Ask A Black Blogger: Black Movies
Reader Email
Hey Maurice,
I’m a regular reader on Barstool NY but I will occasionally head over to you guys at Barstool Philly. I love the Ask a Black Blogger section. Anyway here is a question that I feel would be excellent for you to ponder. What is your favorite movie that is clearly targeted at black people.
-Dave
One of the things I love about America is how different cultures are practically forced into one another based on pop culture. Like I know there are plenty of you out there that grew up without a single black friend but know all the words to the Fresh Prince theme song. Whatever’s popular in this country tends to permeate any cultural barriers to get there. Black movies are a great example of this.
Dave, here is my end-all Top 5 Greatest Black Movies List. There are of course a ton more that didn’t quite make the cut, and if I was less sure of my list I would namedrop movies like Juice, Menace II Society, and Dead Presidents to cover my ass, but that’s not my style. I stick by my choices:
Top Five Black Movies Ever
5. Lean On Me
Morgan Freeman kills this role. I don’t care how hard somebody thinks they are. You lock them up for 2+ hours with a copy of Lean on Me and that motherfucker will leave teary-eyed and inspired. Just the way it is. If I could do the impression, I would have been rocking a grey suit and megaphone as Principal Joe Clark for Halloween years ago.
4. House Party
Nuff said. FYI, Kid and Tisha Cambell would have created the lightest-skinned black person in history.
3. Boyz N the Hood
Rickyyyyy!! Ricky getting shot in the back is one of the most memorable black movie moments ever. Great movie. The film that made Cuba Gooding Jr. a star until he ruined it by being in that weird gay cruise movie with Horatio Sanz and going full retard.
2. Friday
Hard not to have this as #1. Pretty sure I know every word to this movie. I would say that at least a quarter of black America falls asleep with this movie on in the background at least once a week. Can’t even help it — it’s on TV more than Forrest Gump and Seinfeld reruns.
1. Coming To America
The greatest black movie of all-time. One of if not the greatest comedy ever made. This is the movie that every black person in America is required to know by heart. If you ever run up on a black guy who has never heard of King Joffe Joffer or McDowell’s Restaurant I guarantee he’s from Canada or some shit. If I had a mansion, this movie (and not Scarface) would be playing 24 hours a day in at least two of the rooms.
Five through one — that’s the list.



Was Tisha Campbell hot? Sure her face was pretty, but she was flat chested with chunky legs….
What, no Gone With The Wind?
this is a dope list, all classics. shame tyler perry has set black people back about 30 years with all the garbage he churns out on a weekly basis.
Speaking of, how is Scarface not #1? Is there a black dude on earth who doesn’t at least pretend to like that movie?
what!? no Don’t be a Menace to South Central while drinkin your juice in the hood??
but in all seriousness, spot on on the top 5
As a white guy, I gotta say jds revenge should b on there. “i aint gonna kill u bitch, is u crazy?!”
New Jack City has to be on that list but as a white boy I thought the Gods must be Crazy was the all time greatest Black Movie?
What about Soul Plane Mo?
No Amistad?
Black Dynamite? I’m Gonna Get you Sucka? Anyone?
This is the list right here.
1. Always Out Numbered (Socrates Fortlow)
2. Coming to America
3. Pootie Tang
4. He Got Game
5. Booty Call
Roots?
the better question to Mo would have been ‘How fucking retarded is it that Tyler Perry’s movies actually make money?’ ive seen plenty of the ads and i laugh at them only because in my head i cant imagine a studio would put up the money to make such a shitty movie and then pow, dude rakes in millions. it cant possibly be the same black people who like comedy stylings of Chappell, Rock, and Pryor who go see there worthless movies about screaming black folk in fat suits, can it?
How to be a Player shold be #1 on this list.
Seriously, I saw an ad for ANOTHER Tyler Perry TV show. Do black people actually find anything he does entertaining?
Dolemite
This is beautiful! What is that, velvet?
Man…. every time they played Lean On Me in Junior high… Cracker Day soon followed.
Planet of the Apes should have been number 1, the original one.
This is a great list; it’s hard for me to comment because I haven’t seen “Lean on Me”.
But Mo has included Friday and Boyz in the Hood on the top 5, but I haven’t seen any mention of “Menace II Society”. Menace is referenced in pretty much every good rap song ever. Any time you hear “O-Dawg” or a reference to “Kane”, they’re talking about Menace II Society.
Coming to America is the undisputed heavyweight champ, no question, that’s why its undisputed
Jackson 5: The American Dream
Belly
Kings Of Comedy
The Mack
Baby Boy
http://elitechain.blogspot.com/2011/10/meat-mona-lisa-and-her-baby.html
Great list. Agree with all on it but freakin house party. Kid and Play were horrible rappers and actors.
5. Boys in the Hood
4. Lean on Me
3. Coming to America
2. Next Friday
1. Friday
Mo these are always funny but do you ever feel bad for completely stealing this segment from Paul Mooney “Ask a Black Guy” on The Chappelle Show?
House Party was tremendous. Must have seen it 20 times.
Menace was overrated. Ripped off Boyz N the Hood and just amped it up but took out all the deep parts. Same for Juice, although it was less of a ripoff and not as over the top.
You left out
Harlem Nights!
he got game
Tyler Perry is made rich by the black people too ignorant to know it’s offensive and even richer by the white people who wait to buy his movies on DVD so they don’t have to sit by said black people. Well, that and so they can hear it better in the comfort of their viewing room, sans screaming at the screen.
Boyz in the hood
HAS TO BE NUMBER 1