Aggressively politically charged, 2016 has given us a chance to be nostalgic about Barack and Michelle Obama. The finish line is in sight, and moments like their Democratic National Convention speeches make us prematurely wistful for their time in the White House. It’s a perfect occasion for the release of “Southside with You,” a romantic film based on their first date in Chicago in 1989.
Of course, there’s a thrill in seeing what Barack (Parker Sawyers) and Michelle (Tika Sumpter) might have been like in their 20s. When she criticizes him for being late or he describes his high school years as a “cloudy haze,” there’s a jolt of mischievous fun. Sawyers so perfectly nails Barack’s voice and mannerisms that it’s hard to forget he’s not the real deal aged back nearly 30 years.
But set aside the titillation of watching the president and first lady on their first date. That may be the draw of “Southside with You,” but even without it, the film is incredible. At its core, it’s a story about two young, ambitious people struggling with what matters to them. They’re not presented as perfect versions of the legends they become; rather, they are both remarkably human and flawed.
Director and screenwriter Richard Tanne skillfully marries his script to his shots. His direction is slow, patient and beautiful, letting both Sawyers and Sumpter deliver powerhouse performances. Their first stop to the Chicago Cultural Center to look at an art exhibit is breathtaking, and you can feel Michelle, skeptical of Barack, start to thaw.
But more than just a romantic comedy about a Type A girl and a Type B guy, “Southside with You” deftly navigates complicated issues about race, belonging and family. When she commutes from the South Side to the Loop, Michelle says she feels like she’s “leaving Planet Black and landing on Planet White.” Barack explains the Hawaiian word for mixed is “hapa,” and that he didn’t marry his white college girlfriend because he “couldn’t spend any more of his life living as an outsider.”
The centerpiece of the movie is a meeting about building a community center in the Altgeld Gardens public housing development on the South Side. We get to see a young Barack motivated to find common ground to get things done, a young Michelle inspiring him to let go of judgment, and the struggles of this city that brought them together.
If the film ever missteps, it’s in slightly expositional dialogue (not unusual for a first date, though) or a final romantic moment that feels just a touch too obvious. But the flaws are so small and the highs so magnificent that they’re easy to overlook. No first date is perfect.
4 stars (out of four)
@lchval | laurenchval@redeyechicago.com
