IMDb >
Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People (2006) (V)
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user reviewsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsReel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People (2006) (V) More at IMDbPro »
| Videos |
|
Overview
User Rating:
Your Rating:
Directors:
Writers:
Contact:
Release Date:
1 November 2006 (USA)
more
Genre:
Plot:
This groundbreaking documentary dissects a slanderous aspect of cinematic history that has run virtually...
more
| add synopsis
User Reviews:
It has a point, but it's poorly executed and rather unnecessary
more (7 total)
Cast
(Credited cast) | Jack Shaheen | ... | Narrator |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
USA:50 min (original release)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Movie Connections:
Features Hell Squad (1986)
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (7 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People (2006) (V)Recommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream | Zeitgeist | A Decade Under the Influence | Woman | Grass |
|
IMDb User Rating: |
IMDb User Rating: |
IMDb User Rating: |
IMDb User Rating: |
IMDb User Rating: |
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Documentary section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |
The point of this documentary: Arabs, Palestinians, and Muslims are unfairly portrayed in cinema. Sure. I believe that. But so are most minorities. Everybody knows this.
There are many, many flaws in this documentary. First, it assumes that we are stupid, and that we believe everything Hollywood tells us. Wrong. I am friends with quite a few Muslims, and I don't think they're terrorists. Nor do I watch many movies with Arab stereotypes. In fact, of all the movies cited in the documentary, I've only seen "Aladdin." And when I do see stereotypes, I can differentiate them from real life. This documentary even gives existing examples of positive Arab portrayals in films like "Syriana," "Three Kings," and "Kingdom of Heaven." Gee, how groundbreaking. If Shaheen can find the good Arab roles, then any movie audience can, too. And they can recognize them.
Secondly, this documentary poorly made. "Reel Bad Arabs" is, as another reviewer said, a talking head giving examples. And it's only one talking head. Any work of nonfiction, whether it be a documentary or a news article or a book, cannot survive on one expert opinion alone. And this documentary definitely doesn't. The narrator, Jack Shaheen doesn't even have screen presence. This documentary is just 50 minutes of him whining into a camera in an effort to advertise his book on the same subject.
Thirdly, this movie is unnecessary. Here's the basic point: Some movies stereotype Arabs, but there are also some movies that don't. What Jack Shaheen should have done was just to give us a list of the "bad" movies and a list of the "good" movies and leave it at that. That would have taken two minutes at most, instead of this fifty-minute run-on. We would have been able to figure out what the stereotypes were (once again, we're not stupid), and that the good portrayals were the ones where Arabs acted like actual human beings.
P.S. Did anyone else notice how Shaheen used the original line from "Arabian Nights" (Aladdin)--"Where they cut off your ear/ If they don't like your face"--when nobody sees that version anymore? All video released use the line: "Where it's flat and immense/ And the heat is intense." That controversy was closed off long ago and is now irrelevant. Like the rest of this documentary.