Southside with You

Southside with You

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Richard Tanne
Produced by
Written by Richard Tanne
Starring
Music by Stephen James Taylor
Cinematography Pat Scola
Edited by Evan Schiff
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • January 24, 2016 (2016-01-24) (Sundance)
  • August 26, 2016 (2016-08-26) (United States)
Running time
 80 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $1.5 million[2]
Box office $6.5 million[3]

Southside with You is a 2016 American biographical romantic drama film written and directed by Richard Tanne, in his feature film directorial debut. The film stars Parker Sawyers and Tika Sumpter as a young Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson, respectively, and focuses on the couple's first date on an evening in 1989.

Principal photography began in July 2015 in Chicago. The film premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, and was theatrically released on August 26, 2016, by Miramax and Roadside Attractions.

Plot

Law student Barack Obama, while working as a summer associate at a Chicago law firm in 1989, tries to win the heart of Michelle Robinson, a young lawyer and his supervisor at the firm, filling time before a community meeting. They visit an Ernie Barnes exhibit at a local art center, attend a community organizing meeting where Obama gives a speech, view a screening of Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, and have their first kiss outside an ice cream parlor in what winds up being their first date.

In real life the former U.S. President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama kiss has been marked with a historical plaque at the Baskin Robins ice cream parlor at the Dorchestor and East 53rd Street intersection in Chicago.

Cast

Production

The original idea was developed by Richard Tanne in 2007, after which he started writing the script.[4] On December 5, 2014, Deadline reported that there would be a romance film titled Southside With You, based on the first date of American President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama, set in Chicago, where the couple met in 1989 and married in 1992.[5] Tika Sumpter would play Michelle, while no one had yet been cast in Barack's role.[6] Tanne would make his directing debut on the film, based on his own script, and producing alongside Tika Sumpter.[6]

On April 10, 2015, IM Global came on board to produce the film with producer Robert Teitel.[7] In April 2015, Sumpter talked with Vulture about her preparations to play Michelle, and stated that she was "nervous" because she was about to play "Michelle Obama, who is everything every woman wants to be," and also said that she was reading some poetry and books to get know more about Michelle, so she could portray the role better.[8] On May 7, 2015, Parker Sawyers was cast as the young Barack Obama.[9] Producers on the film were Tanne and Sumpter, along with Teitel, through IM Global.[10]

Filming

Principal photography on the film began on July 13, 2015 on location in Chicago, Illinois;[11] following that, several websites released photos from the set.[6][10][12] Filming wrapped on July 31, 2015.[11] Locations included downtown, the South Side, and the West Side.[11] Filming was also done on Amstutz Expressway in Waukegan.[13][14]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2016.[15][16] Shortly after, Miramax and Roadside Attractions acquired theatrical distribution rights to the film.[17] On April 28, 2016, Miramax released the first official trailer for the film.[18][19] The film was distributed worldwide with theatrical releases in France, Germany, Singapore, UK, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Hong Kong, and parts of the Middle East.[20][21]

Box office

Southside with You was released in North America on August 26, 2016, and was initially projected to gross around $2 million from 813 theaters in its opening weekend.[22] It ended up grossing $2.9 million, a per-theater average of $3,762.[23][24] The film went on to gross a total of $6.5 million against its $1.5 million budget.[3][2]

Critical response

Southside with You received mostly positive reviews, with praise going to Tanne's direction and screenplay, as well as to the performances of Sumpter and Sawyers. Upon its premiere at Sundance, it immediately garnered positive buzz with Essence writing that "critics gave it two very enthusiastic thumbs up, calling it a classic romance story. " [25] On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 91%, based on 139 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's consensus states, "Southside with You looks back on a real-life date with strong performances and engaging dialogue, adding up to a romance that makes for a pretty good date movie in its own right."[26] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 74 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[27]

Justin Chang of Variety wrote that the film “stands as something unique, even audacious in American independent movies: a fact-based presidential “prequel” that seeks to present two iconic world figures as convincing and relatable romantic leads. And on that particular score, Tanne’s movie — toplined by the very well-cast Tika Sumpter and Parker Sawyers — is pretty much an unqualified success.”[28]

Critic Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it “the date movie of the year,” and described it as “gorgeously romantic.”[29] Richard Brody of The New Yorker touted Tanne’s first film as “an opening act of superb audacity,” and described it as “a fully realized, intricately imagined, warmhearted, sharp-witted, and perceptive drama, one that sticks close to its protagonists while resonating quietly but grandly with the sweep of a historical epic."[30] Odie Henderson of RogerEbert.com gave the film four-out-of-four stars, stating that it is “at once a love song to the city of Chicago and its denizens, an unmistakably Black romance and a gentle, universal comedy,” adding that “it is unapologetic about all three of these elements, and interweaves them in such a subtle fashion that they become more pronounced only upon later reflection."[31] Stephanie Zacharek of Time described it as a “vivd and imaginative portrayal,” and noted of the two lead performances that “Sawyers captures both the easy, loping rhythms of our future 44th President’s speech and the long-stride elegance of his carriage. Sumpter is equally terrific," adding that "she manifests perfectly the future First Lady's under-the-radar determination, always tempered by empathy.”[32] The film was included on many year-end lists including The New Yorker,[33] The Washington Post,[34] The San Francisco Chronicle,[35] Roger Ebert.com,[36] The Huffington Post,[37] Crave,[38] Medium[39] and Ain’t It Cool News.[40]

 

Accolades

Award Date of Ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle January 8, 2017 Best Chicago Film "Southside With You" Won [41][42]
Black Reel Awards February 16, 2017 Outstanding Actor, Motion Picture Parker Sawyers Nominated [43]
Outstanding Original Song John Legend Nominated [44]
NAACP Image Awards February 11, 2017 Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Tika Sumpter Nominated [45][46]
Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Film) Richard Tanne Nominated [47][48]
Indiana Film Critics Association December 4, 2016 Best Picture Southside With You Nominated [49]
Breakout of the Year Parker Sawyers Nominated [50]
Breakout of the Year Tika Sumpter Nominated [51]
Gotham Awards November 28, 2016 Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Richard Tanne Nominated [52][53]
Audience Award Southside With You Nominated [54][55]
Maui Film Festival June 20, 2016 Best First Narrative Feature Richard Tanne Won [56]
Sundance Film Festival January 30, 2016 Grand Jury Prize Richard Tanne Nominated [57]

Home media

Southside with You became available on Digital HD on November 29, 2016 and Blu-Ray & DVD on December 13, 2016 from Lionsgate and Miramax.[58] The film became available to stream on Netflix on April 26, 2017.[59]

References

  1. ↑ "Southside with You (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. August 16, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Minnicks, Margaret (September 2, 2016). "What critics say about 'Southside with You' movie based on the Obamas' first date". us.blastingnews.com. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Southside with You (2016)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  4. ↑ "'Southside with You' movie tells how Barack wooed Michelle Obama". ABC 7 Chicago. July 28, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  5. ↑ Yamato, Jen (December 5, 2014). "Obama Romance Movie In Works – Who Will Play Young Barack?". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 McNary, Dave (December 5, 2014). "Barack and Michelle Obama’s First Date Subject of New Movie". Variety. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  7. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 10, 2015). "'Jumping The Broom' Producer Joins IM Global, Obama Romance Movie First Project". Deadline.com. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  8. ↑ Soo Hoo, Fawnia (April 30, 2015). "How Do You Prepare to Play Michelle Obama?". Vulture. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  9. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (May 7, 2015). "Obama Romantic Dramedy Casts Actors for Barack, Michelle Roles". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  10. 1 2 N'Duka, Amanda (July 14, 2015). "‘Southside With You': First-Look At Parker Sawyers & Tika Sumpter As A Young Barack & Michelle Obama". Deadline.com. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 Metz, Nina (June 25, 2015). "Movie about Obamas' first date to begin filming in Chicago next month". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  12. ↑ McNary, Dave (July 14, 2015). "First Look: Parker Sawyers, Tika Sumpter as Barack & Michelle Obama in 'Southside With You'". Variety. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Southside With You". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  14. ↑ Moran, Dan (July 28, 2015). "Barack, Michelle Obama's first date re-created in Waukegan film shoot". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  15. ↑ "SUNDANCE INSTITUTE COMPLETES FEATURE FILM LINEUP FOR 2016 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL". sundance.org. December 7, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Southside With You". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  17. ↑ Seetodeh, Ramin; Lang, Brent (February 12, 2016). "Obama Movie ‘Southside With You’ Sells to Roadside Attractions and Miramax". Variety. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  18. ↑ McNary, Dave (April 28, 2016). "Obamas Go on Their First Date in 'Southside With You' Trailer". Variety. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Southside With You: Official Trailer (HD) – Tika Sumpter, Parker Sawyers: MIRAMAX". Miramax/YouTube. April 29, 2016
  20. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (2016-05-25). "Miramax’s ‘Southside With You’ & ‘Louis Drax’ Land UK Distribution; BAFTA To Honor Vidgame Guru Amy Hennig – Global Briefs". Deadline. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
  21. ↑ "Southside with You - DVD Release Dates". OnDVDReleases.com. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
  22. ↑ "‘Don’t Breathe’ Could Suffocate ‘Suicide Squad’ During Sluggish Summer Weekend: Box Office Preview". deadline.com.
  23. ↑ Anthony D'Alessandro. "‘Don’t Breathe’ Screams $26M+ Opening, Gives Sony 3rd Summer Cash Cow After ‘Sausage Party’, ‘Shallows’: Early Sunday Update". Deadline.com. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  24. ↑ Brueggemann, Tom. "Weekend Box Office: ‘Hell or High Water’ Tops ‘Southside With You’ | IndieWire". www.indiewire.com. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  25. ↑ http://www.essence.com/2016/01/26/movie-chronicling-obamas-first-date-reviews-sundance-film-festival
  26. ↑ "Southside with You". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  27. ↑ "Southside with You reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  28. ↑ Chang, Justin (2016-01-25). "Film Review: ‘Southside With You’". Variety. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
  29. ↑ "'Southside With You' Review: When Barack Met Michelle". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
  30. ↑ "The Authentic Joy of “Southside with You”". The New Yorker. 2016-08-18. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
  31. ↑ Henderson, Odie. "Southside With You Movie Review (2016) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
  32. ↑ "Review: Barack and Michelle's First Date, Imagined, in Southside with You". Time. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
  33. ↑ "The Best Movies of 2016". The New Yorker. 2016-12-09. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
  34. ↑ Hornaday, Ann; Hornaday, Ann (2016-12-08). "The best movies of 2016: ‘Moonlight,’ ‘Manchester by the Sea’ and ‘Southside With You’ make the top 10". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
  35. ↑ "Micky Awards: Expert panel of 1 picks the best in film". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
  36. ↑ The Editors. "The Individual Top Tens of 2016 | Balder and Dash | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
  37. ↑ Brown, Dwight (2016-12-16). "The Best Films 2016". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
  38. ↑ "A Year of Empathy | The 16 Best Movies of 2016 - CraveOnline". CraveOnline. 2016-12-12. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  39. ↑ Pais, Matt (2016-12-20). "My 10 favorite movies of 2016". Matt Pais. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
  40. ↑ Capone. "Capone unveils his 60 Best Feature Films and 20 Best Docs of 2016". Aint It Cool News. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
  41. ↑ CIFCC (2016-12-29). "NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR THE FIRST ANNUAL CIFCC AWARDS". Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
  42. ↑ https://chicagoindiecritics.org/cifcc-awards/2016-awards/
  43. ↑ "17th Annual Black Reel Awards Nominations". Black Reel Awards. 2016-12-14. Retrieved 2016-12-23.
  44. ↑ "17th Annual Black Reel Awards Nominations". Black Reel Awards. 2016-12-14. Retrieved 2016-12-23.
  45. ↑ "NAACP Image Awards: 'Birth of a Nation' Scores 6 Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-12-23.
  46. ↑ "NAACP Image Awards 2017 Winners: The Complete List". E! Online. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  47. ↑ "NAACP Image Awards: 'Birth of a Nation' Scores 6 Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-12-23.
  48. ↑ "NAACP Image Awards 2017 Winners: The Complete List". E! Online. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  49. ↑ "Home | Indiana Film Journalists Association". indianafilmjournalists.com. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  50. ↑ "Home | Indiana Film Journalists Association". indianafilmjournalists.com. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  51. ↑ "Home | Indiana Film Journalists Association". indianafilmjournalists.com. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  52. ↑ Cox, Gordon (2016-10-20). "Gotham Awards Nominations: ‘Manchester by the Sea’ Leads With Four". Variety. Retrieved 2016-12-23.
  53. ↑ Setoodeh, Ramin (2016-11-29). "‘Moonlight’ Sweeps the Gotham Awards, Winning Best Film". Variety. Retrieved 2016-12-23.
  54. ↑ Cox, Gordon (2016-10-20). "Gotham Awards Nominations: ‘Manchester by the Sea’ Leads With Four". Variety. Retrieved 2016-12-23.
  55. ↑ Setoodeh, Ramin (2016-11-29). "‘Moonlight’ Sweeps the Gotham Awards, Winning Best Film". Variety. Retrieved 2016-12-23.
  56. ↑ "Maui Film Festival". Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  57. ↑ "Sundance Institute Announces Films In Competition and NEXT for 2016 Sundance Film Festival". www.sundance.org. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  58. ↑ "Lionsgate Press Release: Southside With You (Blu-ray)". Blu-ray Movie Discussion, Expert Reviews & News. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  59. ↑ "Southside with You - Netflix New Releases". www.netflixnewreleases.net. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
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