The American Society of Magical Negroes 2024

The movie begins with text explaining that the “magical negro” is a character typically found in many stories, existing solely to further the narrative of the white protagonist. While many believe this character type is purely fictional, some are aware of its reality.

Aren Mbondo (Justice Smith) is an artist struggling to gain recognition. At a gallery, he presents his own piece, but while other artworks are sold, his yarn-based creation leaves the audience puzzled and uninterested. His boss, Andrea (Gillian Vigman), advises him to persuade an art collector to purchase his work. However, the collector mistakes Aren for a waiter, and due to his meekness, Aren does not correct him and instead takes the man’s plate and glass. Disappointed, Andrea informs Aren that she is canceling his solo art show scheduled for the next month because he cannot assert himself.

As Aren walks home, he encounters an inebriated girl trying to use an ATM. She asks Aren to hold her purse, but being overly drunk, she mistakenly believes her purse has been stolen. She panics upon seeing her boyfriend and his friend, causing them to think Aren is a thief. Roger (David Alan Grier), a bartender from the gallery, steps in and makes the purse magically reappear in the girl’s hands. He then persuades the group to visit a nearby restaurant he recommends before leaving with Aren.

Roger confides in Aren that he has noticed how uncomfortably awkward he is around white people. He reveals that he possesses magical powers as a member of a secret organization called The American Society of Magical Negroes. This society is dedicated to making white people feel more at ease, believing that uncomfortable white people can be dangerous. Roger takes Aren to the society’s headquarters, which is hidden behind a barbershop and accessed using a pocket watch. The organization is led by a woman named Dede (Nicole Byer). Another leader, Gabbard (Aisha Hinds), educates new recruits about different types of “magical negroes” in fiction who assist white people (illustrated through parodies of “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” “The Green Mile,” and “Driving Miss Daisy”). The society monitors a “white tears” meter, which must be kept at a “green” level to avoid dangerous “red” levels.

Roger then introduces Aren to a police officer named Officer Miller (Tim Baltz), encouraging the officer to open up and be more approachable. Roger invites Miller to join them at a club that evening. At the club, Miller begins to doubt himself, but Roger gives Aren the chance to use his new abilities to lower Miller’s white tears meter to a safe level, ultimately helping them gain entry into the club.

The following day, Aren is scheduled to start his first day as a Magical Negro at a company named Meetbox, where he is assigned to assist an employee named Jason Mundt (Drew Tarver). While preparing for work, he receives a call from Roger and accidentally collides with a young woman named Lizzie (An-Li Bogan), causing her to spill her coffee. Aren offers to buy her a new one, and they engage in lighthearted conversation until he is interrupted by another call and has to leave.

At Meetbox, Aren meets his new boss, Masterson (Michaela Watkins), before being paired with Jason. To his surprise, Aren discovers that Lizzie also works there. As he spends more time at Meetbox, he becomes closer to Lizzie and starts to develop feelings for her. However, Jason also has a liking for Lizzie and refers to her as his “work wife,” despite Lizzie not reciprocating those feelings. This situation prevents Aren from pursuing a relationship with Lizzie, as it would cause Jason’s white tears meter to spike to red.

Meetbox soon faces backlash when its facial recognition software fails to recognize black faces. The company exacerbates the issue by posting “we love black faces!” on their app and changing their avatar to a black face. CEO Mick (Rupert Friend) attempts damage control, but the situation worsens. Aren and Lizzie’s perception of Jason takes a hit when he makes insensitive remarks about the situation, unaware that Lizzie is half-Asian and offended by his comments.

Meetbox arranges a livestream event for the company, selecting Jason to lead the presentation and deliver a speech. Lizzie approaches Masterson to discuss the decision, arguing that she has more experience and better work than Jason, but Masterson dismisses her concerns. When Aren suggests to Jason that he should co-present with Lizzie, Jason arrogantly insists that Lizzie doesn’t deserve the opportunity as much as he does.

To help Lizzie unwind after work, Aren takes her for a walk. During their stroll, she drops her purse, and Aren helps her collect the scattered items, noticing a playful party ring that says “SO SWAG.” They spend the afternoon together, growing closer and nearly sharing a kiss until Aren is abruptly called away. He is summoned back to the Society, where the members’ magic is weakening due to someone’s actions. Aren worries that he is to blame until another female member confesses that she cursed at her assigned white person, resulting in her loss of powers and expulsion from the Society.

Aren begins to distance himself from Lizzie to avoid further complications. He also avoids Jason on the day of the presentation until Jason eventually tracks him down at work. As Mick and Masterson prepare for the livestream, Jason insists that Aren be there with him. However, as the spotlight shines on them, Aren and Jason are in the middle of an argument. Aren confronts Jason about his indifferent attitude towards the company’s controversy and launches into a passionate speech about living in a world where his appearance makes people so uncomfortable that it could cost him his life. Jason admits he never considered Aren’s perspective, leading Aren to run away. Using his powers, Aren transports Lizzie from Los Angeles to the Empire State Building, where he attempts to confess his feelings and kiss her before being pulled back to the Society.

At the Society, Dede and the other members confront Aren about his actions. In response, Aren passionately declares that he no longer wants to exist solely to make others comfortable. Dede then expels Aren from the Society and instructs Roger to erase his memories, including those of Lizzie. However, when Roger attempts the spell, it fails. Inspired by Aren, other Society members have started directly confronting their white friends to hold them accountable for their actions. After parting ways with Roger, Aren is reminded that he left Lizzie stranded in another state.

Aren notices several missed calls and messages from Lizzie on his phone, prompting him to hurry and find her. He catches her as she’s getting out of an Uber and quickly apologizes, attempting to explain his actions. Lizzie forgives him, and they finally share a kiss, officially beginning their relationship.

Before the credits roll, Lizzie is shown entering a salon, using her “SO SWAG” ring as a pass into her own secret organization – The Society of Supportive Wives and Girlfriends.