Southside with You

Tika Sumpter and Parker Sawyers play young Michelle Robinson and Barack Obama in this slight but sweet offering from first-time writer-director Richard Tanne. The film follows the future FLOTUS and POTUS on their first date in the summer of 1989, although Michelle is adamant from the beginning that it’s not a “date,” fearful that dating an entry-level associate at her law firm could be viewed as “tacky.” Over the course of a day, the chain-smoking Barack gradually wears down Michelle’s resistance, with each giving the other a glimpse into their inner fears and desires, as well as a vision of the towering people they would become. They go to an art gallery, they have a picnic in the park, they get ice cream, Barack gives a speech in a church—it’s so respectful I could barely keep my eyes open, but first-rate performances from Sumpter and Sawyers pulled me through.