that he was learning from this film, I would have to disagree. If you are starting fresh, either have a tight script or defined themes. Townsend had neither of these, and combined with the inability to control his actors, he just failed in a ball of flames.

Overall, this was rather disappointing to watch. It reminded me of a grade school Spelling Bee where it is finally your child's time to spell. The word is tough, but as the first two to three letters come out, you think that it is going to work perfectly, but then there is that random "P" and silent "R" that forces your excitement to come tumbling down. That is how I felt with Hollywood Shuffle. At first, I saw the potential, I saw the theme and the motive behind the picture, but through fuzzy and inexperienced technique and after the first couple of scenes, I experienced that deep fall feeling. Townsend sank his own ship on this one, and I don't think Hollywood Shuffle will ever re-submerge as a pivotal moment of Hollywood cinema.

Grade: * out of *****

Robert Townsend plays a black actor who is trying to find an acting job in California...but all he finds are stereotypical roles. It seems the only acting jobs for blacks are as gangsters, hookers and such.

Likable and ambitious but VERY uneven comedy. It shows parodies of TV shows, movies and commercials all making fun of how blacks are treated in Hollywood. It makes its point early on and just keeps making it again and again and again. It gets repetitious pretty quickly. Some of it is funny but other bits (especially a Siskel/Ebert bit and an Eddie Murphy gag) are pretty dated. This was a sizable hit when it came out but I never found it that funny. The whole cast is good (some are excellent) but the material just keeps repeating itself. Townsend did much better with his next film "The Five Heartbeats".

Sadly this movie had no effect on Hollywood. From what I hear it's still difficult for black actors to get good jobs and just three years after this "New Jack City" was released--a very violent movie about black gangsters that was a monster hit.

A movie my mother felt it was "important" for me to see at a young age. Funny enough too, though a tad dated times. Still a fine, and refreshing moment from both the world of independent film(financed by Townsend's own credit cards) and comedy in general, especially "black comedies" and I don't mean those by Todd Solondz.

It's the most absurd moments which stick with me, like John Witherspoon muttering to himself about "ho-cakes" and the film noir spoof featuring Jerry Curl (the greatest and greasiest of all villains). So aside from episodes of "The Boondocks" on Cartoon Network, and the occasional "Chapel Show" re-run, there's still few intelligent, black comic voices, especially those critical of not just external finger pointing the ways the "white media" portrays African American's, but the ways and reasons which African Americans take on these roles and stereotypes in "black media" as well.

Two "Boondocks" episodes this past year, critical of BET, were banned from the air, and only available to view on DVD, while Tyler Perry (famous for playing yet another cross dressing Mammy in a fat suit), makes films and TV shows every thirty five seconds...well at least there's always work at the Post-Office

There seems to be a real mix of reviews for this movie. It seems either people really like it or really hate it. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground on this one. For me, it has been one of my all-time favourites. I am amazed that Robert Townsend made this '80s classic on a shoestring budget & with credit cards to boot! In all the comedy, there is a serious message of how blacks are perceived in Hollywood & the roles that they would receive during the '80s. Even though things have changed a little bit, this movie is still a fun parody & demonstrates to me the skills Robert Townsend has to pull off a movie with what he had at the time, and make it look like it has a decent budget. This is another movie that I am glad to see available on DVD, for it's a movie you can watch over & over again.

When Robert Townsend learned that the only screen jobs available to himself and other black actors were more or less the same, stereotypical assortment of pimp, prostitute and criminal character roles, he didn't get mad, he got even, channeling his frustration into a homemade satire of Hollywood discrimination (financed, according to PR legend, almost entirely by credit cards). The episodic plot stars Townsend himself as an aspiring actor forced to endure a series of absurd auditions and interviews, at one point being blatantly judged by his ability to imitate Eddie Murphy. The often broad and obvious humor works well during the sometimes hilarious fantasy digressions: a Siskel and Ebert parody by two ghetto critics; a mock film noir scenario; and an irreverent commercial ad for The School of Black Acting. The more straightforward dramatic scenes make less of an impression, but at least illustrate the point that racial typecasting is a ridiculous practice. In all it's a valuable lesson from a natural comic talent, and a humorous insider's guide to an industry where equal opportunity hasn't evolved much since the days of D.W. Griffith.

Don't get me wrong- I wanted to like this movie. Robert Townsend is thoroughly believable and sympathetic in the role, and I liked him quite a bit. He plays a hopeful, charismatic, good-natured man who's trying to land a role in a film and earn some self-respect.

The problem is, he has a very active fantasy life. What this means is that often, mid-scene, Townsend's character will think about something like a movie being discussed, or something he sees on TV. The movie then goes into his fantasy and enacts it for us, usually with him playing one of the characters in it. This wouldn't be so bad except for three main issues: The fantasies occur pretty often, usually about every ten or 15 minutes. They are usually silly and cliched, taking away from the more interesting and serious main storyline. The third and worst aspect of the fantasy gimmick is that they are just plain long. When Townsend overhears a conversation about black movie critics, for example, he thinks about it and we see a visualization of his thoughts, two black critics in a theater. You'd expect this to have a joke or two, then get back to Townsend. Instead, we watch a pretty unfunny scene that lasts more than five minutes as the two guys review fictitious movies such as an Amadeus ripoff and a pimp zombie film. It's pretty unfunny, lasts way too long and milks the scenes for cheap laughs that fall flat.

This happens way too much, and makes the movie seem awkward, as if there wasn't enough confidence in the basic premise and instead tried to pad the film with waste. It could just be my personal opinion, but I really didn't like any of the fantasies (especially a private detective one, which drags on for something like ten or 15 minutes). There was one exception, the first fantasy of the movie, where a fake school for black film stereotypes is advertised. This was the only dream sequence that was any good, because it takes very harsh jabs at black stereotypes. "I got to play 5 muggers, and a rapist!" Says one black hopeful. Another one is being taught how to walk "black" by a white instructor. "Call 1-800-555-Coon!" the ad flashes. It's good satire, and being a white man, I wasn't offended but instead laughed at how accurate this parody was of some people's attitudes towards black characters. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie falls pretty flat, due to the fact that none of the other fantasies had the wit of the first, or told it in such a sharp way. As a result we're left with a storyline that isn't focused on when it should be at least 90% of the film.

I liked Robert Townsend, and I felt for his plight. He wants badly to be an actor, make it in the business, and fulfill his dream. The problem is that the role he's hoping for is unfortunately quite racist in its portrayal of blacks as sniveling, cowardly, primitively speaking brutes who are engaged in a weapon fight. He must decide whether his dreams are worth sacrificing his dignity, whether this chance at stardom is worth the hard first stepping stone.

And had the movie spent more time on this, and much less on the wandering fantasies, it would have been much better. Townsend's character was charming and I would have preferred to see him just be himself instead of the fantasy characters, but since that's the case only about half the time, I rate this movie a 5- promising but disappointing.

This is a great film. It just has an energy and a voice that is real and unqiue and powerful. You follow Bobby's ups and downs and root for him, and the comedic vignettes give it the relief from the very funny story. Townsend is great, along with Keenen Wayans, and many great little performances, by the likes of Lisa Mende, Craigus JOhnson, Dom Irerra, and others. It doesn't have all the classic comedy elements, but it has a strong voice, and that's what counts.

Hollywood Shuffle (1987) is a movie I recently watched on Amazon Prime for the first time in a long time. The storyline follows an aspiring actor who is looking for his big break into Hollywood. He receives outside influences on what Hollywood is becoming and what roles he should take. Will the actor take a cliché role to ensure he gets his big break and recognize his dream or give in to the pressure of society and try to blaze a new path for successful black actors? This movie is directed and stars Robert Townsend (BAPS), in his directorial debut and also stars Keenen Ivory Wayans (Im Gonna GIT You SUCKA), Kim Wayans (In Living Color), Damon Wayans (The Last Boyscout) and John Witherspoon (Friday). The storyline for this picture is interesting and contains a good blend of truths and comedy. I can't say I felt Townsend was overly funny in this, but his supporting cast was awesome. The little boy in this was magnificent as was Witherspoon and the Wayans. The overall film is a bit uneven in terms of comedic content, but it has its moments. This isn't a classic in the Eddie Murphy, Kennan Ivory Wayans, Richard Pryor movies from this era, but it is worth a viewing. There are some great creative aspects worth your attention and a few good chuckles. I'd score this a slightly above average 6/10.

God bless the burgeoning independent cinema of the late 80s. The independent landscape would proliferate into the 90s, arguably peaking commercially with 99's The Blair Witch Project, but there's an undervalued history leading up to that little film's success. It starts somewhere in the 60s with John Cassavetes, or arguably even earlier with United Artists, but somewhere in between lies its heyday. The point is, independent cinema should be seen and treasured when given the chance, and this includes watching the cult classic Hollywood Shuffle.

The film follows Robert Townsend as Bobby Taylor, as he tries to make it in the cutthroat, superficial world of Hollywood. Taylor struggles to balance his home life and day job with the challenges of making it in L. A. and often fantasizes about the larger struggle black actors must overcome for dramatic, diverse roles. The film is largely a satire of the treatment and perception of black actors in Hollywood, with several sketches interlaced throughout the main story.

The most striking element of the film, aside from its quasi-sketch-film structure, is the independent feel and ingenuity of its construction. The film was made for only one hundred thousand dollars, a startlingly meager amount, even in 1987. The most squalid and hopeless studio productions at the time had budgets thirty to fifty times larger, and the real blockbusters were starting to creep into eight figures. For comparison, Fatal Attraction and 3 Men and a Baby had budgets of fourteen and fifteen million dollars respectively. Hollywood Shuffle feels stark, it feels stripped down, almost raw, but it doesn't feel cheap. It's a charming element of the film, and the passion of those involved is evident.

The satirical sketches work well. They're irreverently clever and deeply felt; Townsend and Kennan Ivory Wayans don't pull punches, making perfectly clear their displeasure with the (lack of) real opportunities they've been given. The best sequences in the film deal with the subject; the first is a sketch for The Black Acting Class, where both white and black actors are taught to "speak and move black." The second comes near the end of the film, when a scene of outrageously exaggerated gang violence is filmed. Townsend's impression of a stereotypical pimp is side-splitting.

The rest of the material is hit and miss, but it's got a nice ratio and misses are nearly unavoidable in sketch comedy, even under the best circumstances. What lacks a steady hand is the direction. The film is visually sparse and there's rarely a demonstrable command of the framing; most of it feels visually random and unplanned. The miniscule budget obviously contributes to the problem, but Townsend and cast's lack of experience also plays a factor. Hollywood Shuffle is clearly the starting point of a career, and for a first step it's a commendable effort.

Overall, Hollywood Shuffle is a diverting, ponderous satire from a perspective not often seen at the time. It's set on a small scale but has big ideas, and, most importantly, it's likeable to a fault. It's hard not to root for everyone involved here, both the fictional characters and the real men and women behind them. The film was successful too, launching a long and prestigious career for Townsend, and a mind-bogglingly expansive family dynasty for Wayans. Honestly, considering the lowbrow, critically panned material the Wayans are most known for, it's difficult to remember his humble, pioneering origins. But Hollywood Shuffle does pioneer, it is fun to root for, and it's certainly worth seeing.