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The latest brainchild from content genius Lena Waithe & Oscar winning actress Halle Berry remixes the classic 1992 movie ‘Boomerang’ with modern flavor.
The new series, which premiered this week, is the millennial version of the film that starred Halle Berry, Robin Givens and Eddie Murphy as a high powered ad executive with a womanizing problem.
The 2019 version of the 90s story follows young adults as they navigate the advertising industry and their tangled love lives. Simone (Tetona Jackson), who is Marcus Graham’s 26-year-old daughter and Bryson (Tequan Richmond) who is Jacqueline’s son, grew up together and are now grappling with their own feelings for one another as they work side by side at Simone’s father’s ad agency.
Simone’s business savvy attitude and sexual prowess is a natural reflection of her playa pop’s ways back in the day. She has a way of convincing the world to move for her, which is a welcomed departure from the damsel caricature that was popularized in the 90s. She’s certainly inherited her father’s charm, along with his legacy and money.
Simone is empowered–and her ability to influence the men around her and “the culture” as a whole is evident in the first episode of the BET series.
We also get a reflection of the real lives of working Black “twenty somethings” throughout the plot line. As Black professionals, we know we have to navigate both our own communities and mainstream corporate America skillfully, seeking a sense of belonging in both spectrums. The code switching can be exhausting–especially when no matter how authentically we try to balance our lives, we can still be told by whites and Blacks that we “aren’t enough.”
EP Lena Waithe spoke on this tension in an interview with Vice explaining, “I think ultimately, black people still have the burden of being excellent, whether we like it or not,” Lena revealed.
“…half the stuff Donald Trump is doing, if Barack Obama ever did that, he’d have been impeached”
Between the tension and reckless nature of modern dating, and the “chew you up, spit you out” intensity of corporate life, the story of ‘Boomerang’ is the perfect representation of what it means to be Black, kinda single and employed in this era.
