Am I Racist? is a 2024 American satirical documentary comedy film starring conservative political commentator Matt Walsh that lampoons the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) movement.[1][2][3][4][1] Directed by Justin Folk for The Daily Wire, it follows Walsh as he poses as a "bumbling DEI trainee", using subterfuge to interview experts and attend anti-racism workshops.[2][1] The film has been described as a mockumentary in the style of Borat.[1][5]
With a budget of $3 million,[1] the film was theatrically released in the United States and Canada on September 13, 2024.[6]
Plot[]
Matt Walsh, reminiscing about the prevalence of racism in society, decides to embark on a journey to find out whether or not he is racist. After being ousted from a support group focused on "white guilt", Walsh decides to take on a persona similar to that of the gender studies professor he interviewed in What is a Woman. He goes on to receive a DEI certification, and assumes the identity of a "DEI expert".
Subsequently, he begins his quest to "do the work" that started off his journey. Among other things, Walsh convinces passersby to sign a petition to rename the Washington Monument the "George Floyd Monument", raise the structure by 30%, and repaint it black. He also goes to a biker bar, hoping to expose the racism of white "hillbillies", and interviews black Americans who tell him that the solution to racism is to "love one another".
The show culminates in Walsh, hosting a workshop called the "Do the Work Workshop" where he tells white people that they are inherently racist, demonstrates speaking out against racism by condemning his uncle Frank for a racist joke he made twenty years ago, and encourages self-flagellation as a solution to white guilt. The show ends with Walsh dramatically having a change of heart and ending the workshop, stating publicly that the whole thing is a scam. In the final scene, Walsh imagines himself sharing his findings with the world before sitting down for coffee with his uncle Frank.
Cast[]
- Matt Walsh as Himself
- Robin DiAngelo as Herself
- Regina Jackson as Herself
- Saira Rao as Herself
- Sarra Tekola as Herself
Production[]
Am I Racist? had a budget of $3 million, compared to the less than $1 million spent on What Is a Woman?, the previous film by Walsh, Folk and The Daily Wire, a right-wing media company. Walsh is a conservative podcaster, author, and provocateur with a large following. Jeremy Boreing, co-CEO of The Daily Wire, said the film was made because "DEI culture is one of the most toxic plagues in American life".
Robin DiAngelo, the author of White Fragility who appears in the film, said the filmmakers "had lied about their agenda and I had been played", specifically in a scene involving reparations. Another scene, in which Walsh went without a physical disguise while posing as an attendee of a DEI workshop, ended as the real attendees recognized Walsh.
Release[]
The film was released in the United States and Canada on September 13, 2024, by SDG Releasing. It is the first theatrically released film by The Daily Wire.[7]
Reception[]
Box office[]
Am I Racist? was the highest grossing documentary film of 2024 as of late-September, according to The Numbers.[8] The film made $1.96 million on its opening day, including Thursday night previews, and made $4.54 million from 1,517 theaters in its opening weekend, finishing third at the box office.[9][10] It had the third-biggest opening weekend for a documentary in the past decade,[11] and the top opening for a political documentary since Fahrenheit 9/11 in 2004, according to The Hollywood Reporter.[12] In its second weekend the film made $2.5 million (a drop of 41%), finishing in seventh.[13]
Critical response[]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 73% of 11 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 7.8/10.[14] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it an average five out of five stars.[9]
Walsh wrote on X during the opening weekend of the film that no mainstream film critics had yet reviewed it.[11] He said that an early screener of the film was offered to mainstream outlets but had no taker, and that independent critics had written to him refusing to review the film.[15]
Tatiana Siegel wrote in Variety that the film is "either hilarious or offensive, depending on which side of the MAGA fence you sit on". Jason L. Riley, in the The Wall Street Journal 's Opinion section, gave the film high praise, writing that "you'll laugh a lot" and that Walsh's approach "exposes the DEI industry by letting practitioners discredit themselves".[16] Tom Joyce praised the film for NewBostonPost, writing that is "compelling and funny" and that "Walsh makes a mockery of the diversity, equity, and inclusion industry and exposes it as yet another exercise in capitalism."[17] Chris Beck of Splice Today called the film "the Summer’s Best Comedy".[18]
Denny Burk in the Christian magazine World wrote that he supports exposing "DEI lunacy", but said a dispute between Robin DiAngelo and Walsh indicated that the filmmakers' methods may have included "deception and lying when doing so for an ostensibly good cause". He wrote, "As Romans 3:8 tells us, those who employ evil means to achieve a noble end are worthy of condemnation."[19]
External links[]
- Official website
- Official trailer
Am I Racist? at IMDb
Am I Racist? at Metacritic
Am I Racist? at Rotten Tomatoes
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Siegel, Tatiana (September 13, 2024). Matt Walsh Satire 'Am I Racist?' Hits 1,500-Plus Theaters as Ben Shapiro's Daily Wire Bets Big for Movie Dominance (in en-US).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Gardner, Chris (July 24, 2024). Conservative Media Voice Matt Walsh Goes Undercover as DEI Trainee in 'Am I Racist?' Doc (in en-US).
- ↑ Stanley, Tim. "The 'conservative Michael Moore' taking on the 'crazy' diversity industry", The Telegraph, September 11, 2024. (in en-GB)
- ↑ Klett, Leah MarieAnn (2024-09-11). 'Am I Racist?' premiere: Matt Walsh, Ben Shapiro talk using comedy to challenge 'depressing' DEI culture (in en).
- ↑ Matt Walsh's 'Am I Racist?' mockumentary disses DEI (in en-US) (September 14, 2024).
- ↑ Klett, Leah MarieAnn (2024-09-11). 'Am I Racist?' premiere: Matt Walsh, Ben Shapiro talk using comedy to challenge 'depressing' DEI culture (in en).
- ↑ MaGee, Ny. Daily Wire's Matt Walsh Goes Undercover in New DEI Documentary, White Women Toast to 'Being Racist'.
- ↑ Box Office Performance for Documentary Movies in 2024.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' Still The Ghost With The Most: Second Weekend At $50M+; 'The Killer's Game' Gets Whacked — Saturday Box Office Update (September 15, 2024).
- ↑ Murphy, Kim. Box Office: 'Speak No Evil' Pipes in With $4.9 Million Opening Day, 'Beetlejuice 2' Still Shaking on Top.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 McClintock, Pamela (September 15, 2024). Box Office: 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' Stays No. 1 as 'Speak No Evil' Impresses and 'Killer's Game' Bombs (in en-US). The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ How ‘Am I Racist?’ Scored the Top Political Doc Opening in 20 Years by Duping DEI Gurus.
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 22, 2024). Weekend Box Office Upset! ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ At $26M Dispels ‘Transformers One’ From No. 1; Halle Berry & Demi Moore Genre Pics Come Up Short — Sunday AM Update. Deadline.
- ↑ Am I Racist? Tomatometer.
- ↑ Am I Racist? Takes a Top Box Office Spot. Critics Won’t Watch It. Movieguide (September 19, 2024).
- ↑ Riley, Jason L. (September 17, 2024). Matt Walsh's Hilarious New Film Asks: 'Am I Racist?'.
- ↑ Joyce, Tom (2024-09-17). Why You Should Go See Matt Walsh's Am I Racist?.
- ↑ Am I Racist? Is the Summer’s Best Comedy.
- ↑ Is “owning the libs” a justification for lying? (17 September 2024).