Baadasssss!

Mario Van Peebles' unblinking, if slightly golden-toned, homage to his cantankerous father's bullheaded cinematic audacity follows the making of Sweet Sweetback's Baadassss Song, Melvin Van Peebles' violent, dark, gritty and groundbreaking no-budget 1971 indie that incidentally gave rise to the blaxploitation genre. A clear labor of love, and so much the better for it, Baadasssss! stars writer-director Mario as his pop, who was plagued by problems ranging from financial backing (Bill Cosby saved the film from drug-money financing) to casting (Melvin eventually played the cop-killing pimp antihero himself) to controversy (the film was slapped with an X rating) to distribution (the movie premiered in just two theaters). Although this look back (in part at Mario's own childhood) has its failings--like Melvin's supposed "eureka" moment, which is little more than the line "That's it! I'll make a movie about a real brother!"--the younger Van Peebles combines creative filmmaking with powerful, direct social commentary to serve up a savvy, stylistic homage. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director/co-writer/costar Mario Van Peebles and his father filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles, the 22-minute making-of featurette “The Story Behind Baadassss!: The Birth of Black Cinema,” the 31-minute featurette “American Cinematheque Q&A with Melvin Van Peebles,” an 11-minute segment from the film's premiere, a poster gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a solid film.] (R. Blackwelder)