You People (2023)

You People is at its best when it leans into the delicious discomfort of two worlds colliding, turning a familiar meet-the-parents setup into a modern L.A. comedy that actually has teeth. Kenya Barris keeps the pace punchy and current, and the movie’s biggest pleasure is watching a game cast volley sharp, timely jokes—Eddie Murphy in particular brings a grounded, intimidating charisma that makes every conversation feel like a high-stakes stand-up set. Beneath the laughs, it’s tuned to the small social missteps and well-meaning landmines that can make love feel harder than it should, giving the romance a real, relatable tension without drowning in melodrama. It’s not for everyone—if you’re allergic to heavy profanity or secondhand-embarrassment humor, the R-rated edge may wear on you—but if you want a lively, talky, culture-clash rom-com with big performances and plenty to chew on, it’s an easy date-night pick.

You People is clearly trying to be a modern Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner—using a rom-com setup to poke at race, religion, and generational blind spots, with a stacked cast doing their best to sell it. The problem is it often swaps wit for lectures and cringe, hammering the same points so hard that the characters can start to feel like mouthpieces instead of people you’re rooting for. Jonah Hill and Lauren London have a likable baseline, and Eddie Murphy gets a few sharp moments, but the comedy can feel repetitive and the “message” can come off sanctimonious rather than insightful. If you want a breezy, genuinely romantic comedy or nuanced cultural commentary, this may test your patience; if you don’t mind broad satire, awkward humor, and an R-rated stream of profanity, you’ll get a few solid laughs out of it.