Higher Learning
Remember this movie?
I remember how much of a stir it caused - the whole race relations and the way the movie made it seem like everyone stereotyped everyone else - and therefore tended to stick to their own groups based on color. A bit oversimplified by John Singleton, but provocative nonetheless.
Also of note - this was Tyra Banks first performance in a theatrical movie (after seven appearances on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, of course!).
I remember not liking this movie too much at the time, because I couldn't get past the oversimplified, 'everyone hates everyone else who's not just like them, so I'll stick to my own kind' - because I found that to be personally untrue. This is probably the case because I was living as a freshman at the University of Washington at the time and had friends of all sorts. But I probably did have some blinders on - most of my friends were suburban, white males like myself. I think a lot of my choice in friends (along with most people) comes from comfort, just like the point John Singleton was trying to make, I start to realize now in retrospect.
I liked the movie a lot more 15 years later, mostly because I was taking a fond trip down memory lane. The costumes and weather and scenery reminded me of an episode of Beverly Hills 90210 - obviously because the movie was filmed on the UCLA campus. I did enjoy reflecting back on what college was like for me at the time and thinking about what it might be like today and whether things have changed much.
I encourage anyone who went to college in the 90's to watch this movie to get a nice reminder of what some parts of our lives were like then. I hope you also reflect on the message Singleton was making, because I think once you can remove yourself from the situation you were in (if you were that age when the movie was released like I was), I think you can better appreciate the message he was trying to make and the commentary on the times he was making.
Enjoy!
I remember how much of a stir it caused - the whole race relations and the way the movie made it seem like everyone stereotyped everyone else - and therefore tended to stick to their own groups based on color. A bit oversimplified by John Singleton, but provocative nonetheless.
Also of note - this was Tyra Banks first performance in a theatrical movie (after seven appearances on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, of course!).
I remember not liking this movie too much at the time, because I couldn't get past the oversimplified, 'everyone hates everyone else who's not just like them, so I'll stick to my own kind' - because I found that to be personally untrue. This is probably the case because I was living as a freshman at the University of Washington at the time and had friends of all sorts. But I probably did have some blinders on - most of my friends were suburban, white males like myself. I think a lot of my choice in friends (along with most people) comes from comfort, just like the point John Singleton was trying to make, I start to realize now in retrospect.
I liked the movie a lot more 15 years later, mostly because I was taking a fond trip down memory lane. The costumes and weather and scenery reminded me of an episode of Beverly Hills 90210 - obviously because the movie was filmed on the UCLA campus. I did enjoy reflecting back on what college was like for me at the time and thinking about what it might be like today and whether things have changed much.
I encourage anyone who went to college in the 90's to watch this movie to get a nice reminder of what some parts of our lives were like then. I hope you also reflect on the message Singleton was making, because I think once you can remove yourself from the situation you were in (if you were that age when the movie was released like I was), I think you can better appreciate the message he was trying to make and the commentary on the times he was making.
Enjoy!
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