I was not entirely impressed with this movie. I understand it was written for kids, but the "adult" characters in this movie were the most immature of the lot. A couple examples, when the black mom and daughter goes to pick up the girl at the airport the mom's first verballized response was "She's white". This was clearly audible to the girl they are picking up. Another example, They take her to meet Congressman Dellums, the mom doesn't even try to warn her husband, forcing the girl to go through another extremely uncomfortable shunning situation by the Congressman and his associates. The Congressman even says "I will not have a white South African in my house". I don't think my kids would learn the correct lesson from this comment, since the Congressmen never says anything that indicates that was a bad thing for him to say. The movie never addresses the prejudice and racism that the black family has toward this 14 year old girl.
There were several times in the movie that the mother hears a normal 14 year old girl's comment and decides that it is clear racism. At the first breakfast this girl sits down to eat at this house, she asks for South African food that would be normal breakfast for her. This is very normal for a kid that is used to having breakfast made for them by an adult in the household. The mom then asks if she has a maid. This then brings on a reprimand for asking. She is told that she will eat when the family eats (had they knocked on her door and asked her to come down to eat?) and would eat what the family eats (in this case, cold ceral).
Why did the family not try to make this girl comfortable at all? At this point in the movie, the only attempt to make her comfortable is the mom telling the girl that she has called the Exchange Student coordinator and they are arranging for another home or she can go back to South Africa. The girl had then asked if she could stay with them instead of going home.
It is hard to see who is the role model for a child. I found myself thinking that the actual role model is the white girl. She only knows what she has seen and grown up with. She is treated like dirt by this "foster family" that has agreed to bring her in. She manages to look through all of this and still learn that the way she was raised is not good. The Congressman's daughter may come in second, but the rest of the Congressman's family is not a role model. They treat this girl like dirt simply because she is white. The Congressman says several things that were just outright racist and he never learns anything. At the end he has come to like the girl, but it is clearly "despite her being white". I hope that the real Congressman Dellums was not like this and was not consulted in the making of this movie.
Bottom line - I would be uncomfortable having my kids watch this show because there are not enough good role models in this movie to enforce the message they are trying to spread.
There were several times in the movie that the mother hears a normal 14 year old girl's comment and decides that it is clear racism. At the first breakfast this girl sits down to eat at this house, she asks for South African food that would be normal breakfast for her. This is very normal for a kid that is used to having breakfast made for them by an adult in the household. The mom then asks if she has a maid. This then brings on a reprimand for asking. She is told that she will eat when the family eats (had they knocked on her door and asked her to come down to eat?) and would eat what the family eats (in this case, cold ceral).
Why did the family not try to make this girl comfortable at all? At this point in the movie, the only attempt to make her comfortable is the mom telling the girl that she has called the Exchange Student coordinator and they are arranging for another home or she can go back to South Africa. The girl had then asked if she could stay with them instead of going home.
It is hard to see who is the role model for a child. I found myself thinking that the actual role model is the white girl. She only knows what she has seen and grown up with. She is treated like dirt by this "foster family" that has agreed to bring her in. She manages to look through all of this and still learn that the way she was raised is not good. The Congressman's daughter may come in second, but the rest of the Congressman's family is not a role model. They treat this girl like dirt simply because she is white. The Congressman says several things that were just outright racist and he never learns anything. At the end he has come to like the girl, but it is clearly "despite her being white". I hope that the real Congressman Dellums was not like this and was not consulted in the making of this movie.
Bottom line - I would be uncomfortable having my kids watch this show because there are not enough good role models in this movie to enforce the message they are trying to spread.