Fifty Shades of Black Movie Poster Image

Fifty Shades of Black

age 18+
(i)

 

Crass parody doesn't stay on target long enough to be funny.
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  • Review Date: January 29, 2016
  • Rated: R
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Release Year: 2016
  • Running Time: 93 minutes

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What parents need to know

Positive messages

Pokes fun at the ridiculous premise and popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey but also depicts women as either unattractive goody-goodys or super-crass, promiscuous sexual deviants. So over-the-top that no positive messages can be easily discerned.

Positive role models

Hannah discovers what does and doesn't want in a relationship. She claims she isn't insecure, just selective. No other clearly admirable behavior/modeling, and some very poor examples, including racism, stereotypes, etc.

Violence

Slapstick violence involving clumsy Hannah (she's hit by elevator doors that slam on her face, she falls into doors, etc.). A racist character uses a Taser gun on an African-American woman, yelling "standing my ground!" Some of the sex scenes include a form of consensual violence -- like Christian using a whip or paddle, stool, etc. to spank or whip Hannah.

Sex

Frequent crass conversation about sex, and at least three sex scenes (all are brief and played for laughs rather than titillation). In addition to BDSM scenes with whips, blindfolds, spanking, etc., there are two public sex scenes where the woman is mostly clothed but moaning and making comments, and the man is shirtless or naked. Nudity includes one breast that pops out comically during a conversation, as well as three scenes that show obviously fake male genitalia (testicles and penises -- one supersized, and one so small that it's ridiculed publicly). One character jokes about having STDs. Christian makes fun of Hannah for being a virgin. A woman tells Hannah to smell her breath because it's the smell of a man's testicles.

Language

Constant use of strong language, including dozens of "f--k/ing/er" (mostly as a sexual term but also as an exclamation), "motherf--ker," the "N" word (mostly by African Americans but also one white character), "s--t," "c--k," "a--hole," "ass," "d--k," "p--sy," "Jesus Christ" (as an exclamation), "goddamn it," etc.

Consumerism

Audi, MacBook (they're called Macs and look like them from afar, but the actual Apple logo isn't shown), Range Rover, VW Beetle, etc.

Drinking, drugs, & smoking

Adults drink, and one man tries to get his female friend to consume the "date-rape drug" Molly. Hannah gets drunk. References to crack dealing/use. Adult characters drink at a family dinner and at restaurants.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Fifty Shades of Black is a parody of Fifty Shades of Grey starring, co-written, and produced by Marlon Wayans. It makes fun of the Fifty Shades movie, book, and main characters, but it manages to contain less nudity (although you will see one breast and two full-frontal scenes of men's clearly fake genitalia). On the other hand, there's lots more swearing (including countless uses of "f--k," the "N" word, "motherf--ker," etc.) and vulgar references to sex and race (one character is openly racist toward her adopted children). Although the scenes are played for laughs, they do still contain BDSM, with the whips on display named after slavery-themed films like Roots, Glory, 12 Years a Slave, etc. There's also substance use and abuse by adults: The main female character gets drunk, and someone tries to spike her drink with Molly; the main male character recalls becoming a billionaire because he used to use and sell crack cocaine.

What's the story?

FIFTY SHADES OF BLACK is exactly what it sounds like -- a parody of Fifty Shades of Grey from the perspective of comedian Marlon Wayans and his production team. Following the same premise as the original, the spoof follows inexperienced college student Hannah Steale (Kali Hawk), who does her sick roommate a favor and interviews self-made billionaire Christian Black (Wayans) or a journalism assignment. During the interview, it's clear that Christian's attracted to Hannah -- and, like in the movie it's parodying, he basically keeps tabs on her until she agrees to see him. Soon it becomes clear that Christian isn't interested in a regular romantic relationship; he wants Hannah to sign a huge sex contract agreeing to be his submissive in a dominant-submissive relationship.

Is it any good?

QUALITY

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.

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about Fifty Shades of Black's depiction of sex. Does the humor lighten the content/mood? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.

  • Why do you think the Fifty Shades of Grey series is so popular? Is this parody of it appropriate for teens?

  • What makes a movie a good parody? What are some of the best film parodies? How does this one compare?

  • The movie has been accused of making fun of women's bodies, but you could also argue that it mocks men's bodies. Is either situation a good example for teen viewers? What message does that send about body image?

Movie details

Theatrical release date:January 29, 2016
DVD release date:April 19, 2016
Cast:Marlon Wayans, Kali Hawk, Affion Crockett
Director:Michael Tiddes
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

This review of Fifty Shades of Black was written by

Sandie Angulo Chen
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are conducted by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

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Kid, 9 years old April 28, 2016
age 18+

Hilarious spoof is filled with graphic sexuality and strong language and racist jokes.

This very funny but stupid (in a good way) and is filled with sexuality, nudity, and language, but anyone who can handle inappropriate content maturely and in a responsible way can see this movie. As in Fifty Shades of Grey, this movie is about a stupid billionaire named Christian Black who meets a woman named Hannah, and they get involved in a sexual relationship. Violence 2/5: One slapstick scene of violence shows a woman shooting a black woman with a taser gun. Christian (infrequently) tortures Hannah with whips and chains and an ice cube, but not in a violent way, but it's very racist and slapstick. Sexual content and nudity 5/5: Several graphic sex scenes, some are brief, some are extremely graphic and long. In one sex scene, a man takes his genitals out of his underwear, and they're completely swelling, this is shown for a long time. One graphic sex scene shows a man thrusting into a woman for a few seconds, with lots of moaning, and sounds of wet sperm are graphically heard. A mans bottom is shown in all of the sex scenes. In one very graphic and long scene, a man is scene having sex with a woman on the couch, and tons of moaning and thrust is heard, he gets his genitals stuck up in her genital area. A mans genitals are scene in one scene, and his genitals are extremely long, and flop into a bowl of food. One scene shows a man putting hot sauce in a woman's genitals. Constant, explicit sexual conversations and references. A man makes graphic comments about a woman being a virgin. One scene shows a man putting a woman on a bed, and blindfolding her, then licking her chest, as well as putting an ice cube on her, implied sex. A stripper club scene shows a man with tiny genitals. Language 5/5: Constant, strong language includes f--k, s--t, c--k, d--k, c--t, p---y, f---t, b---h, n-----r, d--klicker, c--n, and much more. Although this movie is very funny, it's making fun of the other movie and is extremely graphic and somewhat stupid. My rating:R for strong sexual content throughout, graphic nudity, and pervasive language.
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