Hollywood Shuffle

R

Released Mar 20, 1987

1 hr. 20 min.

Comedy

List

88%

33 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Aspiring actor and hot-dog stand employee Bobby Taylor (Robert Townsend) catches the ire of his grandmother (Helen Martin) for auditioning for a role in the regrettably titled exploitation film "Jivetime Jimmy's Revenge." When Tinseltown Studios casts Taylor in the title role, he has a series of conflicted dreams satirizing African-American stereotypes in Hollywood, and must reconcile his career goals with his desire to remain a positive role model for his little brother (Craigus R Johnson).

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Critics Consensus

Hollywood Shuffle overcomes budgetary constraints with sharp humor and infectious energy, heralding the arrival of an exciting new filmmaking talent in the bargain.

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Steve D

Sometimes funny and has some worthy goals. It has no idea how to reach them.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/02/23

Full Review

Haofeng J

The struggle for non-white actors has existed from the beginning of cinema. Even now, many ethnic minority performers struggle to secure roles, with the exception of a select few privileged superstars. When they do land roles, they frequently play stereotypes like Asian nerds, Middle Eastern terrorists, or black gangsters or bullies. Actors commonly have to balance the practical requirements of making ends meet with their moral reservations about portraying a role they believe to be insensitive (or even outright racist). The late 1980s Los Angeles story of promising actor Bobby Taylor by Robert Townsend exposed these challenging African American sides among the Hollywood swirls. Fantasy pieces that make references to and spoof a wide range of well-known films and genres are inserted between Bobby's narrative. Hollywood The aesthetics in Shuffle are quite impressive for an independent movie. You wouldn't know it was a five-figure budget unless you noticed a few actors who were performing many roles. I respect anyone who independently finances a movie, as Townsend did, especially when it's to raise awareness of crucial societal concerns like these. The movie, however, has a number of issues. The writing is frequently awkward and imbalanced, and the ratio of humor to seriousness seems lopsided. Bobby's plot suffers as a result of the extremely basic and hurried nature of many fantastic episodes. Townsend seems divided between writing a drama and a ridiculous comedy satire that mocks Hollywood from a black perspective. 1960s: Black actors gained more popularity The number of movies with social themes rapidly rose as the civil rights movement in the US gained momentum. Filmmakers started to take note of the topic of race, and it has been shown on the big screen frequently since. 1980s: The best of black and white A generation of white action stars, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, emerged during the heyday of Hollywood blockbusters. White and black action players were cast together in American films as a way for the directors to address racism. The first was "48 Hours" (1982), which starred black actor Eddie Murphy and white actor Nick Nolte. Since then, action movies have almost exclusively been produced in "black and white." Later movies with a mix of "black" and "white" action actors included "Robbery in New York City" and "Men in Black." 1990s: Black celebrities start their own businesses American interest in the cutting-edge images associated with battle is growing as times change once more. As a result, several actors of color have risen to the status of action heroes. Eddie Murphy was the first; he gained fame in large part due to his co-starring roles with white actors, but later, black actors were able to perform on their own. Black actors like Samuel L. Jackson and Will Smith have entered the ranks of action heroes. In the twenty-first century, half of the cinema is supported by black stars. On the 2002 Oscar list, Halle Berry became the first black best actress and Denzel Washington the second-best black actor to win an Oscar. Hollywood's black stars at this point might support the entire sky. I generally concur with the way some other commenters use the word "uneven." Though it doesn't seem to have much of an impact, I'd want to give it more credit for its ambition and audacity.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/04/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Even the state of Hollywood could use a re-shuffling Robert Townsend stars and directs a look inside the movie industry of the African American cinema landscape It's true many black actors and actresses have been relegated to secondary roles such as butlers, drivers, etc. As Bobby Taylor he sees the ire of his grandmother He's auditioning for a movie Jivetime Jimmy's Revenge regrettably putting him as a misconception of his community After winning the part he starts having a series of conflicted dreams covering black stereotypes in the movie business so now it has him re-thinking his career goals Plus his little brother looks up to him so Bobby wants to set a good example It's true there's enough negative images out there of a community of people, to some it's work to others it's personal, for some black actors it's always the white man's rule of thumb, more sophisticated roles are always within our reach This spoof of blacks in Hollywood is quite eye opening Yes this thing is tight on its budget and the narrative is shaky at best but it gets by with sharp humor and high energy Townsend shows his talent and sensitivity satirizing Tinseltown

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Landon J

The movie was great 👍. Silly humor mixed with a serious message about Hollywood and its industry and how it looks at people through its owns narrow lens of stereotypes, generalized views, unrealistic inaccuracies to the real world and assigned societal roles. This has greater negative impact on the world than what is acknowledged. And to this day hollywood continues film from a stereotypical lens.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/31/21

Full Review

Audience Member

A mandatory viewing experience, and a film which does everything right, and gives you all kinds of different tastes on the Hollywood experience. The scene where Townsend is dreaming his Eddie Murphy dream in an audition line-up of Eddie Murphys, which sends him into his best Eddie Murphy impression despite wanting to be himself, is so wonderful. The absolute highlight of the film which I am stumbling all over by explaining it. Brilliant movie, which should be at the top of every Best Comedy list instead of Caddyshack (although I still love you too, Caddyshack).

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the precursors of the black independent film genre, this film is funny as well as poignant, and still holds up today in it's portrayal of Hollywood stereotyping.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

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Robert Townsend

Director

Robert Townsend

Bobby Taylor

Anne-Marie Johnson

Lydia

Starletta DuPois

Bobby's Mother

Helen Martin

Bobby's Grandmother

Craigus R Johnson

Stevie Taylor

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Hollywood Shuffle: Official Clip - I Can't Do This

2:11

Hollywood Shuffle: Official Clip - Black Acting School

2:08

Hollywood Shuffle: Official Clip - Picketed by NAACP

1:42

Hollywood Shuffle: Official Clip - Attack of the Street Pimps

2:03

Hollywood Shuffle: Official Clip - Bobby Daydreams of Fame

1:19

Hollywood Shuffle: Official Clip - Sneakin' In The Movies

2:06

Hollywood Shuffle: Official Clip - Negative Images

1:47

Hollywood Shuffle: Official Clip - Ace Gets Jheri Curl to Talk

1:59

Hollywood Shuffle: Official Clip - Dirty Larry

2:13

Hollywood Shuffle: Official Clip - The Greatest Actor Ever

2:11

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Derek Smith

Slant Magazine

Hollywood Shuffle is a bit uneven, but as silly as it often is, its swipes at Hollywood’s racism, both the blatant and subtle varieties, cut deep.

Mar 16, 2023

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Always enjoyable and Townsend is great.

Mar 18, 2008

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Brimming with imagination and energy, Hollywood Shuffle is the kind of shoestring effort more appealing in theory than execution.

Mar 18, 2008

Full Review

David Harris

Spectrum Culture

Without Townsend and Hollywood Shuffle, it is very possible that many of our premier Black actors and filmmakers would never have had a chance to tell their stories and practice their craft.

Sep 5, 2023

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The best bit is a hilarious Siskel and Ebert parody called Sneakin’ in the Movies.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 13, 2023

Full Review

Aaron Neuwirth

Why So Blu

I could go as far as to say the work that went into making this film and what it represents is more interesting than the movie as a whole. Still, Hollywood Shuffle is frequently amusing and well worth it for a number of individual sketches alone.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 27, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

Aspiring actor and hot-dog stand employee Bobby Taylor (Robert Townsend) catches the ire of his grandmother (Helen Martin) for auditioning for a role in the regrettably titled exploitation film "Jivetime Jimmy's Revenge." When Tinseltown Studios casts Taylor in the title role, he has a series of conflicted dreams satirizing African-American stereotypes in Hollywood, and must reconcile his career goals with his desire to remain a positive role model for his little brother (Craigus R Johnson).

Director: Robert Townsend
Screenwriter: Robert Townsend, Keenen Ivory Wayans
Production Co: Conquering Unicorn
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 20, 1987, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 26, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.2M
Sound Mix: Stereo

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