ninny95

Unless you share Dave Chappelle's resentment that trans rights are a thing and yes, they receive consideration in society now, you're unlikely to get more than a couple laughs out of this one. Frankly it's weird for a comic to focus his material so singularly on defending his part in a fight he started, as if the audience only exists to be drawn further onto his side.

As even positive reviews will tell you, there aren't really any big laughs in this one, although the storytelling and structure of his jokes are master-class. It takes the tone of a comic grappling with and finding humour in serious issues that affect him personally. But in truth, the issues he grapples with affect no more than his ego and maybe his bank balance. For his targets - trans women and the #MeToo movement - the jokes he makes concern matters of life and death. If another comic were to turn the jokes on a cause essential to Dave Chappelle's sense of identity and survival, we all know he would not be laughing.

So the shielding principle of artistic freedom and free speech seems very disingenuous. Behind it is his own bitterness at seeing social progress take place for a group he doesn't personally belong to. As Chappelle says himself, "I don't hate trans people, I'm jealous"- putting Black rights and trans rights in opposition to each other, as if non-white LGBTQ people don't even exist. That White privilege plays out in the advancement of trans rights is without question. To characterize trans rights as a White movement is such a rude misconception, I feel like we could have skipped this whole thing. If he could freely listen, maybe he wouldn't need to lean so heavily on his right to free speech.

The jealousy is personal, but the execution is guarded and tactical. His jokes bob between defensive and offensive, sparring with an opponent that isn't even in the ring. If you share his views of these people as "opponents", it could make for a gratifying watch. To me it just makes the material feel shallow and manipulative, even as it relies more on demonstrations of sincerity and emotional depth than it does on making people laugh.

I loved it. Once you've seen the movie, you can anticipate that the less enthusiastic reviews relate to its mischaracterization as a horror flick. But They Look Like People is everything I look for in the horror genre: tension, originality, absorbing characters, and a fully realized story with a focus on fear. It totally delivers on delivering no clichés at all, which makes for an electrifyingly suspenseful watch. You really can't anticipate this one.