Movie Mom

Movie Mom

‘Couples Retreat’ Poster Omits Black Stars

posted by Nell Minow | 2:44pm Monday November 16, 2009

I thought there was nothing that the awful movie “Couples Retreat” could do to be more offensive. I was wrong.
According to the Huffington Post, the blockbuster comedy has eliminated one of its four couples in its non-US posters. It is the black couple, played by Faizon Love and Kali Hawk.
COUPLES-RETREATposter.jpg
The studio has “retreated” from this position and issued a statement saying that they made the decision only to emphasize the stars most recognizable in the international markets. Of course, you don’t get recognizable by being left off the poster. Now, if I had been in this movie, I would ask to have my name, face, and performance excised from the film. But this decision, insensitive at best, overtly racist at worst, is terribly unfair to the performers and insulting to the audience.



Previous Posts

Celebrate Abraham Lincoln's Birthday
Celebrate the birthday of our 16th President with some of the classic movies about his life. Ahead of us this are are the Steven Spielberg epic, based on Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin, with Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field, which will be out in Decem

posted 8:00:32am Feb. 12, 2012 | read full post »

Tribute: Whitney Houston
Was there ever anyone more gifted than Whitney Houston?  She had the face and voice of an angel.  She had beauty, talent, and success including an unprecedented seven number one songs in a row and with Dolly Parton's song "I Will Always Love You" the biggest selling single by a female artist in hi

posted 9:22:32pm Feb. 11, 2012 | read full post »

Trailer: Darling Companion
Kevin Kline, Diane Keaton, and Richard Jenkins star in the upcoming "Darling Companion," about a lost dog, coming in April.   [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYYoaspzzlg[/youtube]

posted 3:52:01pm Feb. 11, 2012 | read full post »

Maps of Enchanted Places
The Awl has a wonderful illustrated story by Victoria Johnson featuring maps of the imaginary worlds of children's literature.  The maps of The Phantom Tollbooth, The Princess Bride, Winnie the Pooh, The Wizard of Oz, The Hobbit, and more are as inviting as the stories that take place there.  And

posted 8:00:36am Feb. 11, 2012 | read full post »

Black Reel Awards Pay Tribute to "The Help"
It is an honor and a privilege to be invited to participate in one of my very favorite annual movie awards presentations, the Black Reel Awards, which pay tribute to the greatest achievements of the African-American community to the year in film.  For 2011, we are proud to recognize the extraordina

posted 3:47:45pm Feb. 10, 2012 | read full post »

Advertisement
Comments read comments(8)
post a comment
Dave

posted November 16, 2009 at 3:12 pm


As if relegating the black couple to the back of the … um … lagoon in the U.S. poster wasn’t bad enough.



report abuse
 

Nell Minow

posted November 16, 2009 at 6:24 pm


I had the same thought, Dave. Thanks for a great comment.



report abuse
 

Arthur R.

posted February 7, 2010 at 5:43 pm


WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE??? OBVIOUSLY THE DIRECTOR WILL PUT THE MORE FAMOUS STARS IN THE FRONT OF THE POSTER. MAYBE THE BLACK COUPLE IS NOT AS IMPORTANT IN THE MOVIE??? ITS PEOPLE LIKE YOU WHO LIVE TO FIND THESE THINGS AND CREATE A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLE HILL THAT ADULTERATE OUR COUNTRY WITH POLITICAL CORRECTNESS AND THAT RACIST POLICY OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION. HATE THIS !!!!!!!!!



report abuse
 

Nell Minow

posted February 7, 2010 at 8:18 pm


You don’t need to shout, Arthur. The black couple is as important in the movie and the actors are as well-known as the white couples. The fact that they were left off the poster is as much a reflection of the bigotry of the audience as of the studio. This is not political correctness; it is just an observation on the unfairness that is still prevalent in the world. Your comment can be seen as a reflection of that as well.



report abuse
 

Amy

posted February 9, 2010 at 12:04 pm


Nell, I totally agree about the poster. I was wondering if you had a review for this movie though. I just bought it, but didn’t open it yet.
Thanks!
Amy



report abuse
 

Nell Minow

posted February 9, 2010 at 5:54 pm


Thanks! The review will be back up tomorrow, Amy — just switching from “movie” to DVD listing. I really didn’t like it. If you watch the movie, let me know what you think!



report abuse
 

Zachary

posted March 13, 2010 at 7:10 pm


They should have just left them out in the original and there wouldn’t have been any problem, but since there’s something to compare it to… “OH HOW DARE YOU TAKE THE ONLY BLACK PERSON OUT OF THE PICTURE!” even though he wasn’t a major role.



report abuse
 

Nell Minow

posted March 13, 2010 at 7:42 pm


Perhaps you were not paying attention, Zachary, but the black couple’s role was fully equivalent to the other three. You might want to think about your judgment that they were not important enough for you to notice — or your judgment that this comment was worthy of your time.



report abuse
 

Post a Comment

By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.

Share this story


About Beliefnet

Our mission is to help people like you find, and walk, a spiritual path that will bring comfort, hope, clarity, strength, and happiness. More about Beliefnet.

Help

Media Kit

Subscribe

Legal

Copyright © Beliefnet, Inc. and/or its licensors. All rights reserved. Use of this site is subject to Terms of Service and to our Privacy Policy. Constructed by Beliefnet.

Advertisement

Report as Inappropriate

You are reporting this content because it violates the Terms of Service.

All reported content is logged for investigation.