The first date is never easy and the thoughts are endless. What should I wear? Where should we go? What do we talk about? But, who knew a casual work date on the Southside of Chicago in 1989 would lead to such success?
Singer John Legend serves as executive producer in “Southside with You”, a movie about President Barack and Michelle Obama’s first date. The couple, who met at a law firm, were on two different pages. Young junior associate Michelle Robinson wanted to keep their interaction strictly on a professional level. But, second year Harvard law student Barack Obama wanted more. In 84 minutes, “Southside with You”, follows every stop and conversation made on their first date in detail.
One day movies are always interesting because the story, the plot, and climax all have to be fully executed based off a 24-hour timeline. While this movie pulled this off, I wanted the rest of the Obama’s story– their engagement, wedding, giving birth to Malia and Sasha, and his first election. The ending was hard despite knowing the outcome of the story. I just wanted more.
Parker Sawyers and Tika Sumpter are a fictional match made in heaven. Neither actor actually resembled their characters but the pair performed the First Couple very well. Sawyers had President Obama’s motion and vernacular memorized. From the cigarette smoking to the dramatic pauses in his speech, it was a delight to see Sawyers as the POTUS.
Sumpter, who’s expecting a baby girl soon, is everything we see from our First Lady today; classy and poised. She was not pregnant when they filmed the movie last summer, but she’s glowing on screen with an overall polished look. What the two lacked in physical similarities, they made up in every other area to capture the complete essence of Barack and Michelle Obama.
If I had a relationship goal, the Obamas would be it. Their story is so attractive that a major motion picture was created just based on their first date. On a personal not political note, the Obamas are a beautiful couple and, for the past eight years, have been a joy to follow.
As President Obama’s two-term, eight-year presidency comes to an end, “Southside with You” reminds you of the good times the Obamas have shared with us over the years. The first date was just a drop in the bucket compared to the invasive amount of experiences they have shared.
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