First Sunday

I got this movie because my wife likes movies that come out of the Black culture---I'd read all the reviews, which were uniformly negative. But we watched it together.

I'm glad I did. I'm one of those rare White pastors who has had the honor of serving as pastor of an African-American congregation. The comments about how this movie is "stereotypical" reflect a very Anglo view of life that has never been part of a Black church. The movie lifted up the humor of how Black churches work, and the sort of folks often found in them.

The Writer/Director grew up in a family of preachers. He was trying to show both the humor of what people are like in African-American churches, and how some positive male role models are needed in the Black community; men who care about their sons, may make mistakes, but will always try to do the right thing. To expect Ice Cube to be a "comedian" in this movie is to misunderstand his role: he was trying to do the right thing in the midst of craziness. He played the straight man, and left the comedy to others.

Those who look at this movie in the light of the way most Hollywood stories are reviewed didn't get it. Those who have never been part of a church community didn't get it. THIS WAS A CHURCH MOVIE! Taken on its own terms, it was a joy.