The ‘80s and early ‘90s were full of interracial buddy comedies in the action genre. Beginning with 48 HRS. in 1982, Hollywood was churning out such movies, often paring Caucasian and African-American male leads struggling to see eye-to-eye while dealing with a larger problem. Amos & Andrew was no exception with the casting of its stars, Nicolas Cage and Samuel L. Jackson. At the time of its production, Cage had a reputation for portraying eccentric comedic roles in classics such as Moonstruck, Honeymoon in Vegas, and Raising Arizona. Similarly, Jackson was a steady character actor whose face became increasingly familiar to audiences by appearing in Spike Lee’s tasks and supporting roles in Coming to America and Strictly Business. Both actors have been hardly the field workplace attracts they might change into later within the decade. Yet, they’d the expertise to play societal opposites of one another on this racially charged comedy.

What Is ‘Amos & Andrew’ About?

The title seemingly takes inspiration from the Black radio present Amos ‘n’ Andy, a extremely controversial comedy radio present later tailored to tv that includes two

Black males depicted as insensitive stereotypes. Such characters are the exact opposite of Jackson’s Andrew Sterling, a profitable New York playwright infamous for his views about white America. While Andrew settles into his new resort residence on a Massachusetts resort island, his white liberal neighbors (Michael Lerner and Margaret Colin) suspect him as a residence invader and name the native police. An army-sized swarm of cops descends across the residence, adopted by large gunfire.

With Andrew holed up in the home, the native Chief (Dabney Coleman) realizes his mistake when the police study of his id, whereas the descending media shops trigger undesirable publicity. To save his fame, the Chief enlists the assistance of Cage’s imprisoned Amos Odell, a small-time thief with desires of fleeing to Canada. Amos is tasked to interrupt into Andrew’s residence, maintain him hostage, and finally give up himself in alternate for freedom. Things take a flip when Amos learns his identify and face will likely be throughout TV, regardless of the Chief’s promise to make him an nameless hostage taker. As the Chief’s true colours are revealed concerning Andrew taking residence within the majority-white neighborhood, the playwright and the felony type an unlikely pairing.

‘Amos & Andrew’ Is More Than Just Another Buddy Comedy

Amos & Andrew was launched a yr after the Rodney King verdict and three years after the notorious misfire The Bonfire of the Vanities. Much just like the latter film, director E. Max Frye (Something Wild) tries to make a assertion about race and sophistication discrepancies in America. He function reverses Jackson as a law-abiding Black male and Cage because the “lowlife” white con man, which mirrors the traditional Sidney Poitier/Tony Curtis film The Defiant Ones when it comes to chemistry. While the posters and trailers attempt to depict the film as a buddy comedy much like 48 HRS. and Midnight Run, Amos & Andrew spends most of its display time on the characters studying about one another.

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Throughout the film, Jackson usually vents his frustration about coping with racism in a city that’s alleged to be extensively accepted. Then, in probably the most revealing second of the story, Andrew confides in Amos about his upbringing in Harlem and the way his workaholic father survived in “the white man’s world” by taking part in by their guidelines. Yet, when his father passes away, not one in all his white co-workers attends the funeral. For all his success as a playwright, Andrew feels nugatory to his group.

‘Amos & Andrew’ Mirrors Real-World Racial Profiling Incidents

Where Amos & Andrew falls quick is the over-reliance on sitcom-level sight gags that the abilities of neither Cage nor Jackson have been capable of overcome. Despite its shortcomings, nevertheless, occasions depicted within the film have been eerily forward of their time earlier than 24-hour information networks dominated mass media. Moments reminiscent of an overzealous cop (Brad Dourif) mistaking Andrew’s automobile keys for a weapon echo most tragic police shootings. Additionally, the whole premise of Andrew being profiled in an upper-class group predated the profiling incident involving black historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr. at his residence in 2009.

The most annoying, but profitable, a part of the film is Coleman taking part in the subtly racist police chief. Having performed misogynist bosses in 9 to five and Tootsie, Coleman makes the right antagonist, prepared to control the scenario by means of the media to protect his picture and his mostly-white group. Ironically, in a time earlier than cameras on smartphones, his acts of injustice solely get uncovered after a pizza lady delivers a videotape to the media which incorporates the chief’s interview with the white couple about the true story behind the incident.

Cage’s Amos was the right alternative to look at how lower-class males are mistreated no matter race. While touched on at factors, it is by no means totally as explored as Jackson’s mistreatment. It wouldn’t be the final time Jackson performed a racially charged character, as his later roles in Die Hard With a Vengeance and Shaft shared similarities with Andrew Sterling. For all its flaws, Amos & Andrew stays a fascinating a part of the filmographies of Cage and Jackson.

Amos & Andrew is accessible to lease on Prime Video within the U.S.

Amos & Andrew (1993)

When a misunderstanding results in the wrongful accusation of an esteemed African American playwright, a bumbling native sheriff enlists a petty felony to defuse the scenario. This comedic movie examines themes of racial stereotyping and social justice by means of a sequence of escalating and farcical misadventures.

Release Date

March 5, 1993

Director

E. Max Fry

Runtime

96 Minutes

Writers

E. Max Fry

Character(s)

Amos Odell , Andrew Sterling , Cecil Tolliver , Phil Gillman , Judy Gillman

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