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Movies / On DVD / American Pimp
American Pimp

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American Pimp (1999)

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Reviews Counted:20

Fresh:10

Rotten:10

Average Rating:5.9/10

Runtime: 86 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Synopsis: After their mainstream commercial successes (MENACE II SOCIETY, DEAD PRESIDENTS), this documentary from twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes feels like a labor of love. The subjects are pimps, and... After their mainstream commercial successes (MENACE II SOCIETY, DEAD PRESIDENTS), this documentary from twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes feels like a labor of love. The subjects are pimps, and they don't mind the attention. In fact, it's not long before the jewelry, cars, clothes, and even women take a backseat to the barrage of explanations, instructions, and anecdotes unleashed by macks and players from all over the United States. That they are exploiting women--as evidenced by the testimony of white "squares" at the beginning of the film--is rationalized by the almost-all-black pimps, who live by their own code of ethics on the margins of a society that they claim needs them. Men with names such as Gorgeous Dre, Fillmore Slim, and Bishop Don Magic Juan (who proudly displays photographs he took with Donald Trump and Marion Barry) take the viewer through the origins of pimping, pimp style, and the ups and downs of dealing with the prostitutes--who don't even get a cut. Through it all, the Hughes brothers intercut the blaxploitation films that not only popularized pimps in the public imagination but were based on the culture of real pimps and in turn inspired a new generation to become pimps themselves. [More]

Director: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes

Director: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes
Producer: Kevin J. Messick, Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes

Reviews for American Pimp

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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A disappointing docu debut drom the gifted Hughes brothers, a soft, uncritical exploration of pimps that ignores issues of race, misogyny and violence; helmers seem carried away by the "exotic" lifestyle of this morally dubious profession.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/05/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There's a built-in staleness to American Pimp that the Hughes Brothers are never able to overcome.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
12/04/06
David Luty
David Luty
Film Journal International

Wild, real and raw.

comment Comment
11/02/06
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
06/03/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
N/R

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Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle

No review available.

comment Comment
06/30/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
04/01/05
Brandon Judell
Brandon Judell
PopcornQ
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
08/30/04
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Celebrates an evil.

comment Comment
05/17/04
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

The Hughes Brothers stylized and provocative expose' about street hustling flesh merchants...comical, disturbing and revealing.

comment Comment
05/29/03
Frank Ochieng
Frank Ochieng
TheWorldJournal.com

A surprising -- and surprisingly non-salacious -- non-fiction treat. It's a credit to the Hughes brothers that viewers leave with a much grayer picture of what an American pimp is all about.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Today | comment Comment
01/16/03
Brent Simon
Brent Simon
Entertainment Today

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Film Threat
N/R

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Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
10/29/02
Erin Aubry
Erin Aubry
L.A. Weekly
N/R

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Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
09/20/02
Steve Ryfle
Steve Ryfle
Hollywood.com
N/R

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Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
06/05/02
Ray Greene
Ray Greene
Boxoffice Magazine

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
03/19/02
Globe and Mail

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Full Review Source: Matinee Magazine | comment Comment
02/04/02
Jason Clark
Jason Clark
Matinee Magazine

By the time the movie ends we’re left wondering if perhaps we weren’t just celebrating these predators.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
10/10/01
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
Apollo Guide
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online
 
 
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