Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

SmugKitZine Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

Thehibikiew Not even bad in a good way

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

filmbay Film Critic AS a primer on race relations, what makes Zebrahead unique, and uniquely fascinating, is its point-of-view. The film begins with an assumption largely ignored in the works of Spike Lee or John Singleton - a belief that young white Americans are being heavily influenced by urban black culture, by the music and the language and the dress, by the mania of Arsenio Hall and the magic of Michael Jordan. So the script takes an admittedly extreme example of that influence - a white teen-ager reared in the predominantly black environs of Detroit - and examines the implications. Can cultural conditioning yield tolerance and empathy as readily as it generates prejudice and hate? The question itself is hopeful, and the movie delivers a complex answer with subtlety and style. Making his feature debut, writer-director Anthony Drazan has done his homework well - he too is the product of a "culturally mixed" background, and a man with an obvious zest for research. Shooting over 60 hours of video footage in New York City high schools, Drazan used that raw material as the basis for his fictional screenplay, changing the setting to the urban fringes of the Motor City and finding his alter ego in the youthful character of Zack (Michael Rapaport), a Jewish kid who, by sheer dint of exposure, is "more on the home-boy side than the white-boy side." The result is a vibrant picture that, from the rough dialogue to the hip-hop soundtrack, from the electronic "hall-monitors" to the washroom crackheads, resonates with the ring of truth. Certainly, for Zack, his "home-boy" side is not an assumed pose but a nurtured fact - he naturally loves the music that flows around him; his best friend is black because so are many of his classmates; ditto for Nikki (N'Bushe Wright), the new girl in town, the one with the sassy manner and the sweet smile. When Zack and Nikki go out on a Saturday night, it feels natural, inevitable. Of course, that single date becomes the pebble tossed in the pond, and the rest of the film traces the tragic ripples.The revealed patterns are intriguing. The fortysomethings, the teen- agers' parents and teachers, are wholly incapable of viewing the relationship through anything but a racial lens. Some are more laissez faire than others - Zack's philandering dad (Ray Sharkey) seems to have transcended bigotry by abandoning any emotion - but all are fearful, pessimistic. The same is largely true of the kids' peers, yet there are a few telling exceptions - young adults who, as a way of life, not as a matter of principle, have genuinely broken through the colour barrier. It may be sentimental to argue, as the film does, that hope rests with the young. But it's not sentimental to show exactly how and why. Despite some small flaws (a few too many plot complications and a recurring visual image that seems tacked on), that's Drazan's real triumph here - within the turmoil and the tragedy he explores, there emerges a glint of hope that doesn't smack of wishful thinking.And hope breeds hope. One wants to believe that, by extension, the glint can become a beacon, and that a racially mixed high-school can double as an educational microcosm - a troubled hotspot that grows the seeds of a solution from within the very problems it creates. Yes, one dearly wants to believe, and Zebrahead gives us a reason. Benjamin Miller, Filmbay Editor.

ladyrt23 The plot touched a new level of interracial dating for that time. The early nineties opened up a door of acceptance. Yet, it was slowly closing a door of hate towards interracial friendships and relationships. The plot has a seasoned flavor. You wanted to catch every detail of the movie. You admired the friendship between Zack and Dee. Dee loved Zack like a brother. However, Zack battled between friendships. Although he acted so-called black around Dee, he still remained to be in tune with his white friends. Zack was more confused than anything. The thought of dating a black girl was exciting. Yet, he was interested in her beauty, her style, and mind. The two played it safe for a while but no one really approved except for Dee. Trouble is always around. Yet, it's sad when it lives across the street. The infamous "Nut" had a crush on Nikki. He did not like Zack at all. He was an abandoned child that was clearly uneducated. He was not a gang member but he was full of hate due to his surroundings. What led to the tragic scene of Dee's killing was a stupid act of passion. Nikki was vulnerable during her break-up with Zack. Nut was caring for the moment and the two kissed. She regretted the mistake, yet she left Nut confused. So...to see Nikki and Zack rekindling there relationship made him mad. A huge confrontation between Nut and Zack was interrupted by Dee. Dee always came to Zack's rescue. He pushed Nut on the floor and Nut acted out. He shot and killed Dee. Nut had intentions of shooting Zack but Dee became the target. What a plot!!! Zack is hated because their friendship got Dee killed. Nikki is hated because she crossed the racial barriers. Everybody is blaming the two. Overall, this movie remains to be the best interracial love story. It teaches about racism, love, young adults, violence, hate, friendship, and family.

Infofreak 'Zebrahead' is an excellent, little known movie that manages to realistically portray racial issues in a contemporary teen movie without being saccharine or too preachy. Michael Rapaport, best known for playing supporting roles of losers in movies like 'True Romance', 'Cop Land' and 'Kiss Of Death', is given a strong leading role here and does very well with it. Surprisingly it was his movie debut and he rarely been given a part as good as this since. N'Bushe Wright, best known for 'Blade', is also excellent as his love interest Nikki, and the late Ray Sharkey ('Who'll Stop The Rain?') is first rate as his womanizing father. The rest of the supporting cast, mostly all young and unknown, are all very good, and the strange cameo by Kevin Corrigan ('Bandwagon', 'Buffalo '66') is unexplained but fascinating. Writer/director Anthony Drazan went on to make the equally overlooked 'Imaginary Crimes' and 'Hurlyburly'. All three movies deserve a lot more attention.

niki6d I saw this movie when i was in highschool and it's been inbedded in my head ever since. It made me a huge fan of M. Rapaport. I was just thinking of buying the film on vhs but lo and behold it's coming to dvd June 18. Everyone should have it on their dvd or vhs shelf.