[.ca] American Pimp (Widescreen) (ISBN 630601232X)

From Amazon.com:
There's a fascinating film to be made about the pimp culture and the myth of the outlaw sexual entrepreneur. American Pimp, a slick and entertaining but rather timid documentary by filmmaking brother act Allen and Albert Hughes (Menace 2 Society, Dead Presidents) isn't quite it, but it's a captivating document nonetheless. Flashy, garrulous real-life characters with names like Charm, Rosebudd, Too $hort, C-Note, and the "internationally known" Bishop Don Magic Juan take over their interviews with silver-tongued charm, spinning self-aggrandizing, often contradictory stories of life in the trade. The Hughes never challenge those contradictions and give only token representation to the women in the life (who have either bought into the myth or are too cowed to say differently). Apart from a few unguarded statements by less cagey subjects, the film avoids the seedy flip side to the so-called benevolent relationship between pimp and "ho." More to the Hughes' point is the fluid relationship between media image (as celebrated in such blaxploitation classics such as The Mack and Willie Dynamite) and street image. Simultaneously embracing and decrying their outlaw status, these pimps transform themselves into peacocklike fashion statements inspired by the very images they find so denigrating. They are undeniably dynamic characters playing out a bizarre fantasy of wealth, power, and swaggering sexuality, but if the film shows the cracks in their masks, it never manages to reveal the men under the money or expose the fallacy behind the fantasy. --Sean Axmaker

Tacky subject but good cinema!!!!!:
I watched this movie on BET and was compelled to get it because I wanted to see what they couldn't show on TV. It is a very good documentary despite the subject matter. The Hughes Brothers did a great job on the cinematography. Regardless of your opinion of Pimps it was a well put together film. I do wish they had more of the prostitutes' opinions of the game and maybe more shots of the Players' Ball. (He-He)

THIS IS NOTHING BUT DOO DOO:
In the 1800's, the Chinese put their women in the brothels to help make it in America. The Chinese men or the "pimps" called themselves the TONG. Well the Chinese here in America ain't doing that anymore, so why are Black people STILL pimping and "ho-ing"? I DO NOT OWN THIS PIECE OF DOO DOO! I RENTED IT!! In this age of enlightenment there is just no more reason or excuse for the "game". This is just another film about punked-out Black males making excuses for their incorect behaviour. PUNKED OUT;the system is wrong so they take it out on our daughters, sisters and mothers, PUNKED OUT. I hope that Blacks who watch this DVD will teach their daughters to be strong as to not fall into no pimp trap. Teach your sons to be REAL MEN. An example being JUDGE JOE BROWN. Don't buy this DVD, rent it! Have a bullet with the pimps name on it!

Pimpin Aint Easy, but Somebody's Gotta Do It!!:
American Pimp is as good as I thought it would be, maybe better. I found it really educational(no joke), and afterwards, I felt like I learned more from than that than I ever had in school!! So, this movie is a masterpiece-- My favorite pimp is probably Bishop Don Magic Juan. His crazy clothes are tiight. The film basically just describes the 'game', how they get their hos,how long they've been in the 'game', what it takes, and when they started pimpin'. Fillmore Slim is one OLD pimp, but he's a MASTER. I also thought it was hilarious-- Let's just say that I'm a little younger than most of the movie's audience. So, if you're into pimpin, I'd reccommend this..... AINT NO BIZNAZZ LIKE HO BIZNAZZ!

Gets the job done:
This documentary is just that. A documentary, and it is very enlightening movie. I recommend that you watch the interview of the Hughes brothers before and after viewing the film. And like they say, you really have to watch the film twice to fully appreciate the messages, and allow a lot of the statements to really sink in. Remove all preconceptions about what you think this film is before you press the play button.

A Glorification of Slavery, Basically:
Talk about your double standards. The same people who get outraged at the enslavement of females in Africa or Eastern Europe think it's hip to extol the style of these low life pimps in the US. Pure hypocrisy These are not figures to be emulated or held up as role models for young males of whatever race. I was pretty \oupset\c at these guy's attitudes towards women, to say the least. I would hope that W.E.B. Dubois, Malcolm X, Frederick Douglas, Booker T Washington, Martin Luther King, etc., would serve as standards. Not these \ofolks\c. ...