Black and White

The title of James Toback's Black and White carries several meanings: the growing influence of hip-hop culture on suburban white youth, the dichotomies in the lives and attitudes of the main characters, even (although this was certainly not intentional) the director's painfully shallow presentation of his story. The film winds its way through the intertwined lives of several New Yorkers over the space of a few days, including a group of white teens and the documentary film-makers who are trying to analyze their fascination with black culture. While there are plenty of characters for Toback to keep track of, he doesn't show the slightest interest in developing any of them; instead the characters are meat puppets who primarily exist to deliver the director's thoughts on race relations and sexual politics in painfully expository dialogue that wears out its welcome within the first 15 minutes (making for a mighty long final 85) Not recommended. (S. Renshaw)