Film Critique – A Spoonful of Chocolate (2025)

      One Spoon of Chocolate, 2025.

      Written and Directed by RZA.

      Featuring Shameik Moore, Blair Underwood, RJ Cyler, Paris Jackson, Emyri Crutchfield, Michael Harney, Harry Goodwins, Johnell Young, Rockmond Dunbar, Jason Isbell, Isaiah Hill, James Thomas, Lee Knight, Alex Borton, Brandon Bonilla, Tye Alexander, and Cabot Basden.

      SYNOPSIS:

      An ex-convict from the military strives for a new beginning in a small town, but his past resurfaces as he discovers love amidst peril and turmoil.

      Recently released from prison, it remains questionable whether our former soldier protagonist deserved his sentence. Musician-turned-writer/director RZA’s One Spoon of Chocolate (with Quentin Tarantino credited as a producer, raising doubts about whether his upcoming 10th film will ever tarnish his reputation more than his personal actions and the projects he is associated with) follows Shameik Moore’s Randy "Unique" Joneson as he attempts to rebuild his life alongside his cousin Ramsee (RJ Cyler), who inexplicably resides in a small, racist Ohio town named Karensville.

      One might expect such an absurd fictional locale to set the stage for a suitably ludicrous tone, allowing RZA to indulge in his martial arts inspirations and obsessions. On occasion, he succeeds in this regard; an early brawl on a basketball court is stylishly choreographed, enhanced by immersive sound design. However, much of the film is ridiculous in that it begs the question of how anyone thought it was a good idea, straying from Blaxploitation into the realm of outright exploitation and folly. This happens at times when the film drags on and feels tedious.

      For some perplexing reason, this film takes itself far too seriously for a narrative that hints early on that there might be more to the town's claim of being a leader in organ transplants. It also bizarrely fixates on delivering numerous sequences of unsettlingly violent and traumatizing crimes against the local Black community (the rationale for their presence in the town remains entirely nonsensical), whether perpetrated by a cartoonishly racist gang led by Harry Goodwins’ Jimmy or by the absurdly depicted corrupt police department colluding with them in criminal activities.

      Unique and Ramsee merely desire the freedom to utilize the rec center (and other parts of the town) with equality. This is not a subtle film at all—there's a moment when Unique, frustrated about there being only one spoon of chocolate left, is told it only takes a small amount of chocolate to spark change (complete with them dropping said spoon into a glass of milk to ensure even the slowest viewers grasp the metaphor). Every gang member can’t resist spouting a slew of racial slurs when confronting the Black characters, aiming to provoke them. Indeed, such racism exists, but here, the writing often feels lazy and forced, attempting to shock the audience without delivering any impact.

      As noted, nearly all residents of this town are racist, except when the plot requires otherwise. At home, Ramsee invites his girlfriend (Emyri Crutchfield), who happens to be friends with a white woman portrayed by Paris Jackson (yes, Michael Jackson's daughter; that may be the only intriguing aspect of this film). When Unique isn’t being pursued by racists, he and Ramsee are depicted growing closer, while Ramsee and his girlfriend are shown intimately as the police storm into their home, leaving viewers anxious about the potential for an exploitative direction.

      At one point, in this nearly two-hour film that lacks enough engaging content for even 90 minutes, the action halts for a series of dialogues among secondary characters as they prepare for an impending confrontation. Rest assured, the more the story attempts to flesh out Karensville and its inhabitants, the less coherent it becomes. During the climax, as Unique launches a retaliatory attack on Jimmy and his racist stronghold, normal, non-racist citizens and workers are seen observing from outside, having skipped church, as chaos unfolds around them, broadcasted through a loudspeaker. It seems RZA believes that naming the town Karensville was a moment of comedic brilliance, oblivious to the fact that for a narrative to have weight, it must transcend mere humor to be dramatically effective. Everything here is muddled.

      Even though RZA stages the final 30 minutes with brutal yet stylish flair, by that point, the film has become more of a sedative than an entertaining gore-fest. One Spoon of Chocolate is a dismal effort, underscoring that while RZA is an accomplished fight choreographer, he hasn't progressed much as a director.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★

      Robert Kojder

      Originally published April 29, 2026. Updated April 30, 2026.