How much appeal will a movie about the first date between Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson have for audiences? Those who are fascinated by the Obamas and their story, who even love them, will surely be intrigued by such a film. Naturally, there will also be plenty who won’t care at all, whether because of political beliefs or a lack of interest in such a story.
Southside with You is a movie that would probably be ideally suited for an independent-type of release, opening in big markets like New York, Los Angeles and, naturally, Chicago — given the subject and where the story takes place — slowing rolling out to more cities, building word-of-mouth and positive buzz before it possibly goes to a wide release throughout the country.
But perhaps seeing an opening during the last week of August (after what’s considered the summer movie season is over) and going into Labor Day weekend, Miramax decided to go big with a relatively wide release (800 or so theaters nationwide), capitalize on good reviews (a 93 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes), and perhaps offer a pleasant, feel-good story while theaters are still filled with serious blockbuster fare.
But that’s the business side of Southside with You. How about the movie itself?
[link_box id=”36688″ site_id=”1″ layout=”link-box-third” alignment=”alignright”]If you’re a fan of movies like Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset, which followed two people walking around Paris, talking about their lives, their personal struggles, and the bigger issues that concern them in the world, you’ll like this one. It’s a comparison that frequently came to mind while watching this portrayal of a day that Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson spent together on the South Side of Chicago, beginning the relationship of the future President and First Lady of the United States.
One question I kept asking myself was whether or not I would find this movie interesting if the characters involved were just regular people who didn’t have the ascent of history attached to them. Would this story of a day in which two people who work together at a law firm — one of whom is fiercely determined that this was just two friends attending a couple of events, and not a date — be compelling on its own merits?
Well, maybe. If watching a romance develop is a story that interests you, then this one will have some appeal. Michelle has her defenses up from the start, mostly because she knows how it will look for an associate to date a summer intern she’s supervising. She’s worked hard to be taken seriously, judged as an equal at her law firm, not as an African American and certainly not as a woman. The fact that Barack doesn’t understand the struggle she faces infuriates her. He’s not seeing the bigger picture, beyond what appears to be an innocent Saturday afternoon in 1989 together.
Early on, two people who don’t really know each other all that well discover that they have shared interests in art, literature and music. The work of Ernie Barnes is heavily featured at an Afrocentric art exhibit at a local gallery, and he shows that he both enjoys pop culture and is a student of history, explaining how Barnes provided the art for the sitcom Good Times when Jimmie Walker’s character, J.J., took an interest in painting and his father saw that as his son’s way out of the ghetto. Another painting reminds her of Gwendolyn Brooks’ poem, “We Real Cool.”
But Barack and Michelle soon get past the “me toos,” which can be the fun part of a date (or not a date, as she insists) and really try to get to know each other. That can also be fun, but also challenging territory populated with landmines. He wonders why she works at a corporate law firm that defends businesses, when it’s clear that she cares more about social justice and the people being hurt by municipal and corporate interests. She points out that he’s interning at the very same law firm and is no position to judge her or anyone else — most particularly, the father at whom he is clearly very angry.
Eventually, however, Michelle — and the audience — gets to see the man who eventually became President of the United States on a campaign of hope and change. The point of their afternoon together is supposed to be a meeting regarding a community center project that didn’t get approval from the city, spearheaded by an organization that Obama headed before he went off to Harvard Law School. This is the hook that Barack uses to convince Michelle to spend an afternoon with him. She wants to see the organization in action, meet the people involved and affected, and maybe reignite some of the passion that fueled her interest in pursing a law career to begin with.
Once they arrive at the church where the meeting takes place, Michelle sees that there’s much more to Barack than the intern whom she’s supervising for the summer. He’s made an impact on these people’s lives. They love him, and are happy to see him with a woman (forcing Michelle to frequently point out that she’s not Barack’s girlfriend) especially a black woman — an amusing note which raises an eyebrow. He’s inspired both old and young to do more, to make a difference in their community, to pursue their dreams and potential.
When Barack speaks at the meeting, his leadership and empathy become wholly apparent. The people are angry that their proposal for a community center has been rejected and begin to wonder if they’re accomplishing anything. The new community organizer tries to get them to see the bigger picture, to understand why the proposal was turned down and how they can use funding they did win to spur a follow-up measure. But Obama goes one step further, explaining to them how their goals should change, how finding out where their needs intersect with those of city leaders is where progress will be made.
Is the scene a bit too on the nose, something that can be projected onto Obama’s future career as a politician and his responsibility in dealing with both sides of the aisle in Congress? Maybe. Michelle later teases him that his speech was “too professorial,” a frequent criticism of Obama’s approach and demeanor. Fortunately, the script by director Richard Tanne doesn’t get too heavy-handed in that regard. Sure, there are occasional reminders of who these two people will eventually become. But how can there not be?
Southside with You is not a movie about a great love story. But I’m not sure it’s meant to be, though some might view it that way. It’s a story about a moment in time that turned out to lead to something far bigger, involving two figures who turned out to be highly admired and influential. Parker Sawyers has just enough physical resemblance to Obama to invoke him. While Tika Sumpter may not do the same for Michelle Robinson (especially in regards to her height, but that’s nitpicking), she captures her spirit and drive very well. The two are a very appealing on-screen pair, and without that, this movie simply wouldn’t work.
The movie does work. It may be too slow for some, who want a little more drama or comedy in their romance. And others may feel there’s not enough of a story here, relying more about what we know about the Obamas later in their lives and careers. Obviously, there will be some who just have no interest in this story, attaching political leanings to their perception of the film. But it’s a charming snapshot of two of the most compelling figures of our lifetimes, and a moment that eventually grew into so much more, which makes it a story worth telling.
