Ah, yes. The movie we all needed but definitely didn’t ask for: “Am I Racist?” You’ve heard the phrase, you’ve maybe asked yourself the question in a late-night existential crisis or after scrolling through social media for too long, but now, it’s been made into a full-length film. Bravo! Because nothing screams cinematic masterpiece like a 90-minute deep dive into awkward, self-righteous, half-baked explorations of race relations in the 21st century.

Let’s just take a moment to appreciate the sheer audacity of the title. I mean, “Am I Racist?” could be the subtitle of pretty much any conversation that starts with “I’m not racist, but…” It’s like they took a Twitter thread and decided, “Hey, let’s turn this into a film!” Who needs nuance when you can just throw a question like that into the title? This isn’t the subtlety of “Get Out” or the raw tension of “Do the Right Thing.” Nope. This is a wrecking ball smashing through the living room wall of polite conversation.

The Plot (Kind of)

So, what’s the movie about? Well, it follows an average, everyday character—let’s call him Todd, because that sounds about right—who suddenly gets hit with the realization that, maybe, just maybe, he’s a little racist. Todd, of course, is portrayed as that lovable, well-meaning guy who says things like “I don’t see color” at dinner parties. He’s blissfully ignorant until, through a series of increasingly cringe-inducing interactions with people of color, he begins to question his own deep-seated biases. Groundbreaking stuff, right?

Cue the parade of overused tropes: the clueless white guy who’s “learning” about racism for the first time, the wise Black friend who exists only to educate him, and the inevitable scenes where Todd awkwardly tries to overcorrect his behavior, like accidentally using the word “woke” ten times in one sentence. Just when you think it can’t get any worse, the filmmakers really crank it up a notch with a painfully heavy-handed attempt at humor. Todd attends a “racial sensitivity workshop” that’s supposed to be funny but ends up feeling like watching someone fall down the stairs in slow motion—you’re not sure whether to laugh, cringe, or just leave the theater.

Social Commentary? Or a Disaster Waiting to Happen?

Now, don’t get me wrong, the movie tries to make a point. It’s not like they set out to make a dumpster fire on purpose. The intent behind “Am I Racist?” is to spark conversation, to hold up a mirror to our own uncomfortable truths. But instead of making us reflect, it feels more like being hit in the face with a wet towel repeatedly. The dialogue sounds like it was written by someone who just learned about microaggressions from an infographic they scrolled past on Instagram. It’s so on the nose that you can’t help but groan every five minutes.

And let’s talk about the supporting characters. Oh, the characters. Every one of them exists solely to highlight Todd’s journey of self-discovery. There’s a woman of color who’s tired of explaining racism but somehow still manages to tolerate Todd’s “I’m trying!” nonsense. There’s a racially ambiguous co-worker who makes a joke about being “exotic” in the office just to make Todd visibly uncomfortable. You get the picture. These characters don’t feel like real people; they feel like props, like tools for Todd’s personal growth. It’s like the film’s motto is: “We can only understand racism if a white guy figures it out first.”

Can We Talk About the Humor?

“Am I Racist?” is technically billed as a comedy, though it’s not entirely clear why. Sure, there are moments that might make you chuckle in a “wow, I can’t believe they actually went there” kind of way. But the jokes mostly land somewhere between uncomfortable and just plain lazy. It’s like someone told the screenwriter that awkwardness is inherently funny, so they packed the script with as much forced awkward tension as humanly possible.

There’s a scene where Todd nervously blurts out “Black Lives Matter!” during a business meeting. Was it supposed to be funny because it’s out of place? Because it’s awkward? Or because Todd doesn’t even fully understand what he’s saying? We may never know. What we do know is that the audience mostly just stares at the screen in secondhand embarrassment.

The Verdict: A Swing and a Miss

In the end, “Am I Racist?” tries to be a smart, timely social commentary wrapped in humor, but it feels more like a bad SNL skit that overstays its welcome. Instead of engaging in thoughtful, nuanced conversation about race, it relies on tired clichés and shallow character development. If you’re hoping for a film that will challenge your perspective or provide new insights, this is not it. But if you’re looking for a movie that will make you squirm in your seat while occasionally laughing in disbelief, then by all means, grab your popcorn.

The real question here isn’t “Am I Racist?” but rather, “Am I willing to sit through this movie?” If you do, good luck. You’re going to need it. Maybe afterward, you’ll have your own existential crisis and write a blog post about it. I know I just did.