You People Review: Slow, Unfunny, & Formulaic

Netflix’s You People has potential, but ultimately falls flat as it becomes unfunny, slow, and quite frankly, a bit boring.

you people movie review netflix
You People. (L to R) Lauren London as Amira and Jonah Hill (Writer-Producer) as Ezra in You People. Cr. Parrish Lewis/Netflix © 2023.

Netflix’s You People has some good moments and important messaging, but unfortunately there isn’t much to love about this movie. It tries to showcase the issues that can arise when family and friends get involved in a relationship, and it does a good job at letting viewers know love is love no matter who you are or where you come from. However, You People is far too long and drawn out, which causes it to really dip and drag in the middle. If you can make it to the end, there is a decent enough pay off — as weird as it is.

About: A new couple learns that opposites attract but some families don’t when they find themselves confronting their parent’s clashing views of their relationship in this comedy written by Jonah Hill and Kenya Barris.

you people movie review netflix
You People. (L to R) Bryan Greenberg as Isaac, Eddie Murphy as Akbar, Jonah Hill (Writer-Producer) as Ezra, Travis Bennet as Omar, Andrew Schulz as Cousin Avi and Jordan Firstman as Danny in You People. Cr. Parrish Lewis/Netflix © 2023.

What Works With You People

On paper You People sounds like a decent way to spend your evening. It has a great cast — Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jonah Hill, Eddie Murphy, Rhea Pearlman, and more — and the concept is interesting. A young couple fall in love but when their families get involved, things get messy. Everyone can relate… right? 

Let’s start off with the positive things. As we said, there is a good cast here. The movie itself starts off with a few chuckles and when Ezra (Jonah Hill) and Amira (Lauren London) finally connect on a deeper level, viewers will become invested in them as a couple. 

When it comes to the ending of the film, it might cause those watching to tear up, even though it really is bizarre the longer you think about it.

you people movie review netflix
You People. (L to R) Rhea Pearlman as Bubby, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Shelley and Lauren London as Amira in You People. Cr. Tyler Adams/Netflix © 2023.

What Doesn’t Work With You People

Unfortunately there is a whole lot more that doesn’t work with this movie than does work. It clocks in at around two hours, which is far too long for a romantic comedy in general, let alone one that feels like it is constantly grasping at straws to make things interesting and funny. even after a strong-ish start, You People falls apart quickly.

Too many moments feel drawn out simply so that it can hit a certain runtime. The jokes stop landing, even remotely, and quite frankly, some viewers will probably jump ship if they don’t fall asleep first.

Those that power through the mess, will be sad that the supporting characters are never given their moments to shine, and that while the end tries its best to deliver a positive and hopeful message, you can’t help but focus on just how strange it is. In an effort to avoid spoilers, we won’t dive into it — but if you have seen the movie you know exactly what we mean by this — “surprise!”.

You People brings absolutely nothing new to the table as it delivers a formulaic romantic comedy about two people whose families don’t like each other at first. 

you people movie review netflix
You People. (L to R) Jonah Hill (Writer-Producer) as Ezra and Eddie Murphy as Akbar in You People. Cr. Parrish Lewis/Netflix © 2023.

Overall Thoughts

You People tries, it really does. There is a decent concept here, but so much of what plays out on screen comes off as awkward, bizarre, and unfunny. The incredible cast is widely underused and the runtime is far too long for what this is. It feels like something that should have been a 25 minute sitcom versus a 2 hour long film.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

NEXT: Knock At The Cabin Movie Review: A Hit Or A Miss?

you people movie poster

About You People

A new couple learns that opposites attract but some families don’t when they find themselves confronting their parent’s clashing views of their relationship in this comedy written by Jonah Hill and Kenya Barris.

You People is now streaming on Netflix.

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