Director Mario Van Peebles chronicles the complicated production of his father Melvin's classic 1971 film, "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song." Playing his father in the film, Van Peebles offers an unapologetic account of Melvin's brash and sometimes deceptive conduct on the set of the film, including questionable antics like writing bad checks, tricking a local fire department and allowing his son, Mario, to shoot racy sex scenes at the age of 11.
Not just forgiving toward the elder Van Peebles, it's filled with a spirit of comic amazement about what he accomplished.
– Liam Lacey,
Globe and Mail,
25 Jun 2004
rotten:
Van Peebles' stiff, needlessly flashy direction lacks the energy this material required to become truly transporting, and the relationships between the characters, particularly the father and son, is never convincing.
– Rene Rodriguez,
Miami Herald,
25 Jun 2004
fresh:
Effectively raw and stylish.
– Geoff Pevere,
Toronto Star,
25 Jun 2004
fresh:
It's a great story and well worth remembering.
– Roger Moore,
Orlando Sentinel,
2 Jul 2004
fresh:
It's an exhausting, and exhaustingly pleasurable, entertainment.