Congratulations, Spinning into Butter! You not only convinced me that I really don’t understand race relations in the States (you guys got some problems there) but you also reminded me that I used to own a copy of Little Black Sambo. The latter is certainly something I can bring up with my parents, as for the former… I’m not convinced that what they’re trying to get at is really how it is. Why is it that Liberals struggling with their own racism always work so hard to point out the intolerance of their contemporaries? I mean, maybe these other guys aren’t racist at all, maybe they’re just jerks?
Spinning Into Butter is about a New England College coping with racial tensions as the result of threatening notes being left on the dorm room door of one of the school’s few black students. Sarah Jessica Parker plays the dean of students who has her own set of racial issues in her closet, while trying to get ahead of this problem and smooth things out on campus. It’s all very familiar structure with a few strange twists, many of them making me wonder if I really understand what the problem with racism really is.
I think that it’s a good thing that this play was adapted into a feature film to broaden it’s reach, however I don’t exactly know how much more broad it’s reach will get. The profanity used in the film precludes it’s use in high schools where it could be the most effective, leaving it more in HBO territory, where it would fade into the background other less saccharine projects.
What’s the word on this? Despite the presence of Mykelti Williamson, I would not have touched this film had it not showed up in my mailbox.
The Verdict: 
