Written by: Jaylin Emond-Hardin | Entertainment Editor
I recently had the opportunity to view the Matt Walsh documentary “Am I Racist?” which has seen recent controversy and mixed reviews.
I had no clue what to expect before starting this film. Streaming exclusively on DailyWire+, a well-known conservative news outlet and streaming service, I knew there would be commentary about Walsh’s personal views throughout the film. What I didn’t expect was Walsh to be open-minded and willing to try and understand the subjects he was researching.
The description for the movie on DailyWire+ says, “Matt Walsh goes deep undercover as a DEI expert, hilariously skewering race hustlers and grifters.” However, I do not quite believe that that was Walsh’s true intention.
Throughout the documentary, he actively attends Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — DEI — workshops and reads anti-racist literature, such as “White Fragility” by author Robin DiAngelo. While there are jokes made at the expense of these workshops and books, Walsh gains insight into a topic he knows little about.
In one of the first scenes of the documentary, Walsh, under the guise of a fake name, attends a privilege support group, where attendees are meant to confront the privileges they have in their lives. While Walsh doesn’t take the workshop as seriously as one would hope, he is open to listening and hearing what others in attendance have to say. Eventually, he takes a moment to leave the room, but when he returns, the other members of the support group have discovered his true identity.
Walsh is asked to leave with the accusation that he is not truly taking the support group seriously. Though he tells them he is, out of respect for their wishes and their fears for their safety, he leaves, but not before the members of the support group call the police on him.
After this experience, Walsh knows that he is too recognizable to be able to participate in these spaces, so he alters his appearance to be able to have the opportunity to learn more about these topics.
Perhaps the biggest turning point in the documentary is when Walsh goes to the American South and interacts with patrons at a biker bar and random passersby on the street. While interacting with these people, Walsh purposefully tries to draw an unsavory response from the patrons, asking questions and using phrases to try and get what he wants. The responses he gets, however, are actually positive.
Their responses are not shown to be rooted in a certain ideology or belief system, but rather their personal experiences. At all ages, from the streets of New Orleans to little backwater burgs, every response Walsh receives is some variation of judging people by their character, not their race, gender or appearance. To them, if one is a kind person and shows respect, then that person will receive kindness and respect back. They do not believe that friendship and fair treatment are dependent on physical characteristics or belief systems, but rather the content of a person’s soul.
Throughout the 1 hour, 40-minute documentary, Walsh uses these different research methods to challenge his beliefs but also the beliefs of others.
Reviews for the film are polarized, with viewers either completely loving or hating it. On IMDb, user @gijoe-48397 gave it a one-star rating and said, “The movie tries to be ‘Borat’ but is not funny enough. The mockumentary is obsessed with how DEI impacts white people and ‘white guilt.’ The ending was terrible. Uncle Frank is ostracized for a joke he made 20 years ago. Uncle Frank is portrayed as a victim and the DEI expert eventually sees his side of things. This feels like a self-righteous fantasy. Uncle Frank should consider that maybe his family stopped talking to him because he is unpleasant to talk to. The entire movie feels like the fantasy of that hateful uncle at Thanksgiving that got uninvited for always talking trash. Overall the movie is self-obsessed and not funny.”
Other viewers who did not like the film shared similar sentiments, calling the movie “unfunny, self-absorbed and one-sided.”
Meanwhile, fans who enjoyed the movie raved about how the movie exceeded their expectations and found themselves enjoying every minute.
“This movie is excellent. My wife and I saw it over the weekend, and we haven’t laughed this much in a long time at the theatre. We both thought it was hilarious. On top of that, it is also enlightening and gives you a glimpse inside the world of DEI and systemic racism along with those who profit from it. Eye-opening. I feel like everyone should watch this movie. It’s also great to watch it in theatres because watching it with a crowd just enhances the experience. Everyone was laughing the whole time. I don’t want to give any spoilers at all because it’s worth it to see it all unspoiled. Many of the situations that Matt Walsh finds himself in have to be seen to be believed. Fantastic watch and well worth the price of admission, and I’m far happier to spend my hard-earned money on a movie like this than many other movies coming out of Hollywood these days,” said IMDb user @rutledgech.
Whatever lens one watches this film through, the main takeaway from this film is to respect and learn about others’ viewpoints, no matter what.
Throughout the film, Walsh genuinely wants to learn and understand the culture behind others’ beliefs, as well as wanting to understand just what their beliefs are. He listens respectfully to them and asks questions that even stir their thought process on the subject.
And while Walsh is a controversial figure in the media, I think that his most recent documentary is a good example for others to follow — to respect their fellow humans and at least try and understand their viewpoints.
8/10.
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
