Product Details

• Actors: Gregory 'Popeye' Alexander, Sena Ayn Black, Conni Marie Brazelton, Sarah Kaite Coughlan, Starletta DuPois
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Letterboxed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• DVD Release Date: July 24, 2001
• Run Time: 81 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005BKZL
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,188 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #26 in

  Movies & TV > African American Cinema > Comedy

• For more information about "Hollywood Shuffle" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The alumni of Hollywood Shuffle are spread across dozens of current comedies and TV sitcoms--this is the movie that introduced Robert Townsend and the Wayans Brothers to the world. Townsend plays a young actor who struggles with being offered stereotyped street hustler roles while trying to maintain his self-respect and the approval of his family. Between scenes of comically humiliating auditions, Bobby has satirical fantasies about the plight of black actors, including the classic "Black Acting School" sketch, in which white teachers demonstrate jive talk and street moves for the befuddled black students. Townsend has a charming, low-key comic style, one considerably more subtle than that of some of the black comics who have risen to success with supposedly self-aware renditions of the stereotypes Townsend mocks. Townsend made this movie on his credit cards and it is clearly a heartfelt labor of love. --Bret Fetzer

Product Description
The best example of urban guerilla filmmaking is ironicallyand happilyalso one of Hollywood'smost triumphant success stories. Actor Robert Townsend (I'm Gonna Git You Sucka!), decrying the lack of good roles for black actors, puts his money where his mouth is and co-scripts (with Keenen Ivory Wayans), directs and stars in this "exuberant, tirelessly energetic, funny, appealingly mean-spirited and easy-to-like" comedy (Janet Maslin, The New York Times) that took Tinseltown by storm! Actor wannabe Bobby Taylor (Townsend) dreams of landing a role any role. But in a town where the best black roles are usually jive-talkin' gangsta stereotypes, Bobby learns that you have to make your own partseven if they're just in your head. Spoofing everything from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and Eddie Murphy to Siskel & Ebert, Bobby's vivid imaginationand Hollywood Shuffleare "an exhilarating blast" (New York)!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Go Jheri, Go Jheri, Do Da Jheri Curl!!, November 27, 2006

By	Sing Brotha Sing (California) - See all my reviews

This has got to be the funniest movie I have ever watched, and the fact that Townsend put so much into getting it made makes me appreciate it even more. While the film touches on a very important subject concerning the downfalls of being a black actor, it still manages to keep the humor alive and strong. Highly recommend this film to all aspiring actors and all those who just love a good laugh.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars F@#$ing Mother's Turkey Jive, May 19, 2005

By	Christian Mayfield (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews

This film is a classic. When I first saw it as a kid, I just thought it was funny, not realizing that it had a message as well as being comical. I don't know what my favorite scene is, but there are some classics such as Rambro, and Black Acting School. Keep an open mind when watching this film and try not to forget, in between laughs, that Townsend does have a serious theme about disrmination in Hollywood.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars hilarious comedy, September 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Hollywood Shuffle [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Hollywood Shuffle is a spoof of many of the 'blaxploitation' films of the seventies. This was hollywood's introduction to Robert Townsend, as he wrote and starred in the film, reportedly financing it with credit cards.

Townsend stars as an actor trying to break into the bigtime. He finds it tough to break out of the hollywood ideas for black actors. The movie sends up several popular films, including Dirty Harry and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Be sure to look for the Siskel and Ebert parody.

Not very deep, and probably not for those who can't laugh at themselves. Some of the humor might be considered insensitive. I consider it hilarious.