Parents' Guide to

Fifty Shades of Black

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Crass parody doesn't stay on target long enough to be funny.

Movie R 2016 93 minutes
Fifty Shades of Black Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 15+

Based on 6 parent reviews

age 18+

I really like the movie, although it's really ridiculous, it's like when someone wants to tell people what they really think, but they don't want to, but they don't dare, this movie breaks that paradigm, and puts people's real thoughts at stake , what people do not dare to say, yes. taboo, without sense, only in the viewer's imagination. I think the idea is based on being what you are regardless of what they think of you, perhaps without the exaggeration of the movie, but at the same time what you really are, without taking it to something sexual or transcendental

This title has:

Too much sex
1 person found this helpful.
age 2+

Black Dildo

Teaches the moral values of baby making. It also had cool cosplay (especially the sheriff). My grandma had Vietnam flashbacks while watching this pinnacle of cinema masterpiece. This movie is so good it gave me cronic diarrhea for 3 weeks.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6):
Kids say (5):

Effective parodies never lose sight of the object they're parodying, which is why this mess of a crass comedy fails in its mission. It's all over the place, making fun of the source material one moment and then needlessly poking fun at racial politics, Magic Mike, and women's bodies (like Hannah's smelly panties or her promiscuous caricature of a roommate's sexually transmitted disease) the next. One of the few laugh-out-loud moments is when Florence Henderson makes an appearance in a flashback as the woman who introduced Christian to BDSM. In a bit taken straight out of Whiplash, she demands that Christian respond to whether he or she is "rushing or dragging" during sex. She then chides Christian for not living up to his potential (and also not adhering to sexual stereotypes about black men).

As a parody, there are a couple of funny moments (like when Hannah's BDSM punishment includes a read-aloud of Fifty Shades of Grey), but most of the movie just devolves into lowbrow shtick after shtick. For example, Jane Seymour and Fred Willard pop up as Christian's adopted parents, who are not-so-secretly racist (Mrs. Black checks for her wallet every time she and Christian hug goodbye, and she believes her husband has a secret thing for their Asian daughter, just like Woody Allen). It's cringe-worthy and awful -- but then again, so was the original.

Movie Details

  • In theaters: January 29, 2016
  • On DVD or streaming: April 19, 2016
  • Cast: Marlon Wayans, Kali Hawk, Affion Crockett
  • Director: Michael Tiddes
  • Inclusion Information: Black actors
  • Studio: Open Road Films
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Run time: 93 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: strong crude sexual content including some graphic nudity, and for language throughout
  • Last updated: April 29, 2023

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