Amos and Andrew

What do Will Smith, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover and Samuel L Jackson all have in common? Haven't got a clue? Ignore the obvious. Well, they all appeared in 'black meets white' buddy movies alongside Tommy Lee Jones, Nick Nolte, Mel Gibson and Nicolas Cage. It's easy to guess the titles to most of these films. Nevertheless, I bet there was one that was niggling at your brain. When the hell were Nicolas Cage and Samuel L Jackson in a buddy movie? The title you're looking for is the cult suburban nightmare Amos and Andrew. This quirky movie is a genre classic. Hang on while I get into the groove and remix the end-credit song by Sir Mix-A-Lot…

Well…welcome to America! Home of the free. Life in the city ain't so trouble-free. I went to an island. Brought me crib. Supposed to fit in because I'm straight legit. My name is Andrew a well-educated maker of revenue rollin' in a black BMW. The rich hocky liberals never saw a brother with wealth. Accuse me of robbin' myself ('he's steeling the stereo'). Cops got my house surrounded. Even in the 'burbs they are my enemy. The chief needs a cover up plan 'cause he tried to kill me. They send a crazy white boy whose name was Amos. Had a shotgun. Tried to be a burglar. Think I give a dam cause I've got a frying pan…


E Max Frye is a name you don't hear in the world of Hollywood. This is because Amos and Andrew is his only directorial effort. His most celebrated film credit to-date is writing the imaginative screenplay for Jonathan Demme's Something Wild. This writer/director offers an interesting political satire of middle-class suburbia with Amos and Andrew. Delving into the stereotypes of black culture perceived by yuppie middle-class white people. As Andrew (Jackson) moves into his new house in a suburban neighbourhood a white couple Phil and Judy Gillman (Michael Lerner and Margret Colin) are taking their dog for a walk. They stumble past a house, look through the window, and see Andrew, a black man, moving a stereo. What do you think happens? They call the cops. They profess they are not racist, however, when the chief of police interviews them they intone, 'When you see a black man on this island with his arms full of stereo equipment you dam good and well know what he's doing'.


Even though Amos and Andrew deals with racial prejudice, it's not the central focus of the movie. It's a critic of white picket fence life in America. A small-time journalist Waldo Lake (I.M. Hobson) and Ernie the Cameraman (Jeff Blumenkrantz) come on the scene when they discover there's a burglar holding up the house. They interview Phil and Judy about the robbery. When the police chief Cecil Tolliver (Dabney Coleman) and Officer Donnie Donaldson (the dynamic Brad Dourif) find out Andrew is innocent they confiscate the video. When Ernie the Cameraman argues it's against the first amendment, Cecil Tolliver looks at him through the camera with comedic authority and declares, 'f*** the first amendment'. This expresses the twisted American values of this small town. They are put under the microscope. The only thing the corrupt Cecil Tolliver is concerned about is saving his own ass ('if this gets out they'll crucify me come Election Day'). As a result, the cops use poor white trash Amos Odell (Nicolas Cage) as an escape route.


Cage is a raggedy-ass down-in-the-dirt criminal. He agrees to the proposition and plays the role of the burglar so the cops will let him go for a few misdemeanours ('I go in, take the guy hostage, give myself up and I'm on the first bus out of town, ain't that the deal boss?'). Once Amos is in the house things are not that simple. Phil and Judy Gillman call the national press. Cecil Tolliver does a u-turn on his original agreement. Amos responds by taking Andrew hostage at gunpoint ('alright listen up, I want a million dollars and erm a helicopter or I blow him away, thank you'). Amos and Andrew develop an instant hatred for each other. However, their relationship soon develops as they soon realise they are being 'played' by the same corrupt system. They unite to 'fight the powers that be'.


Samuel L Jackson's character is a Pulitzer-prize winning cultural anthropologist who has just produced a successful stage play entitled Yo Brother, Where Art Thou? He is a reserved middle-class African American who is passionate about racism ('I'm a thorn in the side of the white man - I'm the voice of my people. A loud angry voice that is not afraid to speak the truth about white America'). The thrill of the film comes from the rocky liaison between these two chalk and cheese characters as they begin their buddy alliance. Like all archetypical buddy movies they soon come to realise they have more in common than they first realised...


This buddy archetype is used to turn racism on its head (in a playful unserious way). The best example of this racism inversion is when Amos (Cage) tries to escape the house in a car that he can't start. Andrew (Jackson) looks at him and says, 'What's the matter I thought all people like you knew how to steal cars'. Amos replies, 'You watch too much TV, man'. Even though the film doesn't add up to much in terms of how it looks the performances by Jackson and Cage are consistent enough to hold the plot together. These two Hollywood juggernauts were at the top of their game in the early 90s, its just a shame they still aint the character actors they once were.


There was an undiluted rawness to Cage during this period. With such films as Wild at Heart, Raising Arizona and Red Rock West he was the wild untamed outlaw. When Cage works with talented directors such as David Lynch, The Coen Brothers and John Dahl who know how to mould his magic; he's a delight to watch. However, when he's not under the reins of a master of cinema he makes mistakes (really bad ones). Think of recent examples like The Wicker Man, Bangkok Dangerous and Ghost Rider (to name a few). Does anyone know what Cage's last great performance was? This is a good discussion point for anyone who is interested (Adaptation in 2002 maybe…). Jackson meanwhile is celebrated for his role in Pulp 'does he look like a bitch' Fiction and everything he's been in since the year 2000. However, he was creating some of his most electrifying work in the 90s when he was an unknown. When you look at his performances in Jungle Fever, Menace to Society and Fresh - you can't help but to feel his best days have disappeared into the ether alongside the aforementioned National Treasure hero.


Verdict: Amos and Andrew is a quirky well-made buddy movie with a decent script that succeeds in making fun of its subject matter - ignorance and friendship. It's what Spike Lee would have made in the early 90s if he didn't take himself or his film so dam seriously. Remember, not all black people use drugs.


Useless titbits of information not taken from IMDB: The editor Jane Kurson also edited Beetle Juice and The Karate Kid, Part II. The pizza delivery girl is Heather Graham's sister Aimee Graham. According to Box Office Mojo Samuel Jackson has been in 52 films, which have earned 2 Billion, 380 Million (being the ninth highest total grosser of all-time) while Nicolas Cage has appeared in 43 films, which have made 1 Billion, 984 Million (being the 20th highest grosser of all-time). Last but not least, Cage and Jackson have acted together in 1995's Kiss of Death and will be providing voices for Astro Boy.