Review: A Good Day to Be Black & Sexy

As seen at AFI Fest 2008:

Following the recent success of studio-contracted filmmakers like Tyler Perry whose pictures target the black community, an onslaught of similarly-themed low-budget features has emerged. A Good Day to Be Black & Sexy is the latest to see release. The movie was written and directed by first-timer Dennis Dortch and consists of five short segments linked by common themes about African-American sexual relationships in modern America. There's a woman who refuses to reciprocate oral sex when her husband gives it to her, another who is frustrated by her married boyfriend's lack of commitment, a first-generation Asian-American who's scared to tell her family she has a black partner, et cetera et cetera.

A Good Day to Be Black & Sexy is effective for about a half-hour—around two segments worth—but it wears out its welcome quickly by feeling overtly episodic. African-American audiences may enjoy the movie more than I did because it was made with them in mind—think Perry with less religion and more sex—but that doesn't excuse the fact that it's a decidedly mediocre effort. Dortch may be on to something with his multi-story approach, which admittedly suits his style well, but it's not readily apparent in the final cut. And not a single performance in the film stands out as being particularly inspired. We’ll just have to wait for a better day to see an engrossing portrayal of what it’s like to be black and sexy on the big-screen, won’t we?

-Danny Baldwin, Bucket Reviews

Review Published on: 11.5.2008

Screened on: 10.9.2008 at the American Film Institute in Hollywood, CA.

A Good Day to Be Black & Sexy is rated R and runs 92 minutes.