Baadasssss! (2003)
"How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass" (original title)

Mario Van Peebles's half documentary/half homage to his father Melvin's 1971 film, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.

Director:

Mario Van Peebles

Writers:

Melvin Van Peebles (book), Mario Van Peebles (screenplay),

Stars:

Mario Van Peebles, Joy Bryant, Ossie Davis

3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mario Van Peebles	...	Melvin Van Peebles
Joy Bryant	...	Priscilla
T.K. Carter	...	Bill Cosby
Terry Crews	...	Big T
Ossie Davis	...	Granddad
David Alan Grier	...	Clyde Houston
Nia Long	...	Sandra
Paul Rodriguez	...	Jose Garcia
Saul Rubinek	...	Howard 'Howie' Kaufman
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Jerry
Khleo Thomas	...	Mario
Rainn Wilson	...	Bill Harris
Karimah Westbrook	...	Ginnie
Len Lesser	...	Manny & Mort Goldberg
Sally Struthers	...	Roz

Storyline

Melvin Van Peebles stunned the world for the first time, with his debut feature, The Story of a Three Day Pass. Filmed in France and selected as the French entry in the San Francisco Film Festival, Melvin's film was awarded the top prize. Saying it was controversial would be an understatement. In 1968 for a black man to walk up to the podium and accept the top festival award for a film he had to go abroad to make--now that's how you make your mark. After his comedy, Watermelon Man, Melvin was determined to push the Hollywood boundaries with the groundbreaking, and even more controversial, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. Turned down by every major studio including Columbia, where he had a three-picture deal, Melvin was forced to basically self-finance. Risking everything he had Melvin delivered to the world the first Black Ghetto hero on the big screen--whether they were ready or not! More than 30 years later, history is being fashioned again in the telling of this very tale. Mario ...

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Plot Keywords:

blaxploitation | 1970s | bill cosby | apostrophe in title | african american | 

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Taglines:

A father. A son. A revolution.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language and some strong sexuality/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures Classics

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 March 2005 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Baadasssss!

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$60,432 (USA) (28 May 2004)

Gross:

$365,248 (USA) (27 August 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bad Aaas Cinema, MVP Films, Showtime Networks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min 108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Troy Garity appears uncredited as the singer Donovan.

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Goofs

When the world premiere sells out at the end, Van Peebles walks down the aisle and the audience on his right are cheering the movie and their arms disappear in the aisle.

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Quotes

Melvin Van Peebles: Is this something negative, Priscilla? Because if it's negative, I can't even deal with it right now. I'm a broke, pissed off nigger from Chicago, and I'm down to my last cigar.

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Crazy Credits

Dedicated to all the brothers & sisters who opened the door...

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Connections

Features Scrub Me Mama with a Boogie Beat (1941)

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Soundtracks

"I Wanna Touch Your Body"
Performed by Niki J. Crawford
New Dog Old Trix Publishing, Country Girl Entertainment
Written by (c) Adam Hirsh, Niki J. Crawford
Courtesy of Treehouse Music Inc., Country Girl Entertainment

User Reviews

Sweet

I can't begin to say how great this film is, and how much it meant to me. I'm not a big fan of some of Mario Van Peebles' work, so to me, this is by far his best job, acting and directing. He captured the power and the struggle of fighting for a dream/vision, and he made the audience take the journey with him. In fact, this film renewed by interest in the original "Sweetback ..." and made me appreciate the original film to a much greater degree. I saw this film on it's opening weekend, and I pre-ordered it as soon as I found out it was coming to DVD.

Essentially, Mario plays Melvin (his father) while he was creating the independent film classic, 'Sweet Sweetback's Baad Asssss Song'. We watch as Van Peebles struggles with family, "the man" and his own personal demons to complete a film that, by all industry models, should not have been made. It was black, sexual, political, and there was barely enough money to get it off the ground. But Van Peebles was a bad mother{watch your mouth}, and he was determined to make it anyway.

If you are a filmmaker, put this film in your "must see" list. If you are struggling to build a business, follow a path less traveled, or go for any dream that seems almost out of reach, this film is also a must see for you. And, if you just want to see the power of passion, and see what a person can do on too little budget with too little time when all he has to make up for the deficit is his heart, see this film! (That last comment was about Mario, but it is also apropos for Melvin, the subject of this film).

There is nudity and strong language in the film. I mention that because I wouldn't want to send anyone to a film that might offend them without forewarning. That said, see this film!