Review of Spinning Into Butter

Rebecca Gilman's wrongheaded play about racism at a small college is an even more wrongheaded film. What was a well intentioned but misguided play that equated not sitting next to a person of a different race on an empty subway car as racism is turned an even more off the mark film. The plot has to do with the aftermath of a racial incident and how the rich white head of the college who is suppose to be so liberal maybe isn't, and how political correctness maybe more prejudicial to everyone. I didn't care for the play all that much, which while not bad, managed to over state its position and there by lose its argument. This film version open the play up and manages to do everything wrong from the get go from the opening credits over a cartoon version of Little Black Sambo. From there the film makes it clear that this film is about "something" and then goes on to hammer home its points like a barbarian with an ax handle in a brawl. How can you even hope to relate to the lead character when she is clearly condescending to everyone? After a troubled production the film sat on the shelf for a few years and its easy to see why, the movie isn't much good and its becomes an endurance test to get through. I'm sure that everyone who made the film has their hearts in the right place, but at the same time, they are like their main character, clueless about how abrasive they are in showing us how wrong the world is. If you haven't guessed it I really hate this film and think you should stay as far way as possible.