I Hate To Be That Guy, But...(Straight Outta Compton, 2015)

*Walks into movie theater* 

*Sits down and watches previews*

*Realizes she’s in the wrong theater*

*Runs*

Fortunately, though, I made it and was finally able to see the film that everyone’s been raving about, Straight Outta Compton. This movie was absolutely worth seeing, but also worth some thought. 

From the jump we knew that this film was going to be political. The juxtaposition of painfully gritty life in the streets with colorful music was beautiful. These two ideas illuminated each other. This was best seen through the pairing of the first two scenes. The well-constructed sequencing of the beginning scenes really showcased the political power, need and potential of music.

As we we enter into the world of the conception of N.W.A. we hear the voice of President Reagan, speaking about the war on drugs. His voice seemed so distant compared to the close relationship that audience members are able to build with the story’s characters over the course of the movie. Like drug raid tanks on dark California streets, it had no place. There was a distinct sense of falsehood that told us exactly how the film’s writers and subjects felt about the world around them. Place that next to a sweet and colorful picture of Dr. Dre listening to old school records in his bedroom and there you have a vivid image of hip-hop. Reality paired with hope, the past holding hands with the present, and the good harmonizing with the bad. That right there is what art, especially Black art, should do--reveal, reminisce, and challenge. Here, we saw sampling at it’s finest. 

There are remnants of this aesthetic throughout the film. Of course, the soundtrack helped to support that. A lot of this film felt almost like a music video. I think that emphasizes the idea that art must imitate life. Again, N.W.A.’s ability to turn harsh reality into timeless and memorable music was mirrored; what we were seeing through this musical cinematography, for the most part, was unglamorous, artful, and in-your-face. 

There was a hint of cliché biopic in the mix. You know, brilliant Black group gets played by a White manager (who happened to be Paul Giamatti. Like what? Why?) But this film cannot be reduced to a simple replaying of history because it provided social commentary. Straight Outta Compton made drug related crimes, poverty, police brutality, and HIV/AIDs all feel very personal and relevant. These were all hot-topics in the 90’s, but they still plague our communities today.

We can praise N.W.A. for their artistic excellence and the political power of their voice, but I think that we’re presenting double standards if we talk about certain things and not others. You can’t be selectively “conscious.” Yes, N.WA. did great things, but I would have liked to see a tad bit more remorse for the things that they did wrong. You don’t have to rewrite history, but you also don’t have to glorify it. For people who seem to constantly see into the hearts of angry, broken, and fed-up Americans, they seem to have conveniently turned a blind eye to their own wrongs. It just doesn’t set right with me that the people who are making a cinematic critique about disrespect towards Black bodies are the same people disrespecting female bodies. I didn’t mean to stand on my pulpit or soapbox, but I’m here now so…

What bothered me more is that there were times when this film did exactly what it seemed to be arguing against. There was a moment when Dr. Dre was DJ-ing at a club and the owner explained that people didn’t want to hear the hard, raw truth, but instead something that they can party to. N.W.A. really challenged that notion in the film and in real life. History shows that they were successful. However through the film version of their lives, it seemed more like they were aiming to please than to change. It’s Hollywood; I get it. You’ve gotta pay your bills and make audiences happy, but dang. But did half of the film really have to be a comedy?

You have poignant lyrics, the Rodney King case and the War on Drugs as a backdrop, and a hungry audience. Yet you choose to let us giggle? I think that this film could have been forty times better if they didn’t let the audience rest so much. Granted, the moments of comedic relief were well-constructed and actually funny, but it seemed like they took the easy way out. Showing happiness among African-Americans does do some corrective work, but that wasn’t what I wanted from this film.

In this moment, we need art to grab hold of us and not let us go until something in our hearts has changed. Straight Outta Compton was good and all, but if you weren’t looking for your thinking to be transformed or at least shifted, it wasn’t going to happen. It was great for audiences comprised of the oppressed, but I don’t think that it did enough to check the oppressors. You will have definitely learned something about life in the hood and maybe even feel bad about the unfair treatment of citizens of color, but I didn’t feel forced to do something about it. Watered-down is the antithesis of who N.W.A. is, yet that is how they allowed themselves to be presented. You can act as hard as you want, but unless you’re doing something to actually make a change, an act is all it is. I just wanted more from a group who pioneered for urban voices. With the countless recent cases of police violence and brutality against Black people, this film could not have come at a better time.  However, the intense parallelism presented an opportunity that was not fully realized. 

I appreciate the fact that this film did make a point of discussing police brutality, but those moments could have been stronger. There was just too much exposition. I am glad that they made distain for unjust police treatment evident, but the characters didn’t really need to say lines outlining exactly why their arrests and searches were wrongful. We can see that. Let the movie and the music say that. Seeing something wrong, coming to our own conclusion, and then having that confirmed would have been a better formula. I know, I know. I can’t have my cake and eat it, too. But hey, this is my blog. Red velvet, anyone?

I feel like that teacher who tells you that they graded you more harshly than the other students because they expect more from you. That teacher never really dislikes your work and is probably quite fond of you. They just want you to step it up because they know that you can. That’s how I feel about Straight Outta Compton. I really enjoyed seeing it and absolutely loved parts of the film. Believe me, I really did and would watch it again. I just wanted more.