Hollywood Shuffle

Robert Townsend does some very funny stuff in this little spoof, and you've got to. love the fact that he charged 40 thousand dollars of his budget on his Visa cards. Of course I liked the "school of jive talk" bit, and the "Sneakin' in the Movies” bit} and there were other parts where I laughed aloud, though at the moment they escape me, which may also be a commentary on the overall impact of the picture. And the little morality lay contained therein (which provides the narrative structihre on which the spoof bits are hung) is charming in its ingenuousness, but hardly a surprise. We don't learn much new here: "don't sell out your beliefs;" “Blacks are stereotyped in Hollywood." Apparently some of the film is based on Townsend's own experience in Timeltown, but it's still a warm and funny film.