winedivanyc

Jonah Hill gives a great performance as an endearing well/meaning guy who carried the movie. And the banter between him and Mo was entertaining. As for the rest, what seems to be an attempt to exploit racial stereotypes though exaggeration (a la South Park) fell flat and seemingly unrealistic. Eddie Murphy's character was so cringeworthy stereotypical that he just wasn't funny. And what educated person would go to a Jewish person's house and glorify Lewis Farrakhan? And what Jewish person wouldn't have shown their guest the door? While I agree there are racial tensions in America, but geez. This movie does nothing to calm the flames.

This is as much a story about American history as it is about the Holocaust. As with another Burns' documentary The Vietnam War, the director masterfully places the personal stories in the forefront while at the same time explains the complexities of the politics and public mood at the time. Why it was plausible that FDR didn't do as much as he could have given the implications for negotiating with a Congress that represented the mood of the country at the time. You can agree or not whether FDR did the right thing but by interjecting the narrative with interviewed with historians, Burns leaves it up to the viewer to decide.

He also explains the upper crust Ivy League culture at the State Department that stymied opportunities to help people immigrate, the pervasive acceptance of eugenics and the popularity of the isolationist movement.

I take issue with the reviewers on this forum who criticized this series for not focusing as much attention on the plight of the homosexuals or Romanies. The focus of this series is the historical context in America which was also the history of the Jews in America. And it was the Jewish population of Europe that had the largest connection to America, as opposed to other groups who were met with the same fate. Each of those groups has its own unique history that would take another documentary to explore. Many Holocaust memorials actually do this because the point of remembering this horrific event is to learn how pervasive genocide is and how vulnerable we all are.

I was a fan I'd SOC as an American coming of age in the 90's, and I still am. I'd like to first clarify that her downward spiral in America was as much about her refusal to have the national anthem play before her concerts as ripping up a photo of the pope. The former exhibited an overwhelming display of immature arrogance toward a country that only served her well, which might explain why Prince's estate refused to allow footage of SOC performing the song he wrote.

That said, I felt the film was entertaining although I would have enjoyed seeing more of her process, like how she composes her songs. And more about how her career bounced back. She is a very talented artist with a great story, and a lot has happened in the past 30 years.