The emphasis on the “reluctant woman” as a prize to be persuaded and worn down was overwrought, and I have a hard time believing Michelle Obama would ever spend a day with someone while also insisting that she did not want to be there. This concern is fair, but its dramatization is a bit over the top–Sumpter’s Michelle seems so reluctant at some points in the movie that you almost wonder why she doesn’t just go home. She is also very dedicated to her work and quite aware of how dating an associate (her advisee, no less), might make her look to the liberal, and not so liberal, white folks she works with. Michelle is level headed and practical with a quick wit. Parker’s cool demeanor and pattern of speaking is a wonderful replication of the president without being spoof-y of the president’s specific mannerisms. This premise is simple enough for Parker and Sumpter to shine in their complex portrayals of the first couple. Though Michelle (continually) insists that their afternoon together is not a date, the two end up traipsing Chicago’s museums and landmarks, discussing life, family, politics and what matters to them most in the world. That associate is the ever-so-smooth, chain-smoking Barack Obama from Harvard Law. Southside with You begins with the lovely Sumpter portraying a spot on Michelle Robinson, preparing for a “non-date” with a summer associate at her law firm. ![]() While, like Obama’s presidency, the film has its missteps and awkward moments, audiences everywhere will find this movie very delightful and very black. ![]() The film unfolds the now almost mythical story of President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama’s first date on Chicago’s south side. ![]() The new film Southside with You, starring Tika Sumpter and Parker Sawyers is a sweet tale of black love.
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