Themes: Interracial/Cross-Cultural Romance, Race Relations, High School Life
Main Cast: Lois Bendler, Michael Rapaport, N'Bushe Wright, Paul Butler, DeShonn Castle, Candy Ann Brown, Dan Ziskie, Kevin Corrigan
Release Year: 1992
Country: US
Run Time: 101 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
An interracial romance sparks social upheaval in this indie drama from first-time writer/director Anthony Drazan. Jewish high school student Zack Glass (Michael Rapaport) lives with his widowed, womanizing father (Ray Sharkey) in one of the nicer areas of Detroit. His pop and grandfather own a pair of vintage record stores full of everything from swing and jazz to soul and disco; Zack carries on the vinyl-centric family tradition by selling hip-hop mix tapes out of his locker and mixing fiddles and Puccini into his DJ sets at local parties. One day at school, beautiful New Jersey transfer student Nikki (N'Bushe Wright) witnesses Zack's girlfriend unceremoniously dumping him; when it turns out that Zack's best friend, Dee Wimms (DeShonn Castle), is Nikki's cousin, the stage is set for romance -- the first interracial pairing for each teen. Dee is happy to play matchmaker, but members of the Wimms clan aren't as pleased with the romance. Nikki's mother, Marlene (Candy Ann Brown), asks Zack point-blank if he's curious about black women -- or just slumming it. Such mild disapproval is nothing compared to the rage felt by Nut (Ron Johnson), a young troublemaker who wants to romance Nikki himself. When Nikki overhears Zack making a racially insensitive comment about her to his pals at a party, she questions the viability of their relationship; the next day, she finds herself making time with Nut, who displays an unexpected tender streak. When Zack shows up at the local skating rink to talk to Nikki and sees Nut pestering her, things spiral out of control. Soon, the lines are drawn in a community-wide debate about interracial dating and urban violence. Zebrahead earned a Filmmaker's Trophy for Drazan at Sundance in 1992 and launched the successful careers of Rapaport and Wright. Indie fans will notice Kevin Corrigan in an elliptical subplot involving the industrial disintegration of the Motor City. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Review
This urban love story-cum-sociological drama packs some fine performances, choice dialogue, and keen insight before it takes a sharp left turn and sinks in muddy political waters. Michael Rapaport deserves every job he ever landed on the strength of his performance here. Playing a cultural chameleon with a wry sense of humor, Barry White-bedroom moves, and a lot of paternal resentment, Rapaport lets his character's many layers creep into focus only when necessary. The pent-up conflicts between Zack and his slothful, sex-obsessed father give Rapaport and Ray Sharkey plenty of sharply written little scenes. Drazan also includes all sorts of small details about Zack's family and about Detroit itself that lend the character an air of authenticity and give the story a subtle depth. Unfortunately, the screenplay doesn't devote as much detail to N'Bushe Wright's Nikki, who's pretty much defined by her relationships to Zack and her family. Still, the actress does what she can with an underwritten role, and there are some nice scenes between Nikki and her fierce mother, played superbly by Candy Ann Brown. The rest of the principals prove uniformly fine, from DeShonn Castle's affable, wisecracking Dee to Ron Johnson's thuggish but charismatic Nut. If Drazan simply allowed these characters to act as they would in real life, Zebrahead would be a better film. Instead, the director throws in overwrought plot developments and lots of debates in which minor characters espouse philosophical viewpoints with all the naturalism of sock puppets. Thankfully, most of this nonsense occurs in the film's final reel, making most of Zebrahead a pleasure to watch. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Luke Reilly - Mr. Modell; Martin Priest - Saul; Ron Johnson - Nut; Ray Sharkey - Richard Glass; Helen Shaver - Diane; Lois Bendler - Dominic's Mother; Shirley Benyas - Helen; Andrew Berlin - Jake; Taunesha Butler - Brenda; Glenn Dossin - Waiter; Marsha Florence - Mrs. Wilson; Londie Jermain Fuller - Jasmine; Lz Granderson - Larry; Idina Harris - Nadine; Yvette Hawkins - Margaret; Harold Hogan - Marlene's Boyfriend; Diane Jones - Mrs. Jones; Lara Kramer - Robin; William Ozier - Reverend; Liana Pai - Connie; Tycie Person - Sophie; Michael Rapaport - Zack Glass; Jon Seda - Vinnie; Abdul Hassan Sharif - Al; Jade Marisa Thomas - Kathy; Bobby Joe Travis - Angel; Shula Van Buren - Michelle; Alberta Watson - Phyliss; Jason Willinger - Bobby
Credit
Dan Whifler - Art Director, Matthew Coppola - Associate Producer, Carol Oditz - Costume Designer, Don Wilkerson - First Assistant Director, Anthony Drazan - Director, Elizabeth Kling - Editor, Oliver Stone - Executive Producer, Taj Mahal - Composer (Music Score), MC Serch - Musical Direction/Supervision, Naomi Shohan - Production Designer, Maryse Alberti - Cinematographer, Charles Darby - Production Manager, Jeff Dowd - Producer, Charles Mitchell - Producer, William F. Willett - Producer, Stan Wlodkowski - Producer, Janet Yang - Producer, Penny Barrett - Set Designer, Anthony Drazan - Screenwriter, Sydney Gilner - Script Supervisor, Noga Isakson - Second Assistant Director, Skip Lievsay - Supervising Sound Editor, Yvonne Woods - Assistant Location Manager, Keeth Wallace - Assistant Location Manager, Kimberly Chidester - Assistant Production Coordinator, Peter Newman - Co-Executive Producer
Spike Lee's drama Jungle Fever was released in 1991, and Zebrahead was released the following year. As both films deal with interracial romance, Zebrahead was seen as an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Lee's movie. It was overlooked as a result.
This movie was released as "The Colour of Love" in the UK.
A soundtrack containing hip hop and R&B music was released on October 13, 1992 through Ruffhouse Records. It is best known for containing Nas' first single "Halftime".
