Brother Cured of Jungle Fever Decides to Settle Down with a Sister

I'm Through with White Girls (The Inevitable Undoing of Jay Brooks)

Rated R for profanity, an ethnic slur and sexual references.
Running time: 94 minutes
Studio: Turn Soul Films/Image Entertainment

Film Review by Kam Williams
Excellent (4 stars)

Although he himself is African-American, Jay Brooks (Anthony Montgomery) doesn’t date black girls, basically because every one he’s met has been more interested in the athletic, alpha-male, Talented Tenth type of guy. And this thirty-something, nerdy underachiever not only wears glasses, but can’t dance, chain smokes through a cigarette holder and isn’t exactly good in bed. Worse, his pay as an illustrator of graphic novels isn’t enough for him to own a car, which makes it almost impossible to wine and dine women in a city like Los Angeles.

Still, these failings haven’t prevented the roaming Romeo from finding one white girl after another eager to sleep with him. The only problem is that none of those serially monogamous liaisons ever lasts because Jay always sabotages them at the first sign that a partner wants to get serious.

He’s recently dumped his latest conquest in his usual fashion, namely, by leaving behind a note as he went out the door, because the Rubenesque redhead (Jennifer Hogan) said he reminded her of the actor Gary Coleman. Reflecting upon his series of failed relationships with Caucasians, Jay decides it’s time to try to see if he can find a suitable match from among his own people afterall. So, he puts into motion Operation Brown Sugar, running a personal ad seeking a sister.

He proceeds to audition a string of losers without any luck, until by chance he is introduced by a mutual friend (Kellee Stewart) to Catherine Williamson (Lia Johnson), a best-selling author with a new book on the market prophetically-entitled, “The Inevitable Was Bound to Happen.” Catherine is a free-spirit sporting colorful hair extensions, which prompts Jay to remark, “I didn’t know black girls grew blue hair.”

Not one to be intimidated, the feisty fiction writer snaps back, “I didn’t know you could smoke through a straw.” There’s an instant attraction which Jay has a hard time trusting because his thoroughly enjoying the company of a black woman feels utterly unfamiliar. But once these soul mates start dating, the only question is whether fear of commitment will cause him to ruin the best thing he’s ever had.

So, unfolds I'm Through with White Girls, a battle-of-the-sexes comedy marking the delightful directorial debut of Jennifer Sharp. Equally-impressive is the gifted young cast employed to execute Courtney Lilly’s endlessly inventive script, especially co-stars Lia Johnson and Anthony Montgomery, as well as Lamman Rucker, Marcus Patrick, Kellee Stewart, Ryan Alosio and veteran Johnny Brown (who you may remember as Bookman the Janitor on the classic TV series “Good Times.)