White people pillaging black culture is nothing new, of course, but doing it with such impunity - insisting Brad isn’t acting at all but simply being himself - is a fairly recent development. He’s immersed himself so thoroughly in this culture that it has actually become his own. But consciously, he’s not posing or acting. Subconsciously, yes, surely he was bored with his privileged existence - he’s the son of a gubernatorial candidate - and reached out for something more flavorful. In terms of persona, to quote Chris Farley, he’s a fat guy in a little coat.Įxcept that Brad isn’t faking. Here’s a kid whose only knowledge of ghetto life comes from hearing rap music, but who is so desperate to adopt SOME kind of culture other than his dull white-bread heritage that he forces hip-hopness into his personality, even though it doesn’t really fit. Either lying or honestly misapprehending the situation, he speaks of Malibu when he says, “It’s hardcore up in the ‘bu.” Some of the hardcore gangstas in Malibu, he says, “even did time in public school.” He talks, walks and acts “black,” and fancies himself a rapper, too, calling himself B-Rad (“Bradley is my slave name,” he tells a therapist). The protagonist is Brad Gluckman (Jamie Kennedy), a rich 21-year-old California boy who, all known facts notwithstanding, believes himself to be a part of black culture.
It will be viewed as a curious artifact of how urban youth spoke in the early 21st century.īut beyond the specific language used, even the movie’s premise could not exist outside a 5-year radius of 2003. Much of the slang used in the hip-hop-heavy dialogue didn’t even exist three years ago in 50 years, the film will read the way Middle English does now.
It will help us pass the time before we have to get down to actually reviewing the film, which we’re not really looking forward to.Įvery movie is a product of its time, but “Malibu’s Most Wanted” has its date of birth stamped on it more prominently than most. Little else about “Malibu’s Most Wanted” is interesting, so let’s talk about its role as a social indicator.