62
Metascore
20 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertFear of a Black Hat, which treats rap with the same droll dubiousness that This is Spinal Tap provided for heavy metal, is not as fearless and sharp-edged as it could be - but it provides a lot of laughs, and barbecues a few sacred cows.
- 75Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanFear of a Black Hat never achieves the dizzying cinema verite swirl that made Spinal Tap such a timeless satire. Many of the jokes are too literal (a goof on Vanilla Ice named Vanilla Sherbet). Still, Cundieff has what nearly every commentator on the rap scene has lacked: a first-class bull detector.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliUsing parody as its means, Fear of a Black Hat has a lot to say about the exploitation that surrounds the rap music business. This movie is not tightly-scripted or elegantly produced, but it is (for the most part) highly entertaining. For those who have been waiting for a sequel to Spinal Tap, this may be the best alternative.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco ChronicleA very funny pseudo-documentary about the rise and fall and rise of N.W.H., a fictitious rap group.
- 75TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineBorrowing intelligently from This Is Spinal Tap, writer-director-actor Rusty Cundieff has crafted a mock music documentary that is as irreverent, hilarious, and tough-minded as its model.
- 75Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversThe best hip-hop film of all, taking on obvious targets (misogynist lyrics) and sacred cows (political rap) alike.
- 63Washington PostRichard HarringtonWashington PostRichard HarringtonFear of a Black Hat is not brilliant, but it's bright enough.
- 60Time OutTime OutWhile individual interviews, pop-video parodies and album titles hit the mark, the film as a whole is insufficiently clear-cut in its satire of the bands' dubious antics and attitudes.
- 60The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinFlattering the daylights out of Rob Reiner and his Spinal Tap crew, Rusty Cundieff turns Fear of a Black Hat into an unapologetic Spinal Tap imitation. And there's no point in faulting Mr. Cundieff for such derivativeness, because Fear of a Black Hat is too savvy and cheerful to warrant complaints.
- 50VarietyEmanuel LevyVarietyEmanuel LevyGood musical numbers serve as welcome punctuation to a film that grows increasingly tedious.