Netflix kicked off its packed slate of original movies releasing in 2023 with the comedy “You People” Jan. 27. After seeing the film’s trailer for the first time, I immediately made a mental note to clear my plans on the night of Jan. 27 to watch the movie. The awkward and uncomfortable humor advertised in the trailer was certainly present in the final product, but other aspects of the movie ended up hurting my viewing experience.

“You People” is a romantic comedy in which Ezra Cohen (Jonah Hill), a white, Jewish man is getting married in a matter of months to his black, Muslim fiancée Amira Mohammed (Lauren London), much to her father’s (Eddie Murphy) disapproval. Throughout the movie Ezra must deal with Amira’s father’s attempts to sabotage his relationship with Amira, and Amira must deal with Ezra’s mother’s (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) constant microaggressions and casual racism. Amira and Ezra’s relationship is tested throughout the movie as their families’ shenanigans seem to become harder and harder to overcome.

This film is an absolute masterclass in creating awkward and uncomfortable situations between the two families. I found myself cringing (in a good way) for extended periods of time during scenes in which the two families would spew racist remarks at each other passive-aggressively while Ezra and Amira were forced to suffer through it. The movie made it easy for viewers to put themselves in the shoes of Ezra and Amira, which made it much more relatable and uncomfortable. 

One thing that was lacking in the movie was how Ezra and Amira’s relationship felt like a friendship rather than a romantic relationship. There was little to no romantic chemistry between the two and it didn’t seem like their relationship developed very much since they first met in the movie. Lauren London admitted that their relationship in the movie wasn’t believable and there were reports that the kiss they shared in the movie was CGI, so it was clear Jonah Hill and Lauren London had no desire to portray a romantic relationship in the movie. 

The movie was predictable, but I had expected that coming into it so that didn’t harm my viewing experience too much. Usually, romantic comedies are more focused on the comedy aspect of the film rather than the quality, which was the case for “You People.” Knowing that the movie was most likely going to be predictable going into it helped me ignore that and focus more on the comedy. I would recommend going into the movie with that mentality to anyone that is going to watch this film. 

“You People” is hilarious, but lacks in developing relationships and originality. If you are going to watch this movie, go into it with low expectations for the quality but high expectations for the comedy. My favorite performances from the movie were from Jonah Hill, Eddie Murphy and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

“You People:” ★★★★☆