I really tried to watch but could only stomach about 15 minutes. Chelsea assertion that she benefited from "privilege" and did not make it on talent is relatively insightful. Her error, however, and she did allude to it is that it had little to do with her race. What it was as I see it is that she is an very attractive woman with a foul mouth that is more funny than most. If she had not been pretty and a female of whatever race she would not have reached the fame she was gifted. As for Tiffany Haddish she has to work so hard because she is not even moderately funny. She has a bit of the looks and certainly the crudeness and less comedic talent but I think sans the race she would still be doing childrens coming of age parties at best. Keven Hart on the other hand is profoundly funny . I did not get very far but if he asserts he had to work to hard who is he comparing himself to? He is the king of the hill and any comparison would not make sense. That being said he is not the funniest in my opinion but he is up there and I think he works much harder than the others. No one will read this but I saw CH years ago in GTMO and wanted to apologize for the knuckle heads who disrupted the show.
104 Reviews
Rating based solely on enjoying an hour with Chelsea...
CoOp_RoCks19 September 2019
Well... first, I am not going to get into the particulars of my own opinions. This isn't a debate or message boards.
Second, I feel like the material was repetitive and not engaging. The comments that some of the participants provided were astoundingly stupid, self absorbed, and quite frankly, could have been a bad joke.
Some of the things that the "minorities" said was just as delusional as what the "white privileged" individuals said. Words carry so much power. So if you want to keep creating a negative environment then keep playing the victim. And that goes for everyone.
This was honestly just frustrating to sit through. I was hoping for a good laugh. I may have chuckled once...
Second, I feel like the material was repetitive and not engaging. The comments that some of the participants provided were astoundingly stupid, self absorbed, and quite frankly, could have been a bad joke.
Some of the things that the "minorities" said was just as delusional as what the "white privileged" individuals said. Words carry so much power. So if you want to keep creating a negative environment then keep playing the victim. And that goes for everyone.
This was honestly just frustrating to sit through. I was hoping for a good laugh. I may have chuckled once...
One sided documentary that has it's interesting moments
caradryanmusic18 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The biggest flaw in my opinion of this documentary is in the handling of its subject, white privilige. While it is accusing white people in general of being privileged it accidentely shows the real problem in America. The gap between the rich and the poor, heck even between the rich and the middle class illustrated by the white redneck rapper in the middle of the documentary. In court, he himself (poor), a black kid (poor) and another white rich kid all stand trial and off course the rich kid walks out, while the other two go to jail. This illustrates it perfectly. You have no difference between white or black, but you have a difference in income and hidden behind that is the dark shadow of privatization of the prison system, where prisoners become lucrative milking cows to the rich. Even in the documentary they really can't make it out what that white privilige actually consists of. Everything mentioned comes with assertions, like with Kevin Hart, he complains he had to lobby his ass off, that he had to work hard to get noticed. Is he really thinking that all white comedians just walk in the door and get a gig because of their skin? He forgets about the 1000 other white comedians that failed. I think this documentary exposes lots of biases from both sides but fails to acknowledge the real issues that are splitting up America and in it's message only adds to the problem.
Please Stop
tgs-6935823 September 2019
As a colored person in America, I am asking everyone to please stop with all of this. I watched this with my wife and this message is not helpful to anyone. I grew up in a rough neighborhood that I occasionally go back to and visit family. All of my old friends that are still living in the neighborhood are still complaining about white privilege and play the victim card on a daily basis. They are mostly in their mid to upper 30's. The few friends that made it out and are successful with families and careers never complain, never play the victim card and focus on becoming better for themselves and their families. Society has come a long way and if we stop all of this nonsense and focus on improving ourselves and being the best we can for society and our families, we will all be better off. Chelsea, direct your energy somewhere more useful than trying to show everyone how you are so compassionate, caring and woke. Hi
How Much More Can You Contradict Yourself!
abigailb-0011315 September 2019
I am 9 minutes into this documentary and she has already totally contradicted herself! She says she didn't grow up with a lot of money yet her Dad OWNED (not just worked at) a Used Car Dealership! In Jersey that is a very lucrative business! Also if you look up her Wikipedia it says that she spent her summers at her parent's home in Martha's Vineyard! And when she moved out to L.A. she lived in her Aunt's home in Bel Aire! Jeez Chelsea if that's growing up without money then I must've grown up completely desolate! See this is why I can't stand celebrities and the soap boxes they stand on! They think because they are who they are that they should open their big mouths about things they have NO conception of! Go back to the comedy clubs Chelsea and leave the politics to the Politicians! You are just making a complete fool of yourself! NOBODY CARES WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY!
Not enough depth, but it's a good start
pituytomifelices8 October 2019
I found this a really naive, yet sincere take on Chelsea's own experience with race. She's very honest about her ignorance and she does reach to people of colour to hear them out, if in a bit of an exploitative way. A woman at the poetry slam she went said it best "the fact that you're making this is white privilege".
I loved the contrast between what the republican ladies were saying and what the guys from Tennessee said. The rapper saying he was the top of the white trash and then being so articulate and thoughtful was a great sequence.
Decent Documentary, Could've Been Longer
detroittycoonent4 November 2019
Not a bad documentary at all.. I think it took a lot of awareness for Chelsea to do this, which is something many in her position do not have. However, as far as the drug/prison topic touched on, I feel there should've been more research done as to how Black communities got like this.. it's 2019 and people still don't know that in the 1980s Ronald Regand, Oliver North, and the CIA pumped Black neighborhoods with mountains of cocaine to fund their secret war with the Contra rebels in South America.. they singlehandedly sponsored the crack epidemic and Oliver North sorted to it in a Congressional hearing. CoIntel Pro and crack-cocaine were devastating blows that increased the Black "dis-privalege".. it would've been a much better documentary if she just dig a little deeper.. but definitely a great effort though.
Why so offended?
jkerkstroer27 October 2019
So with many of the poor reviews here, people seem to hate this documentary because it makes white people feel and about being white. I would recommend those to read up a little about white privilege because it IS real - Chelsea is not trying to make anyone feel bad with something they can't change, cause of course there's white peoples who struggle, however for POC the system is adding more hurdles to this struggle. She's rather trying to reveal that white privilege exists. Why don't you ask yourself why this gets you so irritated? Maybe because there's a threat that the privilege will be debunked and will take away some of your benefits? Overall, I thought the documentary a good start for an anti racism, facing our privilege conversation, but needs more depth. it did feel like she was trying to apologize for her whiteness, but to be honest, there's probably no smooth way for a blonde woman to address this issue. I'm still glad she did as it opens up a discussion.
Cringeworthy
zivg16 September 2019
Chelsea Handler channeling her personal guilt over her huge unwarranted success as a pretty woman with a foul mouth to blame all white people, 99.9% of whom will never enjoy her privileged life. Embarrassing and insulting.
It throws light on the awkward subject of silent racism
BluErf14 September 2019
I come from a multi-racial state in Asia, and is fortunate to be of the majority race. This frank documentary raised my awareness of how racism can be structural and silent. I can better empathize with the experience and frustrations of my fellow minority race citizens now.
What really struck a chord was how invisible racial privilege is to the majority race folks. Accepting it took some effort because the notion seemed to attack my self-image and self-assessment that I did not contribute to that silent structure. But after seeing it, one cannot unsee it.
There will be lots of denial from some. I think it's ok. Maybe they just need more time to accept the idea. The rest of us who see it can do our little part to make the world a better place.
What really struck a chord was how invisible racial privilege is to the majority race folks. Accepting it took some effort because the notion seemed to attack my self-image and self-assessment that I did not contribute to that silent structure. But after seeing it, one cannot unsee it.
There will be lots of denial from some. I think it's ok. Maybe they just need more time to accept the idea. The rest of us who see it can do our little part to make the world a better place.
Decent conversation-starter
floluo24 September 2019
Whilst it still only scratches at the surface, Chelsea and her commentators raise some valid points and offers ways to start working through issues as:
P.S.: There seem to be a lot of angry white trolls on this page.
- How white people need to solve this problem instead of just projecting it onto the black community
- How to better become more aware structures that work in your favour/against
- What some of the forms of structural dicrimination is currently happening in the US.
P.S.: There seem to be a lot of angry white trolls on this page.
A complete waste of time
lkolchin13 September 2019
Well I gave it a chance but This was a complete waste of time. A documentary on white privilege and a lot of self flagellation. That's the whole storyline. Really... interviewing experts on whiteness? Showing her mansion and people that work for her...
Boring, predictable and prejudice.
In the state we are living in right now
tylerbrunner13 September 2019
Haters, listen up...
kimberlykennedy-4552616 September 2019
So what if she's rich. Get over it.
I don't think her intentions are disguised. I think she's genuinely interested in digging deeper and really understanding how her role in the fight against the disgusting injustice and racism in this country can beneficiary. She WANTS to do it the right way and WANTS be an advocate. This is important in itself, mainly because she's doing more to figure out how- than any other white person I know. Hate all you want. At least she's trying, man.
I don't think her intentions are disguised. I think she's genuinely interested in digging deeper and really understanding how her role in the fight against the disgusting injustice and racism in this country can beneficiary. She WANTS to do it the right way and WANTS be an advocate. This is important in itself, mainly because she's doing more to figure out how- than any other white person I know. Hate all you want. At least she's trying, man.
Ignorant
SurvivorsEdge18 September 2019
A conversation that needs to be had.
mandeeseeley18 December 2019
I'm a white person in America who grew up not thinking about race. I had friends of all colors and I loved them equally, never thinking twice that they were any different from me just because of their skin color. Now that I'm an adult I've had time to think about all the ways my privilege has come up. This documentary brought back so many things I never realized before. There's a lot of hate in these reviews, but Chelsea made a bold move doing a documentary like this. It's an important topic that white people need to be discussing whether they want to admit it's real or not. People of color have been treated different since the beginning of time, and it's not okay. In this film Chelsea speaks with various experts, an old flame of hers whom made her realize how her privilege affected their relationship, and a group of black college students who put her in her place. The only reason I didn't rate it a ten is because it could have been longer, we need more of this in our society.
Sociopath
nataliersrecovery20 September 2019
This was PR concerning her bruised ego re criticism she received over a book she wrote with a title. She started with insensitivity covered by an off colour joke (no pun) that left Kevin Hart calling her out with one look. She manipulates and obfuscates trying to cover her lack of a soul. There were so many wonderful, challenging opportunities left hanging, starting with Tiffany Haddish in the first scene. Chelsea Handler is a soulless hack and everything that is wrong with privilege, period. No wonder I never warmed to her. She's a cold fish.
And Hello to you Chelsea
view_and_review25 June 2020
Let me start by saying that I'd never heard of Chelsea Handler, so I was quite surprised to find out she's a successful comedian. To be honest, the only blond comic I know is Amy Schumer. So, I thought this documentary was being done by a regular white woman that was largely unknown but maybe an activist.
I bristled a bit when the documentary started only because I wasn't sure what angle Chelsea was coming from. Was this going to be a big joke to her, was this going to be her effort to prove that whites don't enjoy a privilege, or was she going to treat this seriously and properly. As the documentary progressed I was pleased to see that although she's a comedian she wasn't treating the matter as a joke. She interviewed activist heavyweights like Tim Wise, Carol Anderson, and Melinda Abdullah as well as other lesser known people.
Does this movie solve the problem? No. But one of the first things that has to be done is admission that there is a problem. If someone like Chelsea can be conscious enough to recognize that her life has been considerably easier and different than a similar woman who happens to be Black is a big plus. So, even though documentaries like this don't solve the problem, they do more towards a solution than hiding one's head in the sand.
I bristled a bit when the documentary started only because I wasn't sure what angle Chelsea was coming from. Was this going to be a big joke to her, was this going to be her effort to prove that whites don't enjoy a privilege, or was she going to treat this seriously and properly. As the documentary progressed I was pleased to see that although she's a comedian she wasn't treating the matter as a joke. She interviewed activist heavyweights like Tim Wise, Carol Anderson, and Melinda Abdullah as well as other lesser known people.
Does this movie solve the problem? No. But one of the first things that has to be done is admission that there is a problem. If someone like Chelsea can be conscious enough to recognize that her life has been considerably easier and different than a similar woman who happens to be Black is a big plus. So, even though documentaries like this don't solve the problem, they do more towards a solution than hiding one's head in the sand.
Painful. And not in the good way.
tronicit18 September 2019
Remember when you were at school and you had to study something you knew you'd never use in real life?
I watched this with an open mind but after only 15 minutes I discovered the producers of this show made it a very closed mind.
This program will go down in history with the "flat Earthers" as an example of how dumb intelligent people can be.
Unless you've been living under a rock you'll most likely know the premise of white privilege. But this program debunks the theory more than it supports it.
The movies's subject doesn't understand her privilege has little to do with her skin colour and way more to do with her class. She doesn't debate or discuss, she just lectures and rants.
Even the examples she presents have more to do with class and less if anything to do with ethnicity. But I guess an open dialogue and varied examples would have disproved her theory so I understand why it was so biased.
There was no talk of poor, uneducated whites and struggles they deal with which are no different to those poor coloured folk endure.
This makes for painful watching to all but the most far left-wing zealots who believe we are all the product of our gendered, racial or religious category.
I watched this with an open mind but after only 15 minutes I discovered the producers of this show made it a very closed mind.
This program will go down in history with the "flat Earthers" as an example of how dumb intelligent people can be.
Unless you've been living under a rock you'll most likely know the premise of white privilege. But this program debunks the theory more than it supports it.
The movies's subject doesn't understand her privilege has little to do with her skin colour and way more to do with her class. She doesn't debate or discuss, she just lectures and rants.
Even the examples she presents have more to do with class and less if anything to do with ethnicity. But I guess an open dialogue and varied examples would have disproved her theory so I understand why it was so biased.
There was no talk of poor, uneducated whites and struggles they deal with which are no different to those poor coloured folk endure.
This makes for painful watching to all but the most far left-wing zealots who believe we are all the product of our gendered, racial or religious category.
The tight fitting shoe.
seefomatic15 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
A man once said that being Black in America is like wearing a tight fitting shoe. You feel it all the time. This was in the intro to Studs Terkel's "Race. The American Obsession". Like this film, it was an exploration of what it means to be Black in the US, an anthology of walking a mile in another's shoes. Chelsea has heartfelt conversations with academics and victims of institutional racism which have emotional resonance.
Chelsea did a fantastic job of introducing her audience to Tim Wise, whose work is essential to understanding how it all breaks down. The explanation of white privilege seems like an introduction to the topic. I'm hoping someone puts her in touch with Robin DiAngelo, author of "White Fragility", to further probe the white American reticence to acknowledge the depth of real structural racism. This doc doesn't get that deep, but it is still a worthwhile watch.
The Ignorance
florisklaver7613 September 2019
The ignorance on racism and white privilege in America never stops to amaze me.
The documentary itself is ok but merely scratches the surface I feel like. Should have been a series to really get things going.
It's not our fault that we are white, but it is our fault if we keep white privilege alive.
We need to acknowledge it and try to change it within our own communities.
Self Aggrandizing Crap
Dragonborn6419 September 2019
Uneducated drivel
csabol-1730514 September 2019
This is complete nonsense... Absolutely baffled as to why anybody listens to this woman anymore... I know... I just did by watching this and I regret it terribly... Chelsea Handler is a skid-mark on the underpants of society... Sad
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
