Original subtitles

♪ A Netflix Original ♪

♪ I want y'all to meet my family ♪

♪ They're coming down south To stay with me ♪

- ♪ Big Moz ♪ - ♪ Do you love me? ♪

- ♪ Yep ♪ - ♪ I'm Cocoa ♪

♪ Jade in the house, I got a lot to say ♪

♪ I'm a big sis, can't-miss renegade ♪

- ♪ Call me Shaka now ♪ - ♪ Hey! ♪

- ♪ I'm the, I'm the chief rocker now ♪ - ♪ Hey! ♪

♪ Mazzi, Mazzi, Mazzi, Mazzi, Mazzi That's me ♪

- ♪ Little mommy, I'm Ami ♪ - ♪ Hey! ♪

♪ Singing loud and having fun ♪

♪ It's Family Reunion ♪

Wait, wait!

What? What did I do?

Jeb, I am embarrassed that your son

cannot play a decent hand of bid whist!

Hey, it's been a while. I'm more of a spades player, anyway.

Ami, what did M'Dear teach you about spades?

Spades are for suckers.

She taught you that? Okay.

- Uh... Bam! What? - A! Hey!

Wait, wait. What is this? We're taking you people uptown now.

I thought we were playing downtown.

No, Dad. That was the last hand.

Come on, keep up.

Moz, I am with you till death do us part,

but that will be sooner than later if you don't get your game tight!

- Oh... - Come on. Here you go.

Hey, don't feel bad, Dad. Bid whist is complicated.

- Mm-hmm. - I got you!

- Good card. - Mm.

Bam!

We just ran a Boston on you fools!

Good news!

Guess who got a high-paying, well-deserved job?

Hmm?

I got a job!

Oh, oh, oh, come on.

Now, y'all know losing that last job wasn't my fault.

Oh, really? Yeah, you drove a hearse through the Wendy's drive-through.

It was my lunchtime!

It wasn't like my client had anywhere to be, so...

- Mm-hmm. - Okay. What job did you get, Daniel?

Thank you for asking, Cocoa.

I am the new construction foreman for the Tallahassee Green Builders Company.

But you don't know anything about construction.

Yeah, you majored in Women's Studies.

Hush, little girl.

She is one lip job away from turning into a Kardashian.

Hey, what are those?

These checks are payback, with interest,

for those who supported me during my brief unemployment.

Nothing for you.

Well, I'm glad y'all finally got a payout on the sucker tax.

Who you calling a sucker?

Congratulations.

This job sounds like a very exciting new venture.

Oh, thanks, Cocoa. It is! I start bright and early tomorrow morning.

Now, M'Dear, I'm gonna need a 5:30 a.m. wake-up call.

Oh, that's early.

I'll only be halfway through my prayer list.

Yeah, we're tearing down the old Cresthaven Hotel

and building a new bowling alley.

What?

That hotel is over 80 years old.

It's a huge part of Columbus history.

My history.

Yeah, the Cresthaven was a beautiful building back in its day.

Yeah, but it's a run-down eyesore now. You gotta move on with the times.

Exactly.

Now, about those checks.

They're not counterfeit, but I did print them myself.

Happy spending!

Go ahead. Say it.

Sucker!

Ha-ha-ha-ha!

Sucker!

Y'all are suckers.

Yeah, this is my first big job, Dan.

Have to show my father-in-law that I'm more than just a... pretty face.

Did you rent the backhoe?

Uh, yes, sir. It's right there.

That's a forklift.

Right.

Just checking to see if you were awake this early.

It's my father-in-law. Why can't he let me be great?

Danny, I brought you your lunch.

Thank you! Oh!

I, your most loyal child, who is most deserving

to benefit in your will, appreciates you.

Yes.

What are you doing?

I am not gonna let you tear down this special hotel.

Now, this is one of Columbus's greatest landmarks.

This is crazy!

Now you're gonna make me lose this very easy, high-paying job!

I'm sorry, Daniel.

But like Kurtis Blow says, those are the breaks.

And give me that. I might need it myself.

Sir?

It seems as though we have a bit of a situation.

Is everything okay? Papa Doc just called me a boy toy.

This lady that I barely know, the mother of a dumb jock

I knew in school, just chained herself to the door.

What?

Why won't this man leave me alone?

Hey, Papa Doc. Always nice to hear from you.

Tell him everything's fine. I'll handle it.

Moz, come and get your crazy mama!

♪ We shall overcome ♪

And hurry. She's starting to sing Negro spirituals!

♪ Someday ♪

♪ Oh, deep in my heart ♪

♪ I do, I do, I do believe, oh ♪

M'Dear, what's going on?

This hotel is too important to history, and to me, to destroy.

She's losing it.

Pop, I'm sorry, but I think it's time to discuss

that nice retirement home by the lake.

I'll retire you in the lake.

Understood.

Uh, M'Dear, what's so great about this old building...

Mazzi, put that down!

...where my children might get lockjaw?

Yeah, I'd stay at a Motel 6, 7 or 8 before this place.

Well, 80 years ago, you wouldn't have been welcome at any of those hotels.

When the Cresthaven opened,

it was the only hotel in town where Black people were allowed to stay.

Even in the 1950s, hotels that catered to people of color

were few and far between.

The Cresthaven hosted dignitaries,

local businessmen,

and even some of the stars of the Chitlin' Circuit.

My mother was the hospitality manager,

so I spent a lot of time here.

I remember meeting two young singers, Greg and Maurice,

when I was about seven.

Oh! They were terrible bullies!

- Ha! - Hey!

Ow! You hit as hard as Joe Louis.

No, harder. And don't you forget it.

Come on! It's time for rehearsal.

- ♪ My darling, my dear ♪ - ♪ My dear ♪

- ♪ I look to you ♪ - ♪ I look to you ♪

- ♪ My darling, my dear ♪ - ♪ My dear ♪

- ♪ I'll love you through and through ♪ - ♪ Love you... ♪

- ♪ When thine eyes met at a glance ♪ - ♪ At a glance ♪

♪ Caught in a trance, just by chance ♪

- ♪ Beautiful song ♪ - ♪ Beautiful song ♪

♪ Then we danced ♪

- ♪ And we danced all night long ♪ - ♪ All night long ♪

Now we're cooking with gas.

Right, Amelia? Did we flip your lid?

Listen. Every Tom, Dick, and Louis Armstrong can sing.

Get yourself some tap shoes, dreamboats.

♪ Jesus ♪

And that is how the Hines Brothers got their start.

So you're telling us that Maurice and Gregory Hines,

two of the greatest dancers the world has ever known,

only became dancers because of you?

Did I stutter?

Oh... try not to. I'm live-streaming.

Put that down.

Okay, now turn it back on.

Hey, Shaka, we should start our own dance group.

Yeah, we'll be the McKellan Brothers.

Ami, what's that move called?

The potty dance, but I don't wanna miss any of M'Dear's stories!

Okay, I'll take you.

Don't say anything good until we get back.

Come on, baby.

Time's wasting. I'm gonna tell that old lady to get lost.

Uh, no, no, wait. Let me try again.

I mean, she might fall in love with your rugged good looks and never leave.

Yeah, this face, really, it's a... it's a curse.

M'Dear, please. If you love me, you'll leave.

I've already put a down payment on a Maserati!

Before you paid everyone back?

It's used.

And by the way, you cosigned for it.

Okay, see...

Melly, weren't you working here when we started dating?

That's right!

Maybelle and I ran the front desk. Oh, it was an exciting time.

We even met Martin Luther King Jr.

Shut up!

- Girl, you better be glad I'm chained! - Oh!

I wasn't actually telling you to be quiet. It's just an expression.

That I will never use again. I am so sorry.

Hey, M'Dear met Martin Luther King Jr.

Shut up!

Well,

I see the apple don't fall far from the disrespectful tree.

Anyway, it was 1963,

and a heatwave was coming, as the Vietnam War flared up.

Churches were bombed, and four little girls would be murdered.

And by the year's end, Camelot would be burned to the ground.

That summer, Maybelle and I started our first jobs.

I was her supervisor.

Amelia, as your supervisor, I'm concerned your uniform is too short.

Mind your business, Maybelle.

Hiding these gams... would be a crime.

Ooh! Here comes Dr. King!

Welcome back to the Cresthaven!

- Uh, Mar... - Mister...

- Did you see him? - No.

Maybelle, I've just got to meet Dr. King before he leaves town.

I want to, too, but... the boss told us not to bother him.

He was talking to you.

Someone as interesting as me could never be a bother.

That fast, Maybelle talked me into knocking on Dr. and Mrs. King's door.

- Oh, well. We tried. Back to work. - Wait.

I got the room key.

Amelia, no.

We cannot go in there...

Don't touch anything.

Ooh. He's writing another speech.

Mm. He needs to work on his penmanship.

Girl, don't touch that.

Are you crazy?

It feels like a crown!

Then let me try it on!

If we get caught, I'm gonna kill you.

- I'm blaming you. - It's your fault!

- You're wearing Mrs. King's hat! - Girl...

Are you spying on me for the FBI?

Uh... No, sir.

My name is Amelia Williams, and she's my sister, Maybelle.

Take off the hat!

Hat...

Nice to meet you, girls, but it's time you were going.

Yes, of course, Reverend.

Uh... I just want to thank you for all you've done for our people.

- It is an honor. - Hmm.

Honor...

Take care now.

Oh, and one more thing.

I may have noticed in your notes, not that I was snooping,

that you're planning to do a march for civil rights in Detroit?

Yes, that's the plan...

to move the hearts and minds of an entire nation.

Hallelujah! Whoo!

And it's a fine plan.

Uh, but... then again,

perhaps a march to the nation's capital might be more significant?

Mm.

So...

you think we should march on Washington?

It's kind of humid this time of year, and I sweat a lot.

But...

- Give it some thought. - Mm.

And we all know how well that turned out.

Did that really happen?

Uh, my grandmother does not make things up.

Hey, please don't be making that up.

Well, I can show you better than I can tell you.

Hold that.

Just a second. There it is.

Woke Girls, meet your queen!

Oh! Hmm.

And we support you.

Uh...

Where did all these people come from?

The kids' social media. And I called my Zumba class.

Zumba Ministry, stretch while you listen.

Excuse me.

Hey. Come on, Dan, move.

Lady, I didn't wanna do this, but...

you got to go.

- Oh my... - M'Dear...

Quiet! Quiet! Let me... Let me Clooney her into submission.

- Hmm. - Oh...

Oh.

Mm...

You need to get that mole checked.

It's... It's a beauty mark.

Mm-mm.

That looks... precancerous.

What? Everybody, I'm calling the police!

Right after I call my doctor.

Grandpa, do you remember this?

Oh, no. Now, that had to be more than 50 years ago.

Oh, I remember that night...

just like it was last night.

Oh, no.

It was 1972.

We sent a spacecraft to Jupiter.

Nixon got caught up in Watergate.

And your grandfather and I had been dating for six years.

- I'll go get us some more champagne. - Okay.

I think tonight's the night Jeb is gonna pop the question!

Finally! He sure wasn't in a rush.

You've been dating ever since I was in elementary school.

It's time to rush.

You're right, and I've made it clear, I am expecting a ring.

Do you think it'll be a whole half-karat?

Do I seem like a quarter-karat kind of girl?

This is so exciting.

Do you think he's going to ask before or after midnight?

Doesn't matter to me,

just as long as I'm Ms. Jebediah McKellan by the end of 1973!

- What's going on? - Just freeing up your hands.

We'll be over here, minding our own business.

These last six years together have been wonderful, Jeb.

I agree. I love you, Melly.

- Three! Two! One! - And?

Happy New Year!

And?

Let's dance.

Uh-oh.

Let's give them some privacy.

Where's my ring?

Melly, I'm just not ready to get married yet.

I can't fully commit until I know I'm the man that you need me to be.

Don't be mad.

I'm not.

I'm gonna go to the ladies' room.

- We'll come, too. - No.

I need a moment.

What tempest is this?

Oh, my God. You're Maya Angelou.

I'm so sorry. I didn't see you.

Oh... No, my dear.

It is I who is sorry,

for tears this sad tell a story of heartbreak.

Unfortunately, I know that ending all too well.

How long should I wait for a man to marry me?

Wait for no one.

You must live your own life,

follow your own dreams of the sun.

Love planted under shade will wither and die.

But my dream is to marry Jeb.

Really?

When you were a girl of 12, your dream was to get married?

Well... no.

Back then, I wanted to be a singer.

My sisters and I are in a group.

They wanna go to New York to see if we can make it big.

But now... you just want to marry Jeb?

Well, no.

I wanna go to New York, too, but...

I'm scared that if I leave, I might lose him.

Go.

Go to New York quickly,

before you lose yourself.

You are a woman.

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman.

That's you.

Me?

You're right... that's better.

A woman.

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman.

That's me.

"Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I'm not cute

or built to suit a fashion model's size..."

"But when I start to tell them,

They think I'm telling lies.

I say,

It's in the reach of my arms..."

"The span of my hips..."

"The stride of my step..."

"The curl of my lips."

"I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me."

That's my favorite Maya Angelou poem.

Mine too.

Hey, Pop, now do you remember that night?

Oh, I will never forget it.

- And your mother won't let me. - Oh!

Oh, Jeb!

- Will the police shut this down? - No.

The mayor doesn't want the bad publicity, so we just have to... wait 'em out.

Good, 'cause my mama, she...

That lady, who I've never met at all, is really stubborn.

So, that's when The Fabulous Williams Sisters

went to New York and sang with Charlie Wilson?

Yes, and with a lot of other folk.

In fact, our first gig

was as backup singers for Ike and Tina Turner.

You guys were Ikettes?

Wow. Ike Turner was a genius.

Well, he thought so.

That gig didn't last very long.

But, on tour, we played all over the South.

And guess where we stayed one night.

The Cresthaven Hotel.

Yes!

Oh, it's a funny story, but I'm sure nobody wanna stand around

and hear an old lady just rambling on and on

about the good old days.

Please, please, please, M'Dear!

Shaka, if you don't go sit your narrow behind down...

You are blocking my camera.

Get!

Well, if you all insist.

It was 1975.

Muhammad Ali knocked out Joe Frazier.

Arthur Ashe became the first, and still only, Black man

to win a singles title at Wippleton.

- You mean Wimbledon? - That's what I said!

Gas was 44 cents a gallon, and The Jeffersons premiered on TV.

I'm Tina,

and I was born in Nutbush City Limits.

And a one! Two!

One, two, three!

Rock those hips, Amelia!

Lower, girl! Come on now, work!

Gah! You know...

Everybody take a break!

Except you, Amelia. You take two breaks.

Christmas Eve on a Wednesday night.

Don't let Ike get under your skin.

You don't need him.

Tina, you're a star. You should go solo.

You really think so?

- I know so. - Oh...

But I love him.

What's love got to do with it?

Hey! That's a great song title.

- Surprise! - Surprise!

You chicks like to give me a heart attack!

Hmm. I wish.

Stay cool, sissy.

Yeah, we need this gig.

Come on, girls.

Sing it, now! Proper!

Uh-huh.

Wh... Wh... Why can't I hear you? I need to be able to hear you.

Thank you.

I deserve this.

Mm-hmm.

Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh! Oh, you don't need no cake.

Ikettes wiggle, not jiggle.

That's it! You know what? This time, you eat the cake, Ike.

Girl, you...

Ooh! And that was the last of that gig.

Oh, I am so glad that Tina finally left that puffed-up rooster.

Tell us another Cresthaven story, M'Dear.

Oh, yeah. Did you ever meet James Brown?

I sure did. And...

- Ooh. - Let's save that story for another day.

Melly, I think you've made your point. It's time for us to go home, okay?

Oh, Jeb, I'm fine.

Yeah, M'Dear, let us continue to protest.

Yeah, don't worry. Give me your chain.

I'll stay here for you all night if I have to.

Oh... I thank all of you, but this is my fight.

Walking away from this hotel...

It would be like erasing my youth.

Attention, everyone. Attention!

Attention, please.

The owner of the hotel saw the protest on the news

and has decided that instead of tearing it down,

she is going to restore it to its former glory.

- Yes! - That's amazing!

Dan, may I see you, please?

Hey! Congrats!

Cresthaven, we won! Cresthaven, not done!

Cresthaven, we won!

Cresthaven, not done!

Let's go home and celebrate!

Yeah, well, that sounds good. I could use a beer.

You're off work? I thought they're restoring the hotel.

Well, they are. I'm not. I got fired.

Yep.

Papa Doc finally got around to checking Daniel's references

and figured out that his construction experience is limited to LEGOs.

Wow. Fired after four hours.

Hey, don't feel bad, Uncle Daniel.

Bad? I feel great!

That's actually one hour longer than my last job.

Let's celebrate! Uh, drinks on Moz.

Uh, what? Nope. Nope.

- That's your problem. - Nope. Uncle Daniel lied to you.

Oh...

Mm.

Remember, children, it's important to know your history.

Diva out.