I made a “deal” with my significant other that if we watched Fifty Shades Darker (2017), the sequel to Fifty Shades of Grey (2015), then we would have to watch a parody film based on the first one, Fifty Shades of Black (2016). Lately I have been watching a lot of parodies, I especially like ones with Marlon Wayans, and two years ago we watched the first Fifty Shades of Grey. The trailers for the dramatic movies make the films look like sexy thrillers, exploring the depths of passion surrounded with mysteries of the people themselves, but the movies (especially Darker) tend to just tell you that these characters are complicated. Show me how they are don’t just flip flop between wanting to be together and not being on speaking terms, much like the repeated juvenile twists that populate the tv show Riverdale, a true portrayal of two conflicted souls might look a bit less polished or knee-jerk. Watching the trailer for Fifty Shades of Black gives a viewer a number of punch lines and sight gags that make for some of the best laughs in the movie, which if you have seen the trailer, you may not need to see the film.

Fifty Shades of Black
2016, 18A, 1h 32m
Distributor – Open Road Films
Budget – $5 million

Showing how Marlon used to make his money and how he makes it now were great, as was how he sometimes composes himself with measured responses. Being more monotone in delivery, Marlon was poking fun at the original but he was also called upon to make the laughs, and that made him break out of character and be more goofy. Kali Hawk (playing the love interest Hannah) also seemed to teeter between composures and that breaks up the flow of jokes that were already forced. A laugh can be found on either poster for Fifty Shades of Black as the tag lines are “Way shadier than gray” and “Once you go black, you never go gray.” Fifty Shades of Black has a lot of references to the original film which is great, but the best parodies also tie a coherent story together, something this film does not bother with, (which is a tough criticism because it follows the first film so closely). Spoofing the elevator scene and the collection of whips were handled great, this film does have some laughs, it just feels like a collection of skits back to back, with the same 2 actors playing the leads in each one. This film was helped by the supporting roles, perhaps they should have had more to do as Mike Epps, Affion Crockett, and especially Jane Seymour got laughs in the movie. Director Michael Tiddes and co-writer Rick Alvarez both worked with Marlon in A Haunted House 1&2 (2013-2014) and will release another Marlon starring film, Naked in August. Marlon, who also co-wrote the film will also next appear in his own tv show called Marlon. Kali Hawk was previously in Black Jesus (21 episodes 2014-2015) and was next in The Perfect Match and The Bounce Back, both released in 2016.

Fifty Shades Darker
2017, 18A, 1h 58m
Distributor – Universal
Budget – $55 million

Fifty Shades Darker continues the relationship between Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan’s characters, then doesn’t, then does again. Again the soundtrack is good (either the tunes with lyrics or Danny Elfman), but the film does not match the heavy vibe that its trailers (and possibly the books) gives off. Without reading the books or remembering much of the first movie we were able to shout out what happens next, a tad predictable. It benefits with having Kim Basinger, solidifying the background story for Jamie, but she does more to give Dakota someone to react to. Mostly all of the characters in the film tend to impact Dakota’s Anastasia more than Jamie’s Christian, giving her opportunities to develop, grow, raise her voice, act, but she often focuses on what he means to her (this is still technically a romance film). She struggles finding out what she wants, how she will get it, and how to change Christian, and the sequence with the masquerade masks was a great setting to explore the characters. This movie’s tagline is “Every fairy tale has a dark side”, I am wondering now how this franchise is like a fairy tale (maybe I grew up with different tales), so I guess I’ll have to make another “deal” next year as a third movie is in the works. Director James Foley replaces Sam Taylor-Johnson who directed the first (she went on to produce and direct episodes of the tv show Gypsy, 2017). James previously directed 12 episodes of House of Cards (2013-2015 starring Kevin Spacey), 2 episodes of Billions (2016 with Paul Giamatti), and will next direct Fifty Shades Freed to be released next year, with both Dakota and Jamie returning. Dakota Johnson was last in How to Be Single (2016 with Rebel Wilson), and will next be in The Peanut Butter Falcon (adventure film with Shia LaBeouf), Suspiria (horror with Chloë Grace Moretz), and Sound of Metal (drama). Jamie Dornan was previously in all 17 episodes of The Fall (2013-2016 with Gillian Anderson), and will next appear in Untogether (drama with Alice Eve), H-Block (action with Cillian Murphy), My Dinner with Hervé (drama with Peter Dinklage), and the new Robin Hood (with Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx).

Links
Fifty Shades of Black
IMDB – 3.5
Box Office Mojo
Wikipedia

Fifty Shades Darker
IMDB – 4.6
Box Office Mojo
Wikipedia