Regina Hall – Tripping Through Gateways

At thirteen, Jordan Sanders is a smart kid who hopes to fit in, but finds life in school to be one of constant humiliation and bullying. Her parents promise her that when she grows up, things will be different, for she is brilliant and those are the people that “become the boss.”

The film jumps to Jordan in her late 30’s. Her life is one where she is in charge. She is bold, featured in magazines and has a highly successful business. She also treats people abusively, often using them. This is especially true of her assistant April. She has no respect for April’s hopes and dreams or ideas for the business. April is however, also incredibly lacking in confidence, whether it is the desire to advance in her career or get a date…April will try and then back off quickly.

The same day that Jordan is informed by her biggest client he is leaving her for a new company unless she can win him over with a pitch, Jordan pushes around a little girl. The girl tells her she wishes Jordan was little. The next morning, Jordan wakes to find herself in her thirteen year old body. April makes a deal to pretend to be Jordan’s Aunt and to keep the the pitch moving forward to try and avoid losing their client.

What follows is April and Jordan trying to navigate their sudden change in world, April as the boss and Jordan having to go to school. Jordan tries hard to keep her “I’m the boss” attitude, but quickly finds herself pushed to the margins. Meanwhile, her employees start to find life under April much more pleasant.

The film is really busy, as they try and cover a lot of ground as Director/writer Tina Gordon and screenwriter Tracy Oliver (of the entertaining and raunchy Girl’s Trip) pack in a lot of plot points with the jokes. And this kind of interferes with the pacing. That is not to say it is not funny. I laughed plenty…and the film actually sidesteps a certain problem that Big did not avoid. This is largely due to the fact with the reversal, Jordan becoming a thirteen year old, these situational problems are very self evident. You cannot have adult men being turned on. Thankfully, the men of the film avoid being sleazy. When young Jordan shoots a look at her teacher, he is instantly grossed out. When Jordan’s boy toy (who aspired to be more) mistakes Jordan as the daughter she never told him about, he sets out to convince her that he has the best of intentions for her mom. Some of the dialog gets clunky, but when he tries to give a fatherly hug she forgets her age and he instantly stops her more comfortable snuggle.

The boyfriend storyline seems forgotten at the end though and as the storylines all tie up, we never really seem to know how she explains she never had a daughter.

But the highlights of the movie Little, in my book, are Issa Rae and Marsai Martin. Issa Rae just has never really let me down. Her comedic delivery is just solid and pretty much always delivers. Martin has long been one of my favorite actors on Black’ish. And her years as the darkly mature Diane work here where she channels Regina Hall’s dominance as young Jordan.

Little is not a genre breaking classic. But for the majority of the film, I had a fine time watching it. Rae and Martin connected well and there are some good laughs in the film.

Starr and her family live in the poor part of town. But her mother pushed for sending Starr and her brother Seven to a prestigious (and mostly white) school. There Starr lives a very different life, downplaying any aspect of herself that might invite the accusation of being “ghetto”. She even has a (white) boyfriend named Chris. Chris is a goofy guy who wants to be a bigger part of her life, but Starr wants to keep he and her friends their separate from the world of her home life.

When one of her oldest friends, Khalil is gunned down by a cop in front of her, Starr’s world rapidly starts to unravel. She tries to retain anonymity, but finds the weight of injustice harder to compartmentalize than the rest of her life has been. As she becomes more vocal, her friendships and family relationships are tested.

Based on the book by Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give is a painful and yet hopeful exploration of blackness in America. Starr’s family has faced a lot of adversity, including her father having been the right hand man to the local drug lord King. After a stint in prison, Maverick Carter turned his life around, working hard to be an honest man with a local business. Her mother Lisa, on the other hand, would like to leave their community for a safer place.

The film might be a hard watch for some whites, especially those who are prone to “blue Lives Matter” ideas. The film does not flinch from challenging the whole problem of such arguments. And the film very deftly offers those defenses first through a black man, Starr’s uncle Carlos. Played by Common, the police officer takes a more middle ground position. In one scene, he calmly explains the struggle police face in a routine traffic stop. And it really seems logical…until she asks what would happen in a white neighborhood. In that moment, he confesses a white man would get a warning before being fired upon.

The film only has one truly sympathetic white character, and he is capable of cringey moments. After learning about Starr being the previously anonymous witness, he pleads that he does not see color. He does, however, prove himself an ally in his willingness to trust and help Starr when she needs his support. But Starr is not a fragile child. Amandla Stenberg portrays her with sweetness, but also an edge. And when she finds her voice, it is a powerful moment.

I think that this film is a very strong rebuke to a culture that likes to pretend racism is no longer an issue of prominence. Emotionally engaging, heart breaking and inspiring, The Hate U Give is a message that cannot be heard too much.

Tag: Regina Hall

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Duality (The Hate U Give, 2018)