School Daze - Reception

Reception

The film received positive reviews for its exploration of issues within the black community. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times noted, "There is no doubt in my mind that "School Daze," in its own way, is one of the most honest and revealing movies I've ever seen about modern middle-class black life in America." He also noted its frank exploration of issues of discrimination within the black community related to skin tone and nature of hair. He said it was significant as a film with a "completely black orientation. All of the characters, good and bad, are black, and all of the character's references are to each other."

Some people resented Lee's portrayal of a dysfunctional black college. Many officials of black colleges and faculty heads attacked the film for its use of racial language, epithets and portrayal of a college in trouble. They objected to "frizzie" and "nappy-headed" as among the words used by the students for each other, referring to their hair. As a result of the film, a couple of colleges excluded Lee from their lecture programs.