The American Society of Magical Negroes

 Yes, folks, The American Society of Magical Negroes is an actual film title. Believe it or not, it's not actually the most awkward film title this year; just wait until you hear about Nightbitch. Maybe they'll tie for awkwardness, but for now, let's see what this film has to offer.

The Magical Negro in the title is a stock Black character - famously mocked by Spike Lee in a college lecture tour in 2001 - whose only function in a story is to assist the white protagonist. Some are more magical than others, such as John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) in The Green Mile, Bagger Vance (Will Smith) from The Legend of Bagger Vance, or even this film's titular American Society. It's the Society's job to protect their fellow Blacks by assisting whites.

Its newest member is Aren (Justice Smith), a failed yarn artist, who is saved from a potentially lethal misunderstanding by Roger (David Alan Grier). Once inducted, Aren is tasked with enriching Jason (Drew Tarver), a designer at Meetbox, a Social Media company. Aren joins Meetbox as Jason's work partner. They both fall for Lizzie (An-Li Bogan), but the Society forces Aren to put his feelings aside for his "client." What is he to do?

This is the filmmaking debut of Kobi Libii, who was the "citizen journalist" in Comedy Central's The Opposition with Jordan Klepper. His Magical World is at its best when it shows off its wizardry. An animated glove housekeeps at Society HQ, while its leader, DeDe (Nicole Byer), proudly levitates above everyone else. Aren and Roger start off by befriending a nervous police officer, Miller (Tim Baltz), and magically change his self-image for a night at a club. The climax even has Aren teleporting Lizzie to the Empire State Building and accidentally leave her there (long story, might explain later). I think the effects are good, suffice to say, but Michael Abels's magical score is the film's secret weapon.

Things aren't that perfect with the story. Roger points out that the Society "does more for black people than a hundred marches." Where were they for many a hate crime over the years? Sure, it's noble to disarm people of hate, but what if that doesn't work? The film doesn't answer those questions. It only somewhat explores how the Society's enforcing of the Magical Negro trope has exasperated its members. Roger was forced to let the woman he loved marry a client, while another is expelled and mindwiped for passive aggressiveness. A lot of that examination is saved for the end, particularly with Aren's big speech. But it spends more time with the love triangle subplot than dealing with any uncomfortable logic.

What about the characters? Aren makes for a decent protagonist, as well as a good viewpoint character for the Society. There's no denying that his big speech is well-acted even amidst the imperfect story. He and Lizzie have good chemistry from the moment they meet. It's quite awkwardly funny when he's teleported away just after he warps himself and Lizzie to the Empire State Building (there's an explanation). Jason is an insensitive blowhard, but he has a few good moments. Keyword, few. As for the Society, Roger is likable, while DeDe makes the most of her scenes with hammy humbleness. We have a few perfectly exasperating characters with Lacey (Mia Ford), the unintentional impetus of Aren's recruitment, and Meetbox boss Mick (Rupert Friend). That's not the same as funny, believe me.

If you want to see what the fuss is all about, you can stream The American Society of Magical Negroes on Peacock like I did. Its story isn't perfect, but its Magical World has a few great concepts. It's not a total disaster, so there's that. Like its protagonist, it just needs a little more assertiveness. See it soon if you want to see what I mean. That's it for now.