Obsessed (2009)

Genre: Thriller

Cast: Beyoncé Knowles, Idris Elba, Ali Larter

Synopsis: A really ghetto version of Fatal Attraction which results in an hour and a half of Beyoncé masturbation.

I don’t know who told Beyoncé that she could act but whoever it was needs to be shot in the face at point blank range. Also, it turns out she was a producer for this movie too. I imagine that this film and her role were created solely to pander to Beyoncé’s ego. There is little about this movie that can be seen as positive. The acting is over the top, the soundtrack is masturbatory and inappropriately used, and none of the characters are likeable. However, the film does provide an intriguing insight into the development of Blaxploitation as a genre and what form it takes now.

I watched this film after a smoking session with my brother and a friend and my brother hit the nail on the head when he said it was a new age Blaxploitation film. When we think of Blaxploitation I think there’s a tendency to think of Pam Grier getting her baps out in Coffy or racist Dracula in Blacula but we no longer see it as an actual genre. A lot of people would assume that in a post-racial society there is no need to have these sorts of movies but are these movies really a relic of the past? Let’s look at the evidence. In this movie Beyoncé and Idris Elba play a young and successful African American couple, although it’s clear that Beyoncé is a little South Central up in the (310) if you catch my drift. Idris then faces temptation in the form of black kryptonite….a crazy ass white lady. She goes schizo and stalks him and his family until Beyoncé takes matters into her own hands and shoves her ugly Macy’s boots up Ali Larter’s skinny white ass.

The themes from the old Blaxploitation films are still readily apparent here: a young and (debatably) relatable black couple making their way in the world but ultimately being led into temptation thanks to scheming white folk. Instead of drugs though (a common feature in 70s Blaxploitation films) the weapon of choice is sex. It definitely provided some food for thought but ultimately it wasn’t enough to distract from the train wreck of an acting job that was being put in by Beyoncé who, in real life, would be looking at 15 to life in prison for her actions. Ali Larter does provide some delicious campiness to the movie but her performance lacks the hardcore craziness of Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. If you want to see a more egocentric, homophobic, and racially motivated version of Fatal Attraction then it might be worth the look, from a thematic viewpoint of course, but don’t expect it to be anywhere near as good as the original.

High-lights:

• Ali Larter flashing underwear in the car and grinding in a toilet cubicle…”HELP me Derek!”
• Beyoncé twatting Ali Larter in the face.

Downers:

• Homophobic portrayal of a gay character as scheming and queeny…in this movie the underlying message is essentially: ‘Blacks, stay away from whites and gay folk.’
• Terrible use of Zero 7. I practically wept when I heard it being played.
• Beyoncé Beyoncé Beyoncé Beyoncé Beyoncé. You can never have too much Beyoncé. If she’s not assaulting your eyes with her acting then she’s assaulting your ears with the soundtrack.

Summary:

This film is decidedly underwhelming. If you want to watch a crazy ‘other woman’ thriller then watch Fatal Attraction. If you want to watch good Blaxploitation films then watch anything with Pam Grier. I would only advise you to watch this film if you want to see how Blaxploitation has developed in the modern age. Obsession provides an interesting perspective on the debate but it lacks virtually everything that would have made it memorable.

4.5/10