IMDb RATING
7.3/10
5.3K
YOUR RATING
Mario Van Peebles' half-documentary/half-homage to his father Melvin Van Peebles' movie Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971).Mario Van Peebles' half-documentary/half-homage to his father Melvin Van Peebles' movie Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971).Mario Van Peebles' half-documentary/half-homage to his father Melvin Van Peebles' movie Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971).
- Awards
- 3 wins & 11 nominations
Ralph P. Martin
- Tommy David
- (as Ralph Martin)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDuring a July 2004 interview with Terry Gross on the National Public Radio program "Fresh Air," Mario Van Peebles explained that he did not want to put any child actor in the same position he was put in on the set of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971), especially because he felt like, as a thirteen-year-old, his father had given him no choice but to participate in a sex scene with a much older woman--partly by threatening to confiscate the bicycle he had received as a Christmas present if he didn't perform. "I didn't enjoy it at all. I didn't want to be in that scene. I didn't want to have to give that bike back--that bike had a banana seat!...I didn't want to make anyone do that scene twice, so in Baadasssss! (2003) I just used the original footage of me as a kid in "(Sweet) Sweetback('s Baadasssss Song)" during that scene. So the kid I cast (to play the younger version of me, Khleo Thomas) wasn't going to have to do anything like that. And that's just something that I wanted to do--I said, 'well, I'm not going to repeat, do unto someone else what I didn't like having done unto me. ' But I did want to show the scene because I thought it was a point in my life, and it just showed something interesting about Melvin, that he was sort of like that 'Great Santini-esque' father--almost that which does not kill in a Friedrich Nietzsche-esque way you makes you stronger."
- GoofsWhile in the "D"...Detroit, The DJ announces the radio station's call letters beginning with "K" Call letters for radio and television stations in that area of the country start with "W".
- Quotes
Melvin Van Peebles: Is this something negative, Priscilla? Because if it's negative, I can't even deal with it right now. I'm a broke, pissed off nigger from Chicago, and I'm down to my last cigar.
- Crazy creditsReal-life participants of the production of "Sweet Sweetback's..." give testimony during the closing credits, including Earth, Wind & Fire founding member Maurice White, who confirmed the "bounced check" story. Melvin Van Peebles himself appears onscreen when the credits finish.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Anatomy of a Scene: Baadasssss (2004)
- SoundtracksDamn All the Fallacies
Performed by Tree Adams
New Dog Old Trix Publishing
Written by (c) Adam Hirsh
Courtesy of Treehouse Music Inc.
Featured review
Mario Van Peebles gives us a biopic unlike any other bc unlike others he was there when his father written, acted, and directed his film 'Sweet Sweetback Badass song' and this film gives us a movie history lesson bout how that movie broke grounds cinematically. This is one of my favorite films by far bc how good Mario made this film and it is such an awesome and honest movie. This movie came out in 2003 and I'm surprised this film didn't get a Oscar nod at all. If the academy couldnt recognize this film, we are still in trouble today. If you love movies and black history, watch this film bc as a white man I'm happy to see a glimpse of a man who against all odds and traditional Hollywood, made his vision of a successful film and made history.
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Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $365,727
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $45,331
- May 30, 2004
- Gross worldwide
- $365,727
- Runtime1 hour 49 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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