a side hustle just to make ends meet

In America and some other devilish colonial countries, pursuing wealth has been etched into our brains so deeply. The difference in privilege between the wealthy and the poor can be seen more easily than the Sun trying to hide behind Pluto. The wealthy and the poor do have an interesting overlapping trait: They both spend their days plotting schemes to get rich (poor people) or get even richer (wealthy people).

 Chameleon Street is a movie about a Black man living in Detroit, William Douglas Street Jr., who spends his days being an imposter for multiple professions, mainly to support his wife financially.

 The largest theme of the movie is the importance of money in a capitalist society. Who has to turn to scamming and other criminal activities for money? Well, all poor people, but it seems as if Black people are always pushed even harder to turn to crime. Wealthy people also scam and commit crimes. Do not be fooled. You must have a certain kind of authority or social status to commit a certain crime. That person who makes the employee salary decision at that large, fancy research university is scamming you out of money on every paycheck, so why can’t poor people do the same? Doesn’t capitalism show us every day that money takes precedence above all?

 I appreciate how the main character didn’t pursue many stereotypical ways of Black men illegally working for money. Usually, you see Black men illegally making money in film through drug dealing or thievery; however, Street crept into spaces that are regarded as socially elite. He scammed his way into being a doctor, reporter, and an exchange student at an elite university.

 There are plenty of cleverly ridiculous stunts being pulled in the movie that make some of the heavier subject matter more accessible.

 There are multiple social issues discussed in the film, and I like how they don’t seem forced or offer any unrealistic solutions to them. The film displays serious issues without being overly entertaining to the point where the issue being discussed becomes a simple mockery. There was a prison scene where Douglas was mistakenly seen as homosexual because he had been accepting favors from his cellmate. His cellmate tries to ask him for a sexual favor, but Douglas hilariously and ridiculously fakes an epileptic seizure so he can be removed from the situation. Prison homosexuality and rape are real and serious topics that deserve to be explored for the sake of the inmates. What I like about the scene is that Douglas didn’t call the cellmate a homophobic slur, nor did he talk down on homosexuality. Rape is not okay for any gender or any context, so I am glad it wasn’t shown or implied. This scene could invite people to study why men and people in prison resort to rape. What have we done as a society to even allow or encourage these things to happen?

 I clearly see how the movie wasn’t a blockbuster hit back in its day. The film's humor, content, delivery, and creativity were too ahead of its time, especially for Black cinema. The creative direction wasn’t the only factor that most likely held this film back from achieving mainstream success. The film probably needed a more star-studded cast to capture the general population's attention because Hollywood seems to favor popularity. Mainstream success shouldn’t be the goal, but mainstream success certainly pays the bills.

 This film reminds me of Random Acts of Flyness by Terence Nance. The movie is sort of all over the place and not immediately clear about what is going on, which I think could be a strength because it forces you to watch more intently. Every movie can’t have the Disney Marvel formula laced with special effects and action scenes meant to carry the whole movie. You’ll have to pull out your adult brain and leave the “goo goo gah gah” baby brain, which needs flashing lights and middle school lunch table jokes to like a film, at home in the crib.