Baadasssss!

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Baadasssss!

R,

2003,

1h 48m,

Drama

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Watchlist

Watchlist

91%

107 Reviews

Tomatometer

84%

2,500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

107 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Director Mario Van Peebles chronicles the complicated production of his father Melvin's classic 1971 film, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. Playing his father in the film, Van Peebles offers an unapologetic account of Melvin's brash and sometimes deceptive conduct on the set of the film, including questionable antics like writing bad checks, tricking a local fire department and allowing his son, Mario, to shoot racy sex scenes at the age of 11.

Critics Consensus

An entertaining and intriguing tribute to a father from his son.

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David Denby

The New Yorker

Aug 1, 2004

It's an exhausting, and exhaustingly pleasurable, entertainment.

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Jul 3, 2004

4/5

Seethes with well-targeted humor that mixes comfortably with its simmering energy and anger.

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Geoff Pevere

Toronto Star

Jun 25, 2004

3/5

Effectively raw and stylish.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Jan 11, 2026

3/4

Ultimately a son's affectionate tribute to his dad, a difficult man who floundered as a regular father but established himself as a "founding father" of a different sort.

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Kaleem Aftab

The List

Apr 24, 2019

3/5

[An] enjoyable docu-romp... Sadly, there's neither enough first-hand evidence from Van Peebles Sr. himself nor sufficient social historical perspective for Baadasssss to make the leap from being a good documentary to a great one.

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Deborah Hornblow

Hartford Courant

Jan 2, 2018

3/5

Audiences unfamiliar with "Sweetback'' can enjoy and understand the story chronicled in "Baadasssss!,'' but the experience is infinitely richer if you have seen the film that inspired it.

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Mario Van Peebles

Director

Mario Van Peebles

Melvin Van Peebles

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Synopsis

Director Mario Van Peebles chronicles the complicated production of his father Melvin's classic 1971 film, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. Playing his father in the film, Van Peebles offers an unapologetic account of Melvin's brash and sometimes deceptive conduct on the set of the film, including questionable antics like writing bad checks, tricking a local fire department and allowing his son, Mario, to shoot racy sex scenes at the age of 11.

Director: Mario Van Peebles
Producer: Bruce Wayne Gillies, Mario Van Peebles
Screenwriter: Mario Van Peebles, Mario Van Peebles
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Bad Aaas Cinemas, Showtime Networks Inc.
Rating: R (Some Strong Sexuality|Pervasive Language|Nudity)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 7, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 10, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $365.2K
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Surround

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