Richard Tanne’s depiction of President Barack Obama’s first date with Michelle Obama was released on August 26th of this year. In Southside With You, we watch Barack Obama(Parker Sawyers) attempt to win over his superior in the law office-Michelle Obama(Tika Sumpter). Since we all know how this story ends, there isn’t any nail biting suspense as to whether he gets the girl or not. The film is entirely meant to be a first date movie solely, but it also delivers largely to supporters of the President who are sad to see him go. In many ways, it serves to take America on a journey, bringing them to Pres. Obama’s humble beginnings and humanizing him in ways we’ve seen before, but in another context-his love.
The core conflict of Southside With You isn’t particularly strong, which can be attributed to the viewers knowing how it ends. The first date is plotted from its tense opening to a confident conclusion. President Obama recounted his side of the first date in his memoir The Audacity of Hope and its fairly well known. Barack and Michelle Obama met at a law firm where she worked regularly and he was a summer associate. They went to see Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing and shared an ice cream cone…and the rest is history. Tanne understands that we are all aware of this and adapts to this by making Michelle Obama a psuedo-audience for the viewers. Michelle slowly gets to know Barack while he spends the length of the film proving that he is a worthy suitor.
The majority of the film delves into the psyche of Michelle Obama as a result of the ending being out of the directors hands. Michelle’s sense of propriety, of having to conform to different standards, pushes her to turn down some of Barack’s advances. Michelle worries constantly about how the relationship will look to her co-workers, especially since she is one of the few black people working there. Sumpter plays Michelle well, unpacking various facets of Michelle’s personality with ease. At times, the performance looks somewhat forced but it doesn’t take away from the overall look of the film. Sumpter is able to sell the First Lady’s deeper emotions as she speaks to her resentment of where she works and the importance of family in her life.
The acting of Parker Sawyers lived up to scrutiny as well. Sawyers matches Obama’s diction to a point, especially when we look at the scene that became the center of the trailer: Barack Obama speaking at a community meeting held at a church in the area. This scene was the reason for the first date, a justification for them to speak outside of the law office. Tanne also foreshadows Obama’s future, what with the lighting and dramatic pauses. The director also injects some humor for the audience only;
“Something else is pulling at me,” Barack(Sawyers) says. “I wonder if I can write books or hold a position of influence in civil rights,” to which Michelle(Sumpter) states,”Politics?” and she receives a shrug and a “Maybe.”
As Barack and Michelle traipse through Chicago, many different questions are raised about Barack; most of them dealing with his past and his future. However, this all begins to overshadow the core love story at times. Pieces of the date don’t feel relatable, just pieces of a scene that speak to his future. Tanne felt compelled to make every word hold weight with the audience, making for some awkward viewing at times.
We also have to consider the political ramifications. Having a movie about the President and the First Lady while they are still in the White House leaves many things to be analyzed. Some have wondered about the consequences of having Obama say that he spent high school in a “cloud” of weed. Its also somewhat disconcerting to have Barack try to prove to Michelle that he’s still Black regardless of his parentage, that everything about him rests solely on the black side of his heritage. Him being Black is indisputable, the fact that it was pushed so hard makes it uncomfortable. The movie doesn’t provide the best timeline for all his activities but when has a movie not have holes in it?
The ending to Southside With You also strikes a chord with many viewers. Barack and Michelle are slightly incensed by the murder of Radio Raheem in Do the Right Thing. However, Barack takes it upon himself to lie to a white man who thought the death was justified by making up some story. The movie was leading up to this moment and it just sounds like a missed chance in ways that cant be quantified or articulated.
Southside With You is, at its core, a love story. The aim of the film is to make audiences love Obama as much as Michelle does. With the backdrop of Obama’s tenure in office coming to a close, Southside With You will become a piece of political nostalgia, creating a calm amidst the storm.
