The American Society of Magical Negroes | 2024 | PG-13 | – 2.2.5

Why is “The American Society of Magical Negroes” rated PG-13? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “some strong language, suggestive material and thematic material.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a kiss and a near kiss, discussions of crushes, a man nearly being attacked by two other men, discussions of white people needing to be made comfortable by Black people, discussions of disappointment and wanting to be understood, several arguments, and at least 1 F-word and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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A struggling artist (Justice Smith) is recruited to participate in a secret society of “magical” Black people (they’re to devote themselves to catering to white people) and he begins to realize that he needs to reevaluate how he looks at himself. Also with An-Li Bogan, David Alan Grier, Gillian Vigman, James E. Welsh, Mia Ford, Eric Lutz, Kees DeVos, Aaron Coleman, Aisha Hinds, Chase Ryan Jeffery, Moe Irvin and Ethan Herisse. Directed by Kobi Libii. [Running Time: 1:44]

The American Society of Magical Negroes SEX/NUDITY 2

 – A man and a woman kiss and hug.
► A man and a woman nearly kiss and are interrupted by a phone call. A woman touches a man on the shoulder and pulls away awkwardly. A man and a woman talk about having “had a moment.” A man panics when another man says that he is going to ask a woman out.
► A man touches another man’s crotch (clothed, non-sexually) in a scene when he apparently is trying to make the man feel more confident about himself; we see this scene repeated a few times and he touches the man’s crotch several times in one scene. A man awkwardly looks at a woman’s clothing to see if coffee spilled on her and they discuss what he is doing; the woman then looks at the man and tells him she is checking him out.
► A man and a woman flirt in several scenes. A man says that a woman he works with is his work wife. A man and a woman spend time together talking and walking. A man tells another man, “We’re not monks.”
► A woman wears a low-cut top that reveals cleavage in a few scenes. A woman wears a low-cut top and short skirt that reveal cleavage and bare legs to the upper thighs. A woman’s top lifts slightly to reveal her bare abdomen.

The American Society of Magical Negroes VIOLENCE/GORE 2

 – Two men lunge toward another man when they think, erroneously, that he is stealing a woman’s purse and debit card until another man intervenes. A man bumps into a woman causing her to spill her coffee. A man confronts another man during a presentation and about feeling the need to be seen. A man dismisses a woman’s contribution to a project at work. A woman is overlooked for the opportunity to present her work.
► Several discussions and news reports are about a company being in trouble because a facial recognition program does not recognize Black people. A news report outlines that a software developer’s new programming is “preventing the entire nation of Ghana from logging on.” A man describes watching another man being mugged at knifepoint and that the victim seemed genuinely surprised that the mugger was not offering him the knife as a gift. A man describes, as a child, watching a man spitting on his father and feeling ashamed that his father didn’t stand up to him.
► A man touches another man’s shoulder and they disappear and reappear in a different place. A man touches a woman’s shoulder and they disappear and reappear on the top of the Empire State Building where he then disappears and leaves her there. A woman magically floats in the air in front of a room of people. A man tries to erase another man’s memory but is unable to do so.
► Two men play a video game with VR headsets and we understand that they are fighting people; one man leans over to pick something up after a kill and describes that it is a lung (we do not see anything). A man says that Black people making white people uncomfortable leads to police shootings and gentrification. A man talks to another man trying to help him feel better about himself and to “feel like a man.” A character says, “We’re really just bags of meat.” A character says, “I deserve to be alive.” A man says that another man, “Colonized my crush.”
► A young man is told that he is being invited to join a secret society of Black people that hold magical powers to be used to support white people and the group’s main goal is to make white people comfortable.
► A woman yells at a man and tells him that she is canceling his art exhibit because he is unable to promote his own work. A man apologizes repeatedly as he walks through a room and nearly bumps into other people or blocks their path. A man approaches another man to speak to him about his art and the other man assumes that he is the waiter and hands him his empty glass. A man is told that he is being banished from a secret society. A woman is told that her privileges in a secret society are being withdrawn.

The American Society of Magical Negroes LANGUAGE 5

 – At least 1 F-word, 8 scatological terms, 6 anatomical terms, 4 mild obscenities, 1 derogatory term for African-American people, name-calling (menace, annoying, stupid, pale, wizard, fretful whites, pencil-pushing nerd, crotchety old white guy, work wife, psychopath, lunatic, selfish, ridiculous, golden child, haters, ethnic), exclamations (darn it, OK, wow, are you kidding, blowing off steam, back off, you’re kidding), 1 religious profanity (GD), 8 religious exclamations (e.g. I swear to God, oh my God, God, Holy [scatological term deleted]). | profanity glossary |

The American Society of Magical Negroes SUBSTANCE USE

 – Two men sit at a bar drinking glasses of beer, people drink bottles of beer at a bar, people drink liquor in a bar scene, a man and a woman drink glasses of wine, and two men drink glasses of whiskey.

The American Society of Magical Negroes DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Relationships between Black people and white people, diversity, racism, regret, sacrifice, pride, missing something in your life, courage, authenticity, being selfish, greed, Monticello.

The American Society of Magical Negroes MESSAGE

 – We are each responsible for our own happiness. Easing white people’s anxieties will help keep other races safer.