The Problem with Apu
The Problem with Apu
| 19 November 2017 (USA)
The Problem with Apu Trailers

In the history of “The Simpsons,” few characters outside the title family have had as much cultural impact as Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the Springfield convenience store owner. Comedian Hari Kondabolu is out to show why that might be a problem.

Reviews
thebigidiot

So I only just saw this film, and I found it pretty interesting. Hari interviews a lot of different people and it really looks like he has done his best to get a lot of different perspectives on the matter. It's a shame Hank Azaria wouldn't speak, but it's understandable. The documentary is well-edited and Hari can be legitimately funny at times.There are a couple flaws. Sometimes he seems to acknowledge a counterargument, but does not explicitly refute it. He mentions that Apu has also served as a way to expose white people's prejudices about Indians, but his rebuttal of this argument is a bit unsatisfactory. He talks about the lack of representation for south asians, but at the same time concedes that it has become much better now, although this is not a contradiction, it makes the argument less strong. The solution he provides at the end seems poorly formulated; he compares the Simpsons to a lovable, but racist grandfather who, at some point, should just die. This makes it seem like his solution is to kill the Simpsons as a whole, even though right before, he and the actor who played Apu's nephew came up with a different, better solution: For the Simpsons to work different, non-stereotypical Indian people into the show, and to display some self-awareness about the fact that Apu is a stereotype, or even to have Apu suddenly drop the accent and talk normally. A creative solution like this would work better than to advocate for The Simpsons to die, because that's not going to happen.Nevertheless, the documentary is well-made, funny, and provides a great insight into the personal experiences of many people of South Asian descent regarding representation, their image and how society sees them.

... View More
sallenlrar

Tries to bring down the very thing he's making money on. Silly.

... View More
fjk1138-731-161881

As a fan of Hank Azaria, Apu, and the Simpsons for almost 30 years now I found the arguments made in this "documentary" to be rather weak, at best.Hari Kondabolu's main contentions are that he doesn't like the character's accent, he doesn't like being teased about the accent, Apu's character is somehow an insult to his parents, and knowing that he cannot personally stop Fox or The Simpsons producers from continuing to use Apu as character he feels a false sense of entitlement and exclusivity in trying to meet with Hank Azaria to convince him to stop doing it (Spoiler alert - Hank kindly refuses). Yet at the same time, he insists that the Simpsons show should continue and he supposedly even enjoyed everything else about it.Huh? What? Does he not realize that Apu, despite his "stereotypical presentation", is actually shown to be an extremely intelligent person who has deep feelings and pretty much the same highs and lows of life that most people on the planet experience every day? Apparently not - he's not open-minded enough, nor is he able to take a step back and see the larger social commentary picture that the Simpsons tries to make in every episode. In fact, in many episodes where this happens, Apu is revealed to be the one with superior knowledge and/or cultural strengths. He also is apparently not able to laugh at himself and just enjoy it for what it is - ironic for a person whose career is supposedly in comedy. As a side criticism on that last point: I'm well-versed in comedy legends since the dawn of television, and I didn't even know Hari existed before this film - his overall impact to the world of comedy is minimal at best. Or is that really the problem and this just an attempt to get noticed? The problem is, if Apu is banned from the show (yes banned - anything done officially in response to these complaints results in a "ban" regardless of whatever form it may come in), then do we ban all the other characters? Do we ban Dr Hibbert, Dr Nick Riviera, Bumblebee Man, and the like? How about Lenny, Carl, Grandpa, and even ultra-politically correct Lisa? I'm a white male near 50 years old - should I be offended because the dumbest character on the show is Homer, a white male? No, I am not, and Homer is one of my favorite comedy characters in the history of television because as flawed as he is, he always does the right thing in the end.What Hari also misses about Hank's performance of Apu is that it's just that: it's a performance. Does it mean Hank personally hates people from India? I'm guessing not. By the same token, is Stephen King a serial killer at heart if he writes a story about one from the killer's point of view? How about Edward Norton playing a Neo-Nazi in American History X - does that mean he hates all other races? Does Ralph Fiennes try to shoot Jews with a rifle from his window because of his role in Schidler's List? And should the people of Germany be offended by his accent or that he misrepresents their race or culture? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding "NEIN!" One point I will agree on with Hari is that there are not a lot of well-known Indian comedians or actors, but that appears to be changing. I am 100% in favor of more shows like that for anyone interested in Indian culture, comedy, etc. So Hari...why not put your comedy brain to work and make your own cartoon? Oh wait, your buddies tried that and guess what? No one cared.Just the other day, I read in the news that Hank Azaria responded to the film and said they would all basically take what Hari says in consideration on the future of Apu. I'm all for that, but I sincerely hope that neither Fox nor the Simpsons' producers cave and give up the character just to appease someone who clearly has no other means to get noticed than to try and ride wave of another's success.Sorry Hari, we've all been teased about something in life, myself included. The difference is we all can handle it like grown ups and moved on a long, long time ago.

... View More
kaspergordon

..is that it tries to create a problem, where there really isn't one. That it tries to point its fingers, at a cultural artistic expression, and tell it, that it is wrong, and foul. Trying to shame it, and let us know, that it has the better, and right way of thinking from its pedestal of righteousness. Basically this movie represents the concept of cultural Marxism in its purest form.If people keep letting movies (and thought-controlling mentalities in general) like this get off the hook, or even worse, view it as a positive thing. And we constantly let other people tell us what is offensive, correct, and wrong, and how entertainment, opinions and art is allowed to be expressed, then we'll soon end up as the same grey mass in a dystopian padded cell of a socialistic future, where it'll be too late to turn back.

... View More