Filmology Rating: 2.75 out of 4
The summer of 1989 was a pivotal one for two of the most prominent people in America today: President Barack and First Lady Michelle (Robinson) Obama. Southside With You takes on along with the couple during their first date. In an age where couples meet at a bar or, more likely, on a dating app then at a bar, it was refreshing to see a love story about a couple who knew each other in person before they started dating.
The performances from the film’s stars, Tika Sumpter and Parker Sawyers, are phenomenal. Sawyers has a firm grasp on the attitude, vocal patterns, and general postures of Barack Obama and Sumpter beautifully embodies how I imagine a young Michelle would have acted when on a “not date” with a coworker.
The cinematography was brilliant, perfectly capturing the southside of Chicago in summer. The film’s short runtime is to its advantage, clocking in at 1 hour, 24 minutes. The film takes an easy pace, not rushing us through anything but also not dragging scenes out unnecessarily.
Overall, the movie was entertaining, cute, and just the right length. If you have issues with the story being about the Obamas, imagine this is a movie about any other random couple on their first date.
Rating: Rent It
-Megan