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8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
I still love H.E.R., 10 February 2006

Author: dee.reid from United States

They're both approaching 30 and have found success in their different but equally demanding careers. He's a hip-hop producer/exec, and she's a magazine editor for XXL. Their relationship is defined by their mutual love of hip-hop, and for each other. His name is Dre (Taye Diggs) and her name Sidney (Sanaa Lathan).

It was three years ago that I fell in love with H.E.R. (a girl named Katie) and offered her "Brown Sugar" as a Valentine's Day gift and for her birthday (which was two weeks later). For most who fell in love with H.E.R., hip-hop started back in the '70s with DJ Kool Herc driving around the Bronx flatlands blaring the sound of a new era on his speakers. For me, I fell in love with H.E.R., hip-hop, the first time I heard "Walk This Way" by Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith, which was recorded in 1986.

Director Rick Famuyiwa has a passion for the music, and it seems to have culminated with "Brown Sugar," a film that some have called an urban version of "When Harry Met Sally" with a hip-hop beat. Sidney begins nearly every interview with the same question: How did you fall in love with hip-hop? For her, it was July 18, 1984, when she discovered a music genre with break dancing, DJing, emceeing, and graffiti tagging - the four elements of hip-hop.

It's the passion for the rhythm and the beat that brought Sidney and Dre together as children. Early in their time in college, they both considered giving it a go at romance, but Sidney decided it wouldn't be right. Her close friend Francine (Queen Latifah) warns she's turning into a Terry McMillian character. Now, as adults with careers and goals, their romance lives have taken radically different courses. Dre has become engaged to Reese (Nicole Ari Parker), who is beautiful and not some monster as movies like this would require. There is a sense of sincerity in a scene where she and Sidney confront one another about Dre.

Dre, meanwhile, who works for Millennium Records, has been assigned by his boss (Wendell Pierce), who wants MTV rotation, to produce a pair of jokesters named Ren and Ten and who call themselves the "Hip-Hop Dalmations" - "they represent that whole unity (that's 'u.n.i.t.y.') thing." Dre quits Millennium after this fiasco and decides to start his own label by first signing Chris Shawn (Mos Def), who he believes is a real artist. Dre and Sidney both realize they have to keep their feelings for one another on the down-low, especially since she is now involved with professional ballplayer Kelby Dawson (Boris Kodjoe).

"Brown Sugar" works as a pretty sweet romantic comedy that also doubles as a metaphor for the loss of dignity in hip-hop. Sid and Dre's being in love is paralleled against hip-hop's acceptance into the mainstream, and its loss of any meaningful qualities. They both feel the beat, and the passion since that day in July 1984 when they fell in love with the same thing, and its growth over the years. But despite the over-commercialization of my favorite music genre, one thing is certain:

I still love H.E.R.

7/10

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10 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
A woman's love for hip hop grows as she ages and learns the significance behind it as well as who it represents., 30 May 2005

Author: a_shiman from Canada

My summary of the movie is my opinion. I love this movie because I feel that Sidney Shaw is using a metaphor throughout the whole movie. She is comparing Hip Hop to her best friend Dre, both of which are alike. I find this movie amazing because of all the metaphors found within the movie, that only one can find if they look closely.

For example, when Sidney and Dre are in the store looking at something to buy for her new place, they come across a "vase" and the woman at the store explains to them that many couples enjoy that piece. Later within the movie, you see that that vase is in Sidney's house.

I also enjoy this movie because everything that is said, and everything that is done within the movie has a meaning behind it. Foreshadowing is found everywhere, you just have to look closely enough for it. Nothing in this movie is done without a reason.

Every line said within the movie is said beautifully and has significance behind it. My favourite line within the movie, that I've carried with me ever since I heard it is, "So what is the difference between rap and hip-hop? It's simple. It's like the difference between saying you love somebody and being IN love with somebody. Rap is just a word." When I heard that line, I fell in love with this movie and I had to watch it over again, and I have watched it many times. Each time I find more meanings that I missed the first time. What I like even more about this movie is that they use actual artists in the movie that state their opinion on "When they first fell in love with Hip Hop." "Brown Sugar" spoke to me. It's real. Nothing in it is fake like in the majority of movie's these days which is why I think I enjoy it so much. I recommend this movie to anyone who has a passion about something or to anyone who looks for significant meanings behind anything.

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10 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
A hip-hop culture/romantic comedy that avoids the gags of both genres, 3 April 2003

Author: jransom from Boston, MA

Brown Sugar (2002) could have been retitled Love & Hip-hop if only to simplify matters. Like Love & Basketball, it marries the tried-and-true romantic flick formula to the emergence of mainstream "black" culture. Because of these similarities and the presence of Sanaa Lathan, most viewers will quickly lump Brown Sugar into one of two pools. They will either see it as yet another "black" film about a lifestyle that was once counter-cultural and is now, thanks to MTV, cliched or as one more in a long line of romantic comedies.

This film fits into both categories but is far better than most of its fellow films. The hip-hop culture is a childhood background that has turned into a profitable lifestyle for Dre and Sid, the two main characters. Their careers are products of the American craze for pop culture but their love for hip-hop is strong enough to allow them the hope that they can somehow make a difference in the business. Films with black stars tend either to drown them with imagery of the ghetto (a la Menace II Society, Baby Boy, etc) or completely ignore the African-American element, dress the characters in business suits, and absorb them into the "white" corporate world of success. Brown Sugar does neither. Hip-hop is natural to Dre and Sid and is present in their conversations without being obtrusive. Writer Michael Elliot is wise to let them lead their lives in the corporate world without ever losing their childhood backgrounds.

In the other camp, romantic comedies generally sacrifice character development and plausibility to accomodate the dreaded near-misses, love misunderstandings, and the climatic scene where the man publicly confesses his undying love. For the most part, Brown Sugar steers clear of these pitfalls and remains true to its characters. The movie never pretends that any of its characters are perfect or indeed that any of them are ever sure of any of their emotions. This is not a fairy tale movie where characters have sex because they are in love. This film is more realistic. The characters are young and romantic at heart and for one reason or another, they find sex first. That then leads them to at least the misguided pretense of love. As one character explains it, "put a man and a woman together for long enough and something's bound to happen." Infidelity is shown as a sign of emotional uncertainty not of villainy. Even the best of the characters eventually considers it. But neither Famuyiwa's camera or Elliot's script vilify them for it. The characters earn the viewer's sympathy despite their mistakes and when confronted by their angry spouses, they do try their best to be honest and direct.

The script also avoids the kinds of contrived jealousy traps that most romantic comedies rely on. When one character finally falls for another and acts on his feelings, he is not lead astray by a misunderstanding. He arrives early enough to realize that she has managed to find love elsewhere while he was making up his mind, but too late to do anything about it. Even the public pronouncement of love is cleverly flipped. All in all, this movie should be watched by anyone who has seen one too many weak romantic or African-American comedies and needs to be reminded that a string of bad movies does not ruin a genre.

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8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Good in oh so many ways, 27 February 2003

Author: Jeff from San Jose, California

A delightful film from the beginning to the end. I liked this film for so many reasons. The primary reasons are the following:

1) A creative and deep look at the impact of hip hip as a music and culture on individuals 2) Beautiful chemistry between the characters Sidney and Dre. 3) Mos Def - period 4) Sanaa Lathan - for her essense as an actress in this film, as well as her amazing beauty. 5) Hip Hop Cameos

The start of the film was especially interesting with the old school (and some new) artists explaining their love of hip hop. I've grown so tired of seeing these new rap films with phony actors like Master P, Snoop, and the Roc-A-Fella crew. It was rewarding to see hip hop artists in a film IN THEIR ELEMENT. With that, I'd like to point out that Mos Def has established himself as one of the few rappers who has sucessfully crossed into the film industry without totally insulting the quality of movies (2pac, Will Smith, Ice-T to some degree, and Eve are a few of the better acting ones).

Aside from the hip-hop aspects, the romantic part of the movie worked very well for me. I really enjoyed the up and down relationship of Sidney and Dre. It helps that I love Sanaa Lathan no doubt, but overall it really was an enjoyable romantic comedy in that aspect. Taye Diggs was cast well as Dre, and I thought he showed a good perspective on the being-real v. getting-money battle that so many in the industry go through.

The Cameos were great with everyone from Russell Simmons to good ol' Angie M. up in the New York Studios. Personally surprising to me was seeing one of the assisant basketball coaches at my univeristy appear as a bartender. Questlove, Kool G. Rap, De La Soul all had good comments.

I can't refrain from commenting on Mos Def's character hitting up on Queen Latifah. hahaha, what a great series of scenes. Also cool was the reappearing blue vase (notice that?).

If you haven't seen the film, go out and rent it. Enjoy! 9/10

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6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Reminise, 20 February 2004

Author: dscorpiondon

I put this movie in the same category as The Wood. Here it's all about an era, were the music meant everything from the DJ to the MC. In the movie you have a brother who loves the music, and a woman who can't understand the brother's love for it and how it seems to drive him. On the flip side you have another woman that understands the brother, and supports the brother (take note ladies SUPPORT we need it). What makes this a good movie, or love story is it could really happen. Imagine finding a supportive soulmate who is down for you, and you could relate to on many levels. However, often times that is never who you end up with for one reason or another. If your feeling this holla back.

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
I first fell in love w/ hip hop.........., 30 October 2002

Author: LARRYLOVE711 from United States

..........when I heard Spoonie G's Love Rap & Spoonin' Rap. Hip hop was ingrained into me and many native new yorkers just like the movie portrayed it. The movie speaks to my heart, in that hip hop has been romanticized on the big screen....finally!

Sanaa was great, DIggs was great, Mos Def and La were both off the hook. The essence of hip hop was put up on the screen in this movie, so if you didn't know before, you've seen it now.

I went to high school with Slick Rick, Dana Dane and the whole Kangol Crew (Al Sneed, Lance Brown and Omega the Heartbreaker to sum them up) and know them personally. The opening sequence in the park with the three aforementioned rappers doing their thing brought tears to my eyes......that was the purity of hip hop, before millions could be made....these cats were street celebrities that you could reach out and touch at anytime.

The simple fact that the movie is saturated in hip hop culture is enough of a remark for anyone who is in LOVE with hip hop.

ANyone who slammed this movie as dumb or stupid is quite simply cuturally stagnant...you just don't understand.

As far as comments go about the movie's shortcomings.....please, spare me the high-minded movie speak. If you didn't live it, you can't say what is and isn't believable. I KNOW these characters in many different people that I deal with....the director and writers GOT it.

It's like that, y'all!!

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
"You are the perfect verse over a tight beat", 9 June 2009

Author: Newsense from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Its kind of sad that I couldn't find this DVD in stores and had to revert to purchasing it online at Amazon.com. You can find 100 copies of some overrated blockbuster in these stores but you cant find one copy of Brown Sugar. I think somebody is making sure that we remain sheep-like trendies. At any rate...

The story is about Sydney(Sanaa Lathan) and Dre(Taye Diggs). Two best friends that have feelings for each other but never attempted to date each other. Sydney is a journalist and Dre is a record executive at Millennium Records. Dre ends up marrying a woman he just met(played by Nicole Ari Parker) and Sydney is not too happy about it. Sydney ends up dating a ball player(played by Boris Kodjoe) and they end up getting engaged. Dre has to deal with with a record label that only cares about making money and Sydney has to deal with her feelings for Dre.

Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs have wonderful chemistry together. They come across as real people on the screen and that is one thing I enjoy about Rick Fumuyiwa's movies. The people in them seem like real people and not these cardboard cutouts that we are used to in Hollywood movies. Also great in this movie is Queen Latifah and Mos Def who plays Chris, a struggling hip hop artist. Brown Sugar is not only charming and has a heart, its also smart and funny too. I'll admit that I laughed quite a bit especially at Rin and Tin scenes. I also love how the movie uses Sydney and Dre as a metaphor for hip hop. Its a well written and well acted movie that deserves a lot more credit that it receives. Nowadays movies are being oversold to death and stealing all the hype from movies that deserve hype. Its sad but this is the Follywood machine at work and it has never been any other way. Sanaa Lathan is not only a sight for sore eyes but she can actually act. Taye Diggs brings his usual charm to the film and I must say that they make a beautiful couple on screen.

Conclusion: Brown Sugar is one of the best and is most underrated romantic comedies of 2002. The story is great, the acting is cool and the chemistry is there. What more can you ask for from a movie? The people that gave this movie less than 7 stars should stick to reviewing Quentin Tarantino and his awful overrated movies(all of them!)and leave movies like this one alone. Tired and formulaic? You spineless fanboys say that about every movie that isn't oversold by Hollywood! That's why I hate reading most reviews on IMDb because most of the time they all go along the same lines. Don't you freaks have anything different to say? Just like I thought. Support the black directors that give you great work and Rick Fumuyiwa has given you great work with The Wood and Brown Sugar. Don't take directors like Bill Duke, Rick Fumuyiwa, Matty Rich etc for granted because you will helping in the downward spiral of quality in Black cinema. Give Brown Sugar a chance. It deserves that much which is more than I can say for most of the over-hyped junk that comes out now.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the best love stories on film!, 20 March 2007

Author: bless1 from United States

This movie is ultimately one of the best love stories i have seen on film.You don't even have to like hip hop to enjoy this movie. It will make you laugh, and it will even make you cry(tears of joy). Lathan and Diggs light up the screen together. It's a beautiful love story which sends a message of how to friends can really fall in love. It will certainly make you think twice about that friend of the opposite sex, that you have known for years, that you find attractive, that doesn't have a mate. It's just a wonderful movie to see, its not too raunchy on language or sex scenes. It's kind of funny how something like hip hop music can join two people together.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
A Hip Hop Love Story Done Right, 1 February 2006

Author: threedropsofcaramel from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

From the moment we first are privy to the interaction between Sidney and Dre, you automatically feel that there is something "more" lying underneath years of friendship and familial connection to the music industry.

When Sid returns to NY to become editor of XXL, immediately we begin to see a friendship that most people wish they had. Not only does she and Dre have a deep respect and admiration for one another, but they have so many experiences together. This movie offers lots of Eye Candy - a la Boris Kodjoe, Nicole Parker-Kodjoe, Mos Def and Queen Latifah. However, it is the relationship that Dre and Sid have with these other characters that makes them realize they have feelings for one another.

What I love about this film are the themes, the successful black woman and successful black man. The obstacles they face and the option of "selling out a little" to keep their careers. I love the friendships that take place. When Dre and Cav finally become friends and begin working together, you see how cool it is for two brothers to share a common bond and comradery that is just real. I also love how Sid and her cousin Francine (Latifah) interact with one another. Fran is that cousin/friend you are glad you have because she is so honest with you and will always tell you the truth.

Yet, the most compelling thing in this film is the music, the hip hop. Not only has the director used hip hop as a constant metaphor in the film to tell Dre and Sid's story, it is also constantly heard throughout the film, and I mean real hip hop. With the best cut being Mos Def's hip hop version of the title as the track that gets the label off the ground.

If you love HIP HOP, enjoy good black films and are a sucker for a romantic comedy, then this movie is definitely for you!

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Interesting Hip Hop Commentary, Predictable Love Story., 21 March 2003
Author: OldeSkool (OldeSkool) from United States

Just watched this movie on DVD. And while I found the hip-hop commentary interesting, the love story seemed to close too to LOVE AND BASKETBALL for comfort. After the cool opening scene (featuring cameos by Doug E. Fresh, Big Daddy Kane and De La Soul) I thought maybe the hop-hip angle would dominate the love story, and for a while it seemed like it would, but the opposite occured. The "friend-becoming-lovers" angles has been done better in other movies (LOVE AND BASKETBALL, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY.., etc.) and it's getting old. Don't get me wrong, the movie's not a total waste. The two leads are great, the supporting cast is good too. So if you don't mind a typical love story you just might want rent this one. Not great, but not bad as the other reviewers states.

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