Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Romcom addresses race relations; language, drugs, sex.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
You People
What's the Story?
In YOU PEOPLE, Ezra (Jonah Hill) is a dissatisfied 30-something who is looking for true love and would like to leave his day job in finance for his passion, which is podcasting with bestie Mo (Sam Jay) about "the culture." When he meets Amira (Lauren London) accidentally one day, the two fall in love. But Amira's Black Muslim family, led by the humorless Akbar (Eddie Murphy) and mom Fatima (Nia Long), and Ezra's Jewish parents, Shelley (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Arnold (David Duchovny), aren't quite ready to blend their families. The attempts at assimilation go wrong from the start, prompting Ezra and Amira to reconsider their plans to wed.
Is It Any Good?
This Los Angeles-set romcom could've felt one-note around its concept of commenting on contemporary race relations, but the cast raises it up a notch with very funny results. You People -- co-written by director Kenya Barris and star Jonah Hill -- tries to find the irony in all of its characters, from bee pollen-drinking millennials in gentrified cafés to a converted Black Muslim's preciousness about a Louis Farrakhan-gifted kufi to a discussion of "Holocaust-ing down" a small wedding ring to imbue it with more significance. Hill and London make a cute couple, but it's Murphy and Louis-Dreyfus, as the militant dad and overly eager Jewish mom, who really drive the story.
How this film's humor lands could depend on the viewer's willingness to laugh at sensitive topics and stereotypes, and the plot might not have much draw beyond domestic audiences. But it offers plenty of dialogues and situations that comically and sometimes insightfully consider why race relations can be so tricky even when intentions are good -- and also when they're not. Not every scene hits its mark, and some characters feel superfluous (Duchovny and Long go underused; blink and you'll miss Rhea Perlman and Elliot Gould, among other cameos). With a pumping soundtrack and lots of local B-roll, the film also offers an affectionate rendering of contemporary Los Angeles.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about which of the characters overstep boundaries in You People. Which characters did you sympathize most and least with, and why?
How would you describe the mood of this film? What techniques did the filmmakers use in visuals and sound to define that mood?
What stereotypes does the movie feature? What does the movie say about stereotyping? Why can stereotypes be so damaging?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : January 27, 2023
- Cast : Jonah Hill , Eddie Murphy , Julia Louis-Dreyfus
- Director : Kenya Barris
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Director(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Friendship
- Run time : 118 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language throughout, some sexual material and drug content
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate