The cover of the recent book, soon to be a movie.
Well this could go either way, it could shine a positive light on mixed couples, and it could generate mocking and a backlash of sorts form people who might think this, and the book, is purposely encouraging mixed dating and relationships. This is from a piece written by Tambay A. Obenson:
Surely to stir up lots of conversation before a single frame is even shot… George Tillman Jr’s State Street Pictures has picked up feature film rights to a book titled Swirling: How to Date, Mate and Relate, Mixing Race, Culture and Creed, co-authored by pop culture blogger Christelyn D. Karazin and journalist Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn.
Tillman will direct the feature film adaptation himself, which will be exec produced by Tillman, as well as both Karazin and Littlejohn, along with State Street Pictures co-chief Robert Teitel.
State Street Pictures creative executive Stacy Glassgold will oversee the development of the film, based on the book which was, as the press release states:
Written as a dating wake-up call for African American women [that] quickly attracted general audience readers both male and female. It is the first handbook on navigating the exciting, tricky, and potentially disastrous terrain of interracial, intercultural and interfaith relationships, with testimonials and expert tips on how to make the bumpy ride a bit smoother.
“Swirling” debunks social, cultural and sexual myths on “dating out” and serves as a practical guide for coping with disapproving friends and family, and offers advice from mixed couples who are happily “swirling.”
The book was released just a couple of months ago – May 15, 2012 – by Atria Paperback (Simon & Schuster), and has been met with both critical and reader approval.
Generally I prefer when mixed couples and dating is treated as just a normal choice as to opposed a whole movie being based on that aspect of a relationship solely. I think anything that makes it look people are specifically looking to date someone because of their color or ethnicity feeds into the negative stereotypes of these relationships. That is not to say this book or movie does that as I have not read it yet. And good movies have been done in the past that had mixed relationships or people as the center plot point, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner and Imitation of Life come to mind. Depends on how it is treated I guess.
