Black & White (1999)

A group of white high school teens become involved with Harlem's black hip-hop crowd.

Director:

James Toback

Writer:

James Toback

Stars:

Ben Stiller, Allan Houston, Claudia Schiffer

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Scott Caan	...	Scotty
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Terry Donager
Stacy Edwards	...	Sheila King
Allan Houston	...	Dean Carter
Gaby Hoffmann	...	Raven
Kidada Jones	...	Jesse
Jared Leto	...	Casey
Marla Maples	...	Muffy
Joe Pantoliano	...	Bill King
Bijou Phillips	...	Charlie
Oliver 'Power' Grant	...	Rich Bower (as Power)
Raekwon	...	Cigar
Claudia Schiffer	...	Greta
William Lee Scott	...	Will King
Brooke Shields	...	Sam Donager

Storyline

Set in New York City, Black and White features several losely related stories centering on a pair of documentary filmmakers, Sam and her husband Terry, in following a group of caucasian teens, Raven, Charlie, Will, Marty, Wren and others who try to fit in with Harlem's black hip-hop crowd who include gangster rapper Rich Bower and his music partner Cigar in landing a recording gig, as well as college basketball player Dean who is conflicted on taking a fall on a game for shady gambler Mark Clear who has hidden agenda for Dean and Rich.

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Plot Keywords:

timberland boot | hip hop | new york city | sex | recording studio | 

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Taglines:

What happens when you mix it up?

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality, graphic language, some violence and drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

Most of the script was improvised by the cast. Only Claudia Schiffer's part was fully scripted.

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Goofs

Dean is described repeatedly as a "star point guard." Actually, like the actor (a star basketball player in real life), Dean is a shooting guard who sometimes also plays small forward.

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Quotes

Kim: Sometimes you just don't wanna be what your race is supposed to be.

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Alternate Versions

U.S. version was cut from its original NC-17 rating to be re-rated R.

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Connections

Referenced in Ash Wednesday (2002)

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Soundtracks

Concerto in C for 2 Trumpets and Strings
Composed by Antonio Vivaldi
Performed by 92nd Street Y Chamber Symphony of New York

User Reviews

** Garbage

Exploitative and depressingly awful film by James Toback about rich white kids and their identity-seeking obsession with all things black. Toback proudly stated that most of the actors were improvising their scenes and dialogue; didn't he know that it only makes him look worse for letting such a mess go on in front of his cameras? The performances otherwise are all good, especially from Marla Maples and Claudia Schiffer, two names I never thought I'd be giving praise to. Unfortunately, the film just seems to be constantly looking for new ways to p**s you off.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 April 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Black & White

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,212,535, 9 April 2000

Gross USA:

$5,277,299

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,541,431

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bigel / Mailer Films, Palm Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1