School Daze [HD]

One of Lee's Best
I once heard on a TV talk show that you don't have to be a parent to know about kids. This was uttered by a single female with tons of doctorate credentials. As I listened, having kids of my own, I found her comments clinical and devoid of those fundamentals any parent experiences during daily contact with their offspring. I subsequently disregarded most of her observations with the exception of the obvious. Some things do have to be experienced. With that said, Spike Lee's School Daze had to be experienced to really appreciate the social comments being made. Being a graduate of Howard University (an Afro-American college since federal inception) in Washington, D.C., I could readily identify with the life and social levels depicted. This movie is FUBU (For Us By Us). The distinction between light skinned and dark skinned, "good hair" and "kinks", "Greeked" (Fraternity/Sorority) and outsiders, upper-class, middle-class and no-class, may be lost in...

A Tough Pill to Swallow
As an African American, fraternity member I found this movie not only entertaining, but also convicting. Being a man of Omega (those familiar with the Black Greek system know what I mean) I was a little offended by Gamma Phi Gamma's dipiction of the "dogs." More often than once I felt he was referring to the "dogs of Purple and Gold." Yet, once I got beyond my petty sensitivities, Lee's underlying critique of the social ills plaguing the African American community revolving around issues of social consciousness, skin color, hair texture, education, etc., made this movie provocative and challenging. Also, it's depiction of homecoming, pledging, parties and general "college life" made for an entertaining walk down memory lane. I found his attempt at making this a musical production to be somewhat forced, although the lyrics of the songs were pointedly appropriate.

I may not completely agree with Lee's conclusion concerning the advantages (or...

College Life From The Black Perspective
I have seen this film a few times. Although parts of it are a bit overdone, it basically shows that African Americans each have varying views on their own identity. The scene in the fast food restaurant where the locals and the the college kids clash shows that even African Americans have issues amongst each other. African Americans just like any other race or religious group need to accept each others differences and get along. Spike Lee and Lawrence Fishbourne give excellent portrayals of two conflicting characters in this movie and send a very powerful message especially in the final scene.

Click to Editorial Reviews