If you feel that using some words is the most offensive thing ever, don't watch this movie (you probably wouldn't anyway). I wouldn't call it offensive, but sarcastic.
GMeleJr got it right in his comment about the writing term - a "n è g r e", a.k.a. slave, is someone who writes books whose writing credits goes to someone else, usually someone famous, ensuring more profits - see Stephen King's last 15 years of work, or most best-selling authors. But this word has more significance in French culture, usually as a reference to exploitation or low social status - nothing racist against black peoples. Some of the more radical nationalists used to call Quebec peoples white "N*grs". Most of these connotations apply to this movie main plot.
Although it been a while since I've seen this movie, I studied the novel in college so I have a quite different interpretation than GMeleJr.
From a strictly artistic perspective, it would be a mistake to see this movie as more than what it is: the mainstream comic adaptation of a post-modern novel. Of course it is slightly offensive, but nothing serious,especially compared to today's post south-park standards. It is some kind of auto fiction where a black unsuccessful writer fornicates with rich white girls and assigns each of em a nickname - miss something. It wisely plays out of the conservative white guy unconscious fear that any black guy could sexually please his wife better than he can. And of course, as a comic requirement, some more easy racial clichés humor occurs.
This movie (and book) artistic qualities go beyond it intrinsic ones, because it was an important symbolic part of Québec literature and cinema transition from archaic and regional to post-modernism. Before that, most of Québec cinematographic production consisted mostly of historic sagas and regionalisms, where Neo-Québécois occupied only caricatured roles. After that, things evolved a lot. But for the first time in a large audience movie, the title character was black; and it was a terribly sarcastic movie. After that, everything was permitted.
What I like most about this movie is that it contributed to social progress while being an easy-going commercial flick. Only the title was enough to publicize this movie - and have us kids laugh in the schoolyard at that time for the sex reference...
Sarcasm rules!
addendum - For those concerned by any possible redneck KKK relations or believing that a movie could become mainstream in Montréal by being Racist, Gratuitously offensive or anything like it in an non sarcastic way, suffice to say that this film was written by Dany Laferrière, an Haitian-born Canadian Living mostly in Miami and amongst Québec's intellectual elites. And the Main Actor, a Neo-Québécois born in Cameroon, later got his Canadian citizenship and is now a federal Member of Parliament for Québec Separatist Party Le Bloc Québécois. And Maybe you should read some history. I think it would settle things up.
GMeleJr got it right in his comment about the writing term - a "n è g r e", a.k.a. slave, is someone who writes books whose writing credits goes to someone else, usually someone famous, ensuring more profits - see Stephen King's last 15 years of work, or most best-selling authors. But this word has more significance in French culture, usually as a reference to exploitation or low social status - nothing racist against black peoples. Some of the more radical nationalists used to call Quebec peoples white "N*grs". Most of these connotations apply to this movie main plot.
Although it been a while since I've seen this movie, I studied the novel in college so I have a quite different interpretation than GMeleJr.
From a strictly artistic perspective, it would be a mistake to see this movie as more than what it is: the mainstream comic adaptation of a post-modern novel. Of course it is slightly offensive, but nothing serious,especially compared to today's post south-park standards. It is some kind of auto fiction where a black unsuccessful writer fornicates with rich white girls and assigns each of em a nickname - miss something. It wisely plays out of the conservative white guy unconscious fear that any black guy could sexually please his wife better than he can. And of course, as a comic requirement, some more easy racial clichés humor occurs.
This movie (and book) artistic qualities go beyond it intrinsic ones, because it was an important symbolic part of Québec literature and cinema transition from archaic and regional to post-modernism. Before that, most of Québec cinematographic production consisted mostly of historic sagas and regionalisms, where Neo-Québécois occupied only caricatured roles. After that, things evolved a lot. But for the first time in a large audience movie, the title character was black; and it was a terribly sarcastic movie. After that, everything was permitted.
What I like most about this movie is that it contributed to social progress while being an easy-going commercial flick. Only the title was enough to publicize this movie - and have us kids laugh in the schoolyard at that time for the sex reference...
Sarcasm rules!
addendum - For those concerned by any possible redneck KKK relations or believing that a movie could become mainstream in Montréal by being Racist, Gratuitously offensive or anything like it in an non sarcastic way, suffice to say that this film was written by Dany Laferrière, an Haitian-born Canadian Living mostly in Miami and amongst Québec's intellectual elites. And the Main Actor, a Neo-Québécois born in Cameroon, later got his Canadian citizenship and is now a federal Member of Parliament for Québec Separatist Party Le Bloc Québécois. And Maybe you should read some history. I think it would settle things up.