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Dear White People

Dear White People

Comedy · Drama · 2014

A campus culture war between Blacks and whites at a predominantly white Ivy League college comes to a head when the staff of a satirical magazine stages an offensive Halloween party.

Movie details

Dear White People

“A satire about being a Black face in a white place.”

2014 Comedy · Drama 1h 48m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.1 / 10

Community rating

A campus culture war between Blacks and whites at a predominantly white Ivy League college comes to a head when the staff of a satirical magazine stages an offensive Halloween party.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Dear White People?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Fritz the Cat

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Tyler Perry's A Madea Homecoming

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American Fiction

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Justin Simien

Written by

Justin Simien

Tyler James Williams

Tyler James Williams

Lionel Higgins

Tessa Thompson

Tessa Thompson

Samantha White

Kyle Gallner

Kyle Gallner

Kurt Fletcher

Teyonah Parris

Teyonah Parris

Colandrea 'Coco' Conners

Brandon P Bell

Brandon P Bell

Troy Fairbanks

Brittany Curran

Brittany Curran

Sophie Fletcher

Justin Dobies

Justin Dobies

Gabe

Court is in session

Put Dear White People on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.