Dear White People

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Dear White People

R

2014

1h 46m

Comedy

Drama

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

133 Reviews

61%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

A campus culture war between blacks and whites at a predominantly white school comes to a head when the staff of a humor magazine stages an offensive Halloween party.

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Critics Consensus

Dear White People adds a welcome new voice to cinema's oft-neglected discussion of race, tackling its timely themes with intelligence, honesty, and gratifyingly sharp wit.

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Shadow and Act Staff

Shadow and Act

It’s remarkable how Simien keeps his film moving at such a breakneck pace, each line a reference to or a commentary on pressing sociological concerns that are rarely spoken about this openly.

Sep 13, 2022

Full Review

Phoebe Robinson

Bitch Media

Despite the chances not taken in terms of storytelling and filmmaking, there are also plenty of reasons to be excited about Dear White People. Simien took what started out as a crowd-funded film and turned it into a pop culture phenomenon.

Jan 22, 2021

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Jenna Marotta

IndieWire

...the film explores how two members of the same race can have vastly different experiences depending on how dark their skin is, as well as why certain people can say and act one way, but not others.

Mar 31, 2020

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

... a sharp, smart, ambitious satire of race, racism, privilege, prejudice, and power at an Ivy League college that has drawn comparisons to Spike Lee.

Aug 20, 2023

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Katie Smith-Wong

Flick Feast

Dear White People is sharp, entertaining and probably the coolest film of LFF 2014.

Rated: 4.5/5

Nov 20, 2019

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Ryan Syrek

The Reader (Omaha, NE)

Dear White People deploys a full arsenal of intellectual weaponry to talk about race and much more in a way most can't or won't. It is hilarious. It is brilliant. It is vital. And it's Simien's first outing. More please.

Rated: A

Jul 30, 2019

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Jake W

Horrible movie made for the sole reason of stroking racial tensions

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

11/30/25

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J K

Intelligent, witty, dry, satire. Well done, Justin Simien, cast, and crew!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/23/25

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KB B

It was okay but I'd probably never want to watch it again. Watch if there's nothing else better on.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/14/24

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Paul G

Good idea, terrible delivery. This movie takes boring to new levels.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

11/30/25

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jim t

Contrary to what the title might suggest, Dear White People has no political axe to grind. Forget the ostensible motif of race politics and race relations. The true focus is on inter-personal human relations (boy girl, father son, peer relations) which are way more complicated, interesting and mysterious. The genius of this movie is how well it captures that complexity. Clever provacative dialogue is delivered by appealing, talented players. No racial platitutude, cliche or trope is left unexamined or unskewered. The good writing is complemented by excellent shooting. A simple scene at the end where a couple rehash what went wrong and make up is so well done that it might be the highlight of the story. There's a surprise punch line scene that ends it all. I finished this movie with both eyes open which is my equivalent of two thumbs up.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/01/23

Full Review

A A

This goes without saying, it was bigoted from the outset. the odd chuckles it provides are far outweighed by the racial tension it works up in its audiences.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

11/30/25

Full Review

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Justin Simien

Director

Tyler James Williams

Lionel Higgins

Tessa Thompson

Sam White

Kyle Gallner

Kurt Fletcher

Teyonah Parris

Coleandra 'Coco' Conners

Brandon P. Bell

Troy Fairbanks

Dear White People: Official Clip - Crashing the Party

3:00

Dear White People: Official Clip - Bringing Black Back

3:00

Dear White People: Official Clip - Ooftas, Nose-Jobs and 100s

2:59

Dear White People: Official Clip - Blackface Party

3:00

Dear White People: Official Clip - Who Am I?

2:50

Dear White People: Official Clip - I Want People to Know My Name

2:52

Dear White People: Official Clip - Black and White Relations

2:53

Dear White People: Official Clip - Rebirth of a Nation

2:58

Dear White People: Official Clip - Dining Hall Dispute

2:56

Dear White People: Official Clip - The Tip Test

2:19

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Synopsis

A campus culture war between blacks and whites at a predominantly white school comes to a head when the staff of a humor magazine stages an offensive Halloween party.

Director: Justin Simien
Producer: Justin Simien, Effie Brown, Julia Lebedev, Angel Lopez, Ann Le, Lena Waithe
Screenwriter: Justin Simien
Distributor: Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Code Red, Duly Noted Inc., Homegrown Pictures
Rating: R (Language|Drug Use|Sexual Content)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 17, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 26, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.4M
Runtime: 1h 46m

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