Baadasssss!

Mario Van Peebles pays homage to his father, Melvin, by playing him in this account of how the famous director made his 1970s opus Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, about a black man who rises up against the injustices of white cops. By all accounts, it was a difficult shoot, and the determined Melvin put everything -- including his relationship with his family -- on the line to get the film made. Joy Bryant and David Alan Grier co-star.