Hollywood Shuffle (1987)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Robert Townsend

Writers:

Robert Townsend (written by)
Keenen Ivory Wayans (written by)

Release Date:

20 March 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Bobby Taylor was on his way to becoming a star, when a funny thing happened.....

Plot:

An actor limited to stereotypical roles because of his ethnicity, dreams of making it big as a highly respected performer. As he makes his rounds, the film takes a satiric look at African American actors in Hollywood.

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Dream | African American | Reality | Satire

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Robert Townsend	...	Bobby Taylor / Jasper / Speed / Sam Ace / Rambro
Craigus R. Johnson	...	Stevie Taylor
Helen Martin	...	Bobby's Grandmother
Starletta DuPois	...	Bobby's Mother
Marc Figueroa	...	Sitcom Father / Client #2
Sarah Kaite Coughlan	...	Sitcom Girlfriend / Rehearsing Actress (as Sarah Kate Coughlin)
Sean Michal Flynn	...	Sitcom Boyfriend
Brad Sanders	...	Batty Boy
David McKnight	...	Uncle Ray
Keenen Ivory Wayans	...	Donald / Jheri Curl
Lou B. Washington	...	Tiny (as Ludie Washington)
Anne-Marie Johnson	...	Lydia / Willie Mae / Hooker #5
Don Reed	...	Maurice
Kim Wayans	...	Customer in Chair
Gregory 'Popeye' Alexander	...	Pimp / Eddie Murphy-Type

Also Known As:

Robert Townsend's Hollywood Shuffle (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

78 min | Canada:81 min (Ontario)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:L | Australia:M | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Spain:13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Conquering Unicorn

Trivia:

Producer/director/star Robert Townsend put US$40,000 of the film's US$100,000 budget on ten personal credit cards, and obtained free film stock by splicing together leftovers from the production of Odd Jobs (1986) and Ratboy (1986), in which he had appeared. The 17 days of shooting were spread over two years, since he had to tour as a stand-up comedian whenever he could not afford to continue production.

Quotes:

Bobby Taylor: We give "Dirty Larry" the finger!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Edge of Outside (2006)

Funny stuff with a moral and a message

Bobby wants to be a movie star, and stop working at the Winky Dinky Hot Dog stand. He auditions for a "blacksploitation" movie about gangs and pimps and hos and actually ends up getting the part. But on the way to that point he has some strange dreams and fantasies about what it's like to be a black person wanting to be in the movies, since the only roles seem to be "slaves, butlers, and gang members". This is a pretty good stab at the movie industry and the stereotypes they portray in the films they put out. Bobby's grandma says it best, that there are no positive black roles in films. In this, we have a "Siskel and Ebert" parody called "Sneaking into the Movies" with "Attack of the Street Pimps" winning out over some "Amadeus"-type flick, why see something if you can't pronounce it? There's parodies galore, including a detective film that stars Keenan Ivory Wayans as "Jerry Curl".....a villain that's constantly spraying his hair with relaxer? This film is not as outrageous as some of the parodies put out by the Wayans brothers but it is funny and it's definitely a slap at the film industry. Worth seeing, 8 out of 10.