Entertainment

‘Pimp’ slapped down by thin tale

The title of Jorge Hinojosa’s documentary isn’t entirely apt: This is only partially a portrait of Iceberg Slim (real name Robert Beck) as a pimp. It’s more about his horrendous childhood, jail time, his family (an ex-wife and four children with a “Rashomon”-like view of his parenting), and above all, his writing.

In the ’60s and ’70s, Beck wrote books, including the memoir “Pimp,” celebrated here by the likes of Ice-T, Chris Rock, Snoop Dogg and many others. Writer K’wan Foye compares the books to creating something “beautiful with ugly paint.” Beck’s words in the film (he died in 1992) offer a powerful argument for his intelligence and talent.

The film succeeds as an introduction to Beck the writer but is undercut by its lack of gritty details. His prostitutes are depicted almost exclusively as stock footage and animated pulp-fiction covers: Was there no way to get those women into this film?

Beck expressed dismay that “Pimp” was taken as a glamorization of his life, and not a warning. By omitting the experiences of the women who worked for him, the filmmakers risk the same thing.