Who cares if the Pirates are diverse if only white characters drive the movie’s plot?
Sorry, but Rick Malambri does not read “rag tag captain of street-dancing crew.” He reads, “stand in for Tom Brady” in a GQ photo shoot. Sharni Vinson, the female lead, is far more interesting, perhaps because she earns a “racially ambiguous stamp” like that woman in the tampon ad. Having dark hair will do that. Courtney Sheehan: The white leads are so overwhelmingly boring and far and away the worst actors in the film—just like the plot, they’re a farce. The director, Jon Chu, knows that white faces may need to be plastered on posters to sell more tickets, but once you get inside the theater, you realize that the show is NOT about the unfortunate leads. This is a movie about bodies in ways that most white people just aren’t tapped into, which makes the white-majority club of critics automatically suspicious and critical. I’ve rarely witnessed a crowd so pleased: mid-film applause was frequent, laughter uproarious, and “daaaayumns” heartfelt. With an audience this genuinely entertained
