Parents' Guide to

The Last Black Man in San Francisco

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Painful portrait of gentrification in extraordinary indie.

Movie R 2019 120 minutes
The Last Black Man in San Francisco Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

Moneydog23
Moneydog23 Adult
January 18, 2020
age 15+

This title has:

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What's the Story?

In rapidly gentrifying San Francisco, Jimmie Fails (Jimmie Fails) sometimes feels like he might just be THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO. Ejected from the stunning Victorian house he and his family lived in for generations and forced to share a tiny space in a crumbling, toxic neighborhood with his best friend, Montgomery (Jonathan Majors), and Mont's grandpa (Danny Glover), Jimmie dreams of the life he could have with money, space, and a city that allowed him to live comfortably while working regular-person jobs. When a chance to occupy his old home comes up, he grabs it -- heedless of what it might cost.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Luminously beautiful and absolutely unforgettable, this tale of an ordinary man crushed by extraordinary pressures may be the best movie about San Francisco ever made. Immediately setting itself apart from lesser San Francisco-set movies (which tend to flash visuals of the Pacific and the Golden Gate Bridge before cutting to Los Angeles interiors), Last Black Man opens with a bravura tracking shot in which the two main characters gracefully share a skateboard together, gliding over hills and city streets from the depressed neighborhood they live in to the sparkling street where Jimmie's old family house sits. It's now occupied by a white woman who resents Jimmie dropping by to secretly tend the garden or touch up the paint on an outdoor windowsill. "What do you want, man?" she begs Jimmie, both nonplussed and infuriated by the intrusions. Jimmie's not exactly sure what he wants, but once he gets inside, all he knows is that he doesn't want to leave.

And yet viewers suspect that this probably won't end well for Jimmie. He's so poor that he wears the same shirt every day. And his family's former home, bedecked in stained glass and original wood that the camera lingers over as lovingly as if it were filming a sex scene, would cost multiple millions. He works at a hospice; his dad lives in a flophouse motel. In long, gorgeous shots, viewers empathize with the pain of Jimmie's dilemma, the agony written across Fails' expressive face. You can't help him. But oh, how you'll want to.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the difference between "independent" and "studio" movies. What's the difference between a movie like this one and one made with a huge budget? What types of stories do big-budget movies tend to tell? Why do you think that indie movies typically tell smaller, quirkier stories?

  • The Last Black Man in San Francisco communicates its setting right in the title. Why? Does that mean that the setting is particularly important to this movie's action? Would you know the movie's setting if the title didn't spell it out? How do movies tell the audience where they're set? Is it always important to the story?

  • When you watch a movie with actors previously unknown to you, does it help you imagine that they're portraying real people? Do you prefer to watch "unknowns" or recognizable actors? Why?

  • How do Montgomery and Jimmie show perseverance and teamwork in their quest to occupy Jimmie's old house? Why are these important character strengths?

Movie Details

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