Review: Elvis Mitchell’s ‘Is That Black Enough for You?!?’ is a detailed look at Black cinema from the ’40s through the ’70s and ’80s.
Review: Elvis Mitchell’s ‘Is That Black Enough for You?!?’ is a detailed look at Black cinema from the ’40s through the ’70s and ’80s.
Elvis Mitchell at last made it to the big screen, and to a big budget, with his big-screen adaptation of the iconic book Black Like Me. In the film, he stars as J.D., a hard-working African-American who’s a talented carpenter and boxer. He lives with his parents in Bayview in the ‘50s.
As he works at a local construction site he’s approached by the local gangster, Johnny Boy, played by E.J. Davenport. When he challenges him for boxing lessons J.D. discovers his childhood secret. Johnny Boy has been training to become a boxer for a number of years, and he’s now an accomplished pugilist. He has a black belt in karate, and he wants to win the championship of the underworld.
Eventually he has J.D. train in boxing and, after beating him, takes him on as his sparring partner. When he finds out that J.D. wins all fights, he sets about training J.D.
There’s a lot to look at in Mitchell’s film. It’s an evocative story of a black man, trying to achieve the American dream. There’s a lot of history behind the film, and it contains a lot of footage that has never been seen before.
What also make the film so remarkable is Mitchell’s cast, which includes a host of real and historical figures, who play roles such as J.D., Johnny Boy, his trainer, and others.
‘Is That Black Enough for You?!?’ is out in the UK on 3 May, and the US on 20 May.
The film is available on Blu-Ray and DVD in the UK, and it also launched earlier this month in North America on 3 May.
Here is the official synopsis:
After winning a national boxing championship, a rising heavyweight champion is preparing to make his way in the world
