A well-intentioned and rather interesting study into condemnation and the culture of the youth in the 1990s, there is however little that is done with the material. Too much time is spent on showing why the relationship is not approved, and the film spends too little time showing how and why the relationship has resulted. The film has some important things to say in terms of prejudices in society, but, it never manages to present them in a way so that they do not seem hackneyed. Either way, some fine acting - from both the leads in particular - solidifies the movie when the other elements do not suffice.
17 Reviews
Overall great movie
cfb-fan-889829 December 2012
Just watched it last night. Had a real feel to it. It concentrated more on the day to day lives of these kids. It wasn't just about blowing guys away or drug use or dealing on the street corner. The movie was very low key but had its good up tempo parts also. Very realistic. Had no idea that Oliver Stone did this movie. A very underrated film. I also felt that more information on Rapaport's character's mother could have been shared. To go even deeper, more on why Nikki moved to Detroit would have been a plus. Those are minor suggestions though. Still a movie to see if you haven't. I have not seen "Save the Last Dance" so I can't compare. I did like it better than "Jungle Fever".
Well-written, under-rated film!
kergillian16 April 2001
This is a tight film. In fact, except for perhaps the last 20 minutes, the film is near-perfect. Michael Rapaport is absolutely excellent in the lead role, the best role I've seen him in, save Higher Learning. And N'Bush Wright and DeShonn Castle were also excellent in their parts. Ron Johnson was convincing as the aptly named 'Nut' as well. The film was heartfelt, with enough light attitude to balance the darker and more serious side.
The few issues I had were: The Kevin Corrigan 'I live in industrial Detroit and look what those evil companies have done to the neighborhood' scenes were completely unnecessary. They had nothing to do with the film except perhaps looking cool. We already know from the setting and characters that it's not exactly pretty and that it's a rundown neighborhood. Also, Zach's father was a little too lucid with Zach, especially concerning his own sexual prowess/conquests. he *is* still the boy's father. Also, the last 20 minutes were overdoing it. Until then time flew by, the film is very close to air-tight for the first hour and twenty, but then it started to drag. The film had pretty much said it all, we didn't need the whole premise explained to us as though we were mindless.
This is *not* another Jungle Fever, nor is it another Higher Learning; which is both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because it's a separate entity, it stands well on its own and deals with a too-familiar situation with originality and strong acting performances. Bad because the script could have been tighter; even though it was very well scripted, there were some scenes that didn't need to be there, others which could have been written better. The cinematography was also lacking; this film could have been shot with much more gusto, even without being fancy.
Overall: Considering this is a low-budget film with no-name actors (at the time, at least) and little other than Oliver Stone's name to back it, it does a damn fine job. There are improvements that would have helped, but its strong enough to stand on its own...better than many major films can. It's not as good as the aforementioned Jungle Fever or Higher Learning, but in a way its more raw in a good way. If it wasn't so preachy and if it was about 10-20 minutes shorter (with a better conclusion) it would easily rate and eight or nine. As it stands: 7/10.
The few issues I had were: The Kevin Corrigan 'I live in industrial Detroit and look what those evil companies have done to the neighborhood' scenes were completely unnecessary. They had nothing to do with the film except perhaps looking cool. We already know from the setting and characters that it's not exactly pretty and that it's a rundown neighborhood. Also, Zach's father was a little too lucid with Zach, especially concerning his own sexual prowess/conquests. he *is* still the boy's father. Also, the last 20 minutes were overdoing it. Until then time flew by, the film is very close to air-tight for the first hour and twenty, but then it started to drag. The film had pretty much said it all, we didn't need the whole premise explained to us as though we were mindless.
This is *not* another Jungle Fever, nor is it another Higher Learning; which is both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because it's a separate entity, it stands well on its own and deals with a too-familiar situation with originality and strong acting performances. Bad because the script could have been tighter; even though it was very well scripted, there were some scenes that didn't need to be there, others which could have been written better. The cinematography was also lacking; this film could have been shot with much more gusto, even without being fancy.
Overall: Considering this is a low-budget film with no-name actors (at the time, at least) and little other than Oliver Stone's name to back it, it does a damn fine job. There are improvements that would have helped, but its strong enough to stand on its own...better than many major films can. It's not as good as the aforementioned Jungle Fever or Higher Learning, but in a way its more raw in a good way. If it wasn't so preachy and if it was about 10-20 minutes shorter (with a better conclusion) it would easily rate and eight or nine. As it stands: 7/10.
The anti-Breakfast Club!
Rilchiam-121 May 2002
I love this movie. Really, really love it. I went to a school like this with kids like these. I went home to a house like that. I was in the cafeteria the day a racially-charged situation almost went to critical mass, and I was part of a group discussion the following week, in which nothing was resolved.
Which is what I like most about this movie. It doesn't end with everyone singing. Or dancing, or marching towards the camera, or anything like that. The goomba and the Spike Lee guy duke it out while the Asian girl despairs (as I did), and the white guy and black girl embrace each other hopelessly. That is life. Some differences will never be resolved, and the best you can hope for is that *some* people will reach each other. I was praying all along that this would not have some pat ending that could never have happened at my school, and I was rewarded. There are no resolutions, just moments.
Which is what I like most about this movie. It doesn't end with everyone singing. Or dancing, or marching towards the camera, or anything like that. The goomba and the Spike Lee guy duke it out while the Asian girl despairs (as I did), and the white guy and black girl embrace each other hopelessly. That is life. Some differences will never be resolved, and the best you can hope for is that *some* people will reach each other. I was praying all along that this would not have some pat ending that could never have happened at my school, and I was rewarded. There are no resolutions, just moments.
"Why you gotta talk so loud?" "To be heard."
Hey_Sweden8 February 2023
"Zebrahead" is one of those solid little films which may be unfamiliar to a mass audience. Written and directed by Anthony Drazan, it's set in Detroit, in a mostly black neighborhood where white, Jewish high school student Zack (Michael Rapaport, "True Romance") and his black schoolmate Dee (DeShonn Castle, in his only film role) are best friends. Complicating matters further is the arrival on the scene of Dees' pretty cousin Nikki (N'Bushe Wright, "Blade"); Zack takes a quick interest in her and soon they are dating. Dee thinks nothing of it, but characters on both sides of the color line have plenty to say about the situation.
"Zebrahead" does earn some marks for taking a measured, interesting look at race relations in America circa 1992. Drazan doesn't pretend to have all the answers, but he certainly raises good points and takes a realistic approach to his material. The characters do tend to be flawed, multi-dimensional, and believable. Although Drazan has his plot reach a pivotal and dark moment with a moment of horrible violence, he prevents things from getting too melodramatic. He also dares to keep things from being neatly resolved at the end.
There are no big "names" in this cast, although the late, great Ray Sharkey ("The Idolmaker") is present as Zacks' colorful, womanizing father. Mostly, the cast is made up by promising newcomers and a handful of good character actors (Kevin Corrigan, Dan Ziskie, Martin Priest, Paul Butler). Rapaport and Wright, in their starring film debuts, are engaging as the couple at the core of the story. Running them some competition is the memorable Ron Johnson ("Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit") as a gangbanger who's also very interested in Nikki.
Overall, "Zebrahead" is a good little picture worthy of more attention. Filmed on location in Detroit, it features a top score by Taj Mahal and a very good soundtrack.
"Presented", and co-executive produced, by Oliver Stone.
Seven out of 10.
"Zebrahead" does earn some marks for taking a measured, interesting look at race relations in America circa 1992. Drazan doesn't pretend to have all the answers, but he certainly raises good points and takes a realistic approach to his material. The characters do tend to be flawed, multi-dimensional, and believable. Although Drazan has his plot reach a pivotal and dark moment with a moment of horrible violence, he prevents things from getting too melodramatic. He also dares to keep things from being neatly resolved at the end.
There are no big "names" in this cast, although the late, great Ray Sharkey ("The Idolmaker") is present as Zacks' colorful, womanizing father. Mostly, the cast is made up by promising newcomers and a handful of good character actors (Kevin Corrigan, Dan Ziskie, Martin Priest, Paul Butler). Rapaport and Wright, in their starring film debuts, are engaging as the couple at the core of the story. Running them some competition is the memorable Ron Johnson ("Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit") as a gangbanger who's also very interested in Nikki.
Overall, "Zebrahead" is a good little picture worthy of more attention. Filmed on location in Detroit, it features a top score by Taj Mahal and a very good soundtrack.
"Presented", and co-executive produced, by Oliver Stone.
Seven out of 10.
great casting
Elizabeth Nolan14 June 2000
Romance and Racial Tensions in Detroit
Uriah4313 February 2023
This film essentially begins with a teenage girl named "Nikki" (N'Bushe Wright) moving with her mother "Marlene" (Candy Ann Brown) from Brooklyn to Detroit. Escorting her to her new high school is her cousin "Dee" (DeShone Castle) who happens to be best friends with a Jewish student named "Zack" (Michael Rapaport). As it so happens, Zack has just broken up with his girlfriend "Michelle" (Shula Van Buren) which Nikki becomes aware of as she just happened to be in the vicinity when the two got into an argument. Be that as it may, not long afterward, Zach becomes interested in dating Nikki but, considering that Dee is like a brother to him, decides to make sure that is okay with him. Likewise, the fact that she is black while he is white also concerns him. So, after Dee tells him he has no objections, Zack finally musters the courage to ask Nikki out on a date. She readily agrees. What they fail to take into account, however, is the racial tensions within the high school which threaten to explode with little provocation. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this turned out to be a better film than I had originally anticipated due in large part to the realistic plot and the acting of all concerned. And while I would have liked a more drawn-out ending, I thought the overall film was still fairly enjoyable and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.
Mixed response, some strong points though overall 5/10
filmbay22 July 2008
Film Critic AS a primer on race relations, what makes Zebrahead unique, and uniquely fascinating, is its point-of-view. The film begins with an assumption largely ignored in the works of Spike Lee or John Singleton - a belief that young white Americans are being heavily influenced by urban black culture, by the music and the language and the dress, by the mania of Arsenio Hall and the magic of Michael Jordan. So the script takes an admittedly extreme example of that influence - a white teen-ager reared in the predominantly black environs of Detroit - and examines the implications. Can cultural conditioning yield tolerance and empathy as readily as it generates prejudice and hate? The question itself is hopeful, and the movie delivers a complex answer with subtlety and style. Making his feature debut, writer-director Anthony Drazan has done his homework well - he too is the product of a "culturally mixed" background, and a man with an obvious zest for research. Shooting over 60 hours of video footage in New York City high schools, Drazan used that raw material as the basis for his fictional screenplay, changing the setting to the urban fringes of the Motor City and finding his alter ego in the youthful character of Zack (Michael Rapaport), a Jewish kid who, by sheer dint of exposure, is "more on the home-boy side than the white-boy side." The result is a vibrant picture that, from the rough dialogue to the hip-hop soundtrack, from the electronic "hall-monitors" to the washroom crackheads, resonates with the ring of truth. Certainly, for Zack, his "home-boy" side is not an assumed pose but a nurtured fact - he naturally loves the music that flows around him; his best friend is black because so are many of his classmates; ditto for Nikki (N'Bushe Wright), the new girl in town, the one with the sassy manner and the sweet smile. When Zack and Nikki go out on a Saturday night, it feels natural, inevitable. Of course, that single date becomes the pebble tossed in the pond, and the rest of the film traces the tragic ripples.
The revealed patterns are intriguing. The fortysomethings, the teen- agers' parents and teachers, are wholly incapable of viewing the relationship through anything but a racial lens. Some are more laissez faire than others - Zack's philandering dad (Ray Sharkey) seems to have transcended bigotry by abandoning any emotion - but all are fearful, pessimistic. The same is largely true of the kids' peers, yet there are a few telling exceptions - young adults who, as a way of life, not as a matter of principle, have genuinely broken through the colour barrier. It may be sentimental to argue, as the film does, that hope rests with the young. But it's not sentimental to show exactly how and why. Despite some small flaws (a few too many plot complications and a recurring visual image that seems tacked on), that's Drazan's real triumph here - within the turmoil and the tragedy he explores, there emerges a glint of hope that doesn't smack of wishful thinking.
And hope breeds hope. One wants to believe that, by extension, the glint can become a beacon, and that a racially mixed high-school can double as an educational microcosm - a troubled hotspot that grows the seeds of a solution from within the very problems it creates. Yes, one dearly wants to believe, and Zebrahead gives us a reason. Benjamin Miller, Filmbay Editor.
The revealed patterns are intriguing. The fortysomethings, the teen- agers' parents and teachers, are wholly incapable of viewing the relationship through anything but a racial lens. Some are more laissez faire than others - Zack's philandering dad (Ray Sharkey) seems to have transcended bigotry by abandoning any emotion - but all are fearful, pessimistic. The same is largely true of the kids' peers, yet there are a few telling exceptions - young adults who, as a way of life, not as a matter of principle, have genuinely broken through the colour barrier. It may be sentimental to argue, as the film does, that hope rests with the young. But it's not sentimental to show exactly how and why. Despite some small flaws (a few too many plot complications and a recurring visual image that seems tacked on), that's Drazan's real triumph here - within the turmoil and the tragedy he explores, there emerges a glint of hope that doesn't smack of wishful thinking.
And hope breeds hope. One wants to believe that, by extension, the glint can become a beacon, and that a racially mixed high-school can double as an educational microcosm - a troubled hotspot that grows the seeds of a solution from within the very problems it creates. Yes, one dearly wants to believe, and Zebrahead gives us a reason. Benjamin Miller, Filmbay Editor.
Under-rated sleeper of a film set in Detroit about 25 years ago
IClaudius721 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Saw this for the first time because I come from the Detroit area. Granted, I am from the Detroit area circa 1956 so the culture may have changed by 1992 but I thought the issues were similar for a white guy growing up in a black dominated inner city. The issues rung true for any of the "rust belt" cities of Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, etc.
I thought Michael Rapaport was credible as were the largely black supporting cast. The school administrator who said "Stick with your tribe" reflected what most people would have said about multi-racial dating. The plot was somewhat predictable, BUT nonetheless believable and worthy of Oliver Stone's endorsement of the story by lending his name to the production. In short, it was definitely worth seeing.
I thought Michael Rapaport was credible as were the largely black supporting cast. The school administrator who said "Stick with your tribe" reflected what most people would have said about multi-racial dating. The plot was somewhat predictable, BUT nonetheless believable and worthy of Oliver Stone's endorsement of the story by lending his name to the production. In short, it was definitely worth seeing.
Intensely moving
MikeK-713 January 2003
The performances in the film are terrific. From Mike Rappaport to new-comer N'Bushe Wright, this little sleeper hit is sure to appeal to all genders, races, ages, etc. The message in the movie is the most important part of all. I wish I could see some more of Ray Sharkey's work, he is most impressive.
Excellent teen drama. Extremely underrated movie.
Infofreak24 October 2002
'Zebrahead' is an excellent, little known movie that manages to realistically portray racial issues in a contemporary teen movie without being saccharine or too preachy. Michael Rapaport, best known for playing supporting roles of losers in movies like 'True Romance', 'Cop Land' and 'Kiss Of Death', is given a strong leading role here and does very well with it. Surprisingly it was his movie debut and he rarely been given a part as good as this since. N'Bushe Wright, best known for 'Blade', is also excellent as his love interest Nikki, and the late Ray Sharkey ('Who'll Stop The Rain?') is first rate as his womanizing father. The rest of the supporting cast, mostly all young and unknown, are all very good, and the strange cameo by Kevin Corrigan ('Bandwagon', 'Buffalo '66') is unexplained but fascinating. Writer/director Anthony Drazan went on to make the equally overlooked 'Imaginary Crimes' and 'Hurlyburly'. All three movies deserve a lot more attention.
Great Movie!
tinaprice21 August 2008
I love this movie!it's so real.I grew up in Detroit right down the street from where they film this movie and i was a kid when they film this movie there. I was so surprise to see that they film it in the high school i graduated from Frank Cody High School 18445 cathedral Detroit,MI.And the skating rink i grew up going to,Skate Land on the east side.That's crazy!What was film in this movie was really going on in Detroit then, it was bad.It was a lot of hate crimes like that,Detroit was well mixed, but every race pretty much stuck to them self.It wasn't a lot if interracial couple's in Detroit back then,so when there was one, it was a lot of hate crimes because of it.that was back then and even in some cases now it happens,but it's nowhere near as bad.Detroit is still a beautiful place to live,i love it!
Underrated gem
MLevine13 July 2003
An outstanding performance by a young Michael Rapaport (with a small but excellent late-career performance from Ray Sharkey) highlights this parable of prejudice and identity.
It is, to my knowledge, the only produced screenplay by Anthony Drazan, who also directed. That is a shame as he did an outstanding job.
It is, to my knowledge, the only produced screenplay by Anthony Drazan, who also directed. That is a shame as he did an outstanding job.
True to life flick
DunnDeeDaGreat19 November 2001
Take Save The Last Dance minus the dance and do a role reversal and you get ZebraHead. This movie which touches on interracial dating was one of the best little seen films of 1992. Micheal Rappot as Zack proved his leading man stauts at early age in this powerful film. I think if the film were released today it'd be just as powerful. If you haven't seen it you should.
My perspective of Zebrahead
ladyrt2323 June 2007
Warning: Spoilers
The plot touched a new level of interracial dating for that time. The early nineties opened up a door of acceptance. Yet, it was slowly closing a door of hate towards interracial friendships and relationships. The plot has a seasoned flavor. You wanted to catch every detail of the movie. You admired the friendship between Zack and Dee. Dee loved Zack like a brother. However, Zack battled between friendships. Although he acted so-called black around Dee, he still remained to be in tune with his white friends. Zack was more confused than anything. The thought of dating a black girl was exciting. Yet, he was interested in her beauty, her style, and mind. The two played it safe for a while but no one really approved except for Dee. Trouble is always around. Yet, it's sad when it lives across the street. The infamous "Nut" had a crush on Nikki. He did not like Zack at all. He was an abandoned child that was clearly uneducated. He was not a gang member but he was full of hate due to his surroundings. What led to the tragic scene of Dee's killing was a stupid act of passion. Nikki was vulnerable during her break-up with Zack. Nut was caring for the moment and the two kissed. She regretted the mistake, yet she left Nut confused. So...to see Nikki and Zack rekindling there relationship made him mad. A huge confrontation between Nut and Zack was interrupted by Dee. Dee always came to Zack's rescue. He pushed Nut on the floor and Nut acted out. He shot and killed Dee. Nut had intentions of shooting Zack but Dee became the target. What a plot!!! Zack is hated because their friendship got Dee killed. Nikki is hated because she crossed the racial barriers. Everybody is blaming the two. Overall, this movie remains to be the best interracial love story. It teaches about racism, love, young adults, violence, hate, friendship, and family.
A definite must see
niki6d16 April 2002
I saw this movie when i was in highschool and it's been inbedded in my head ever since. It made me a huge fan of M. Rapaport. I was just thinking of buying the film on vhs but lo and behold it's coming to dvd June 18. Everyone should have it on their dvd or vhs shelf.
I was impressed by this film.
paulbox992 January 2003
Initially I suspected that this might be another rather typical examination of racial strife in high school, almost of an ABC Afterschool special caliber. However, it was quite impressive in its portrayal not only of racial tensions but of the quality of friendship between two young men. Michael Rapaport typically flashes a somewhat limited range in his roles (he has most certainly been typecast by now) but his performance here has exceptional moments - particular in the last scene of the film where his emotion is tangible without being overdone.
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