SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU PORTRAYS 2 SENTIMENTAL DATES
Director/writer Richard Tanne poses a question in Southside With You: How did Barack Obama sweep Michelle Robinson off her feet? The answer is found in a concise film consisting of preparation for a first date, the first date, and the second date ending with a kiss. Whereas Michelle (played by Tika Sumpter) dressed to impress, Barack (Parker Sawyers) was much more casual. While Michelle talks like a lawyer, she is out-argued by smooth-talking Barack. He reveals a lot more about himself than she does, but that’s because his life is far more interesting, having lived in Hawaiʽi and Indonesia before New York, Harvard Law, and now Chicago. He also confesses that meeting parents of his White girlfriend in New York made him feel like an outsider to a clan. On the second date, he takes her to an African American community meeting, where he calms and inspires. On the first date, she says that she likes ice cream, so when Barack stops on the second date to get her a cone, she obviously realizes that he is the kind of man who will do whatever to keep others happy, something that resonates with her father’s support of her education at Princeton and Harvard. The only problem is that romance on film is difficult to portray unless appropriate music is in the background. But the music often drowns out the dialog and is quite peculiar. There will be future films about Obama, but Southside With You may be the only one to bring a warm smile to audiences. MH