Am I A Racist? (2024) Official Matt Walsh/Daily Wire Trailer
A New Borat Rises
Starting out as an outlet for podcasts and news, The Daily Wire has slowly begun to take steps toward the entertainment business. Their venture into entertainment began with the release of their first movie, Run Hide Fight, starring Thomas Jane, followed by other films such as Shut In and The Hyperions. Efforts to create entertainment steamrolled into television with the animated series Mr. Birchum, the true-crime series Convicting a Murderer, and the upcoming fantasy epic The Pendragon Cycle, based on the book series by Stephen Lawson. While all of these series and films have been received well by audiences, none of them have achieved widespread notoriety or become cultural sensations like their break-out hit documentary, What is a Woman? Now, the controversial team behind the acclaimed documentary has returned with Am I Racist?, which seeks to tackle another cultural issue while also being The Daily Wire’s first venture into a theatrically released film.
A New Era’s Borat
Am I Racist? follows popular podcaster Matt Walsh after he receives a certification in DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) after going undercover wearing a wig and suit. Throughout the film, Walsh interacts with various people behind the Anti-racist movement, challenging their stances and uncovering the amount of money these “experts” receive, arguing that profit, not principle, is the driving force behind the cultural movement. The documentary is directed by Justin Folk, who has worked as a visual effects artist on movies such as The Matrix sequels and The Incredible Hulk before stepping behind the camera. He previously directed Walsh in his first documentary, What is a Woman?, which was both produced and distributed by The Daily Wire. Am I Racist? was produced by Folk, Walsh, Charlotte Roland, and Dallas Sonnier. With a budget of $3 million, the movie came in fourth at the box office during its opening weekend, falling behind Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Speak No Evil, and Deadpool & Wolverine. However, the movie beat out The Killer’s Game, which opened in over double the amount of theaters compared to Am I Racist?.
With the amount of controversy surrounding the film, it’s hard to review such a politically charged movie without viewers feeling that supporters of the movie are picking a side in the culture. Just earlier this year, the A24 movie Civil War faced similar criticisms from people believing the movie was taking a stance politically, leaning too far to the left or the right, while others believed the movie wasn’t doing enough. It’s easy to look at the creators behind the movie and make assumptions about the information being relayed. However, this shouldn’t be the way of approaching a film, especially with documentaries that are trying to make a point. Like any other movie, Am I Racist? should be taken at face value and not have the baggage the internet tries to toss its way.
Teaching While Entertaining
It’s easy for viewers to jump on any streaming service haphazardly and pick a random documentary that will likely be entertaining on some level. There are endless amounts of documentaries out there that both teach and entertain. However, Am I Racist goes further with the entertainment by making a true comedy that, mainly by its method of storytelling, is funny. Comedies can get almost everything else wrong on a technical and story level, but if it’s able to make audiences laugh, it can still succeed. Going off of this base level of criteria, Am I Racist? has found success. Rather than being a true documentary in which a narrator interviews numerous people about a specific topic, Am I Racist? is more of a social experiment. Walsh plays a caricature of a DEI expert, attending various events and sitting down with prominent people in the anti-racist movement to document their reactions. This provides many avenues for comedy to flow from, such as the extreme and ridiculous ways people behave, making it all the more amusing and eye-opening knowing that it’s real life.
Clocking in at a little over an hour and forty minutes, Am I Racist? keeps a flow that rarely ever slows down. Its fast pace is mainly derived from the movie’s structure. The more serious and fact-based interviews are squished in between the more theatrical, over-the-top sequences, such as the scene at the Race to Dinner, a meal led by Regina Jackson, who is black, and Saira Rao, who identifies as Indian American. During this dinner, wealthy white women paid $2,500 to be challenged on their racism. During segments like these, Walsh escalates his antics in a way that are uncomfortable yet hysterical. Scenes like these are followed up by more serious ones, such as the interview with Wilfred Reilly, which leaned more toward being informative. This rhythm helped to keep Am I Racist? from feeling dull.
Despite the fast pace, Am I Racist? could benefit from extending certain interviews and scenes, allowing the audience to sit longer with what is being told. For example, a scene involved Walsh going to a predominantly black neighborhood and interviewing various people to get their perspectives on racial issues. Another scene involved Walsh going to a biker bar, which almost became the heart and soul of the film. These two sequences were great, as they showed average Americans who aren’t indulging in the mainstream culture and news cycle. However, because there are several other mainstream figures involved, these scenes almost feel overlooked.
Informing Not Telling
As a documentary, Am I Racist? doesn’t solely lean on satire to keep it afloat. Walsh and the creative team were able to weave in a central idea and theme that they were trying to communicate with the audience. It calls into question the motive behind anti-racist experts, noting how much each person charged to sit down and talk for the documentary. This is a small detail but plays into a large concern the movie is trying to address. It questions the validity and rationale behind those involved in the movement and whether they are causing more harm than good.
Similar to their previous film, What is a Woman?, Walsh and his team were able to not come across as preaching to viewers but rather serve as a platform. There’s a scene toward the end when Walsh finally begins to recite the message of the movie, but it comes across more as a culmination of everything others have said. For the majority of the runtime, the filmmakers are allowing various people to make their claims, leaving it up to viewers to make their own assessments. It ultimately makes the movie more effective, as audiences are not subjected to only one opinion but rather are shown the beliefs of people from all walks of life. Viewers are provided with a wider scope of the issue, showing that not everyone feels the same way and highlighting that the majority of what we see online is filtered through a certain lens. If an average American were to turn on the news or open up any social media, one would be left to believe that the majority of the public has a certain stance toward race relations and racism. By cleverly going to vastly different parts of the country, Am I Racist? is able to show that it isn’t such a hotly contested debate but rather something that is promoted by media and race grifters.
Like every other piece of entertainment out there, it’s a viewer’s choice as to whether or not they will give Am I Racist? a watch. However, choosing to ignore it purely out of preconceived opinions only further displays some of the messaging and issues highlighted in the movie. Am I Racist? is able to tackle some of our culture’s hotly contested issues while respectfully criticizing them, all without attacking average Americans, except for those profiting off of other’s pain.
See, Am I Racist? currently playing in theaters!
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Author
| Mason Kupiainen is a recent Butler University graduate with a degree in Creative Media and Entertainment. His work has been published in Butler Collegiate, The Mall, and Byte BSU. Along with written work, he has a videography portfolio with Indy Blue Video, Byte BSU, and Ball Bearings. |
Elke Simmons' writing portfolio includes contributions to The Laredo Morning Times, Walt Disney World Eyes and Ears, Extinction Rebellion (XR) News/Blog, and Dead Talk News.