The Color of Friendship

Saw it for the second time tonight. Black American family hosts a South African exchange student. They expect her to be black, she expects them to be white. All are surprised at the airport meeting. Father is a congressman in Washington, exchange student, played competently by a real California girl, become friends with host daughter. They both learn about each country's strange ways. We expect that the girl will have an enlightened view of race relations as she returns to South Africa and becomes an adult. We chip away, a bit at a time.

Father at first wants to send her home, by the end has bonded with white girl, even rescues her from an improper seizure done by South African embassy officials without permission. He threatens to claim "kidnapping" if they don't relent.

The whole film kept my interest and was for the most part well done. I give it a solid "7" of 10 rating, for a combination of good message and entertainment.

Based on a true story, The Color Of Friendship centers on Piper Dellums, the daughter of Congressman Ron Dellums and her experience hosting a Caucasian South African girl in 1977. The film is unlike most children's TV movies (and most DCOMS of the decade) due to the high educational value. The film showcases the very real effects of South African apartheid and its influence on attitudes towards racism in South Africa in contrast to the relative freedoms of the US. Mari, through her worldviews, sees African Americans as second class, clashing with the Dellums, who no doubt still feel the emotional scars of racism. Tension eventually gives way to friendship and the realization that racism is not only useless but immoral. Overall,the movie succeeds in its goals to foster understanding and race relation in a way that is not heavy-handed or preachy.

This movie was touching and contained answers to a lot of questions. It had a lot to do with racism and what blacks had to go through, and how your parents have a strong impact on you and your decisions. Mahree Bok was kinda like a foreign exchange student except Piper the one who's home Mahree was going to be living in was not going to go to Mahree's home town. When Piper and her parents saw that she was white they were a bit shocked but they still accepted her. But Mahree on the other hand wasn't as acceptive as Piper and her family was of her because of the impact her parents had on her and how they never mixed her with blacks except with their maid. So she was kinda feeling out of place. But later on in the movie Mahree and Piper became good friends and Mahree started to feel more comfortable with Piper and her family. Until, back in South Africa Mahree's parents found out her cultural exchange family was black and they had a fit. Mahree didn't quite understand why her parents weren't understanding of her staying with a black family. And that is what I mean about Parents having an impact on you and your life. It is the way they raise you and what they teach you. Mahree didn't really understand why whites didn't like blacks and the reason for that is because they didn't teach her about things like that. She had to learn from her maid who was black. At the end of the movie when Mahree got home, she ran straight to her maid's room to tell her about her experience staying with blacks, and she was telling her about what happened with the blacks and whites not getting along, and her maid was explaining to her (with birds as an example) that she didn't understand why all people of all races couldn't come together like the birds in that cage. And in the very ending Mahree set all of the birds free, all the birds of all colors.

Ok I don't normally watch Disney channel movies, but lately some of them have not been that bad. The Color of Friendship was one of these. It showed real problems in an atmosphere that was understandable to younger audiences and yet not wholly uninteresting to adults. The two teenage girls provided a great dichotomy, and though some of their arguments were unrealistic, for the most part the issues were clearly and logically presented. Even as an educated young adult, the movie still was delightfully surprising to me in that it opened my eyes and made me see more than a history book lesson, but instead real people with real feelings. It is noted in the movie, and important to remember in life, that it is not the people of the oppressive country that are inherently bad, but rather the system of beliefs that has been imposed upon them, often for generations.

Enjoyable and educational, I give it an 8 out of 10.

I truly enjoyed watching this movie more than once. The main thing I liked about the movie was the depiction of how both sides knew so little about the individual, but was willing to attach what the attitude was regarding apartheid from both sides. I think it is important for us as Americans to realize that not everyone in S. Africa who is white agrees with the concept of apartheid. That was shown very well in the movie. It also showed how the characters involved in the conflict grew and expanded their view point and ultimately accepted the other person regardless of what they initially believed in. The whole cast was fantastic.