Paul Sapiano: To entertain of course! There is a message in this film but we convey it with more humor than drama. I saw the movie Fruitvale Station about the

kid who was shot on the BART and it was great but it was so gut wrenchingly sad that I don’t think I would want to watch it again. Our

movie deals with some of the same themes but in a way that the viewer will get a dark laugh out of. 

Paul Sapiano: Dominique Purdy and I have made “The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down” a few years ago and we were writing a follow up film about Marijuana.

 Dominique was late as he had been pulled over and detained because he “resembled the suspect” in some crime or other, and not for the first time either. He asked

me to drive around with him for a couple of days and I realized that he got a lot more attention from the cops than I did. They would U

turn to check him out. They would follow him up side streets for a few blocks and then aggressively speed off. It was different from my driving experiences. This was

a phenomenon that we felt needed to be addressed. The title is already a recognizable phrase and this film has never been made before. So we did it!

Paul Sapiano: The cops!  They love it. There have been plenty of festival screenings with law enforcement in the audience and at the Q and A they were always complimentary.

 Which we found a little surprising. 

Paul Sapiano: This film lives or dies on its authenticity. We spoke to a lot of cops during the production and we always had cops on set to ensure accuracy. 

Paul Sapiano: It’s not crazy but its relevant – Dom was pulled over during the shoot and he got speaking to the Sheriff about the film. The sheriff said that

the advice he would give any kid who was pulled over is MAKE THAT OFFICER FEEL AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE. I had never considered that you should be trying to

make the officer feel safe, as the officer is usually the scary one, but it makes a lot of sense. We actually used the “talk” he gave Dominique almost word

for word in one of the pull over scenes.  Maybe the movie can help prevent an accident, maybe save a life and that can only be good.

Paul Sapiano: It wasn’t about anyone in particular, more a general statement, but…

Paul Sapiano: It is specifically based on the life of Dominique Purdy. He explained that the police had been hassling him ever since puberty and that this (understandably) really affect

the mindset of Black men when they have to interact with police. Let’s just say they aren’t expecting it to go well.

Paul Sapiano: We wrote this film with an extremely diverse cast – Indians, Hispanics, Asians are all represented because that’s what our L.A. looks like. It’s a very funny film

and there’s something in it for everybody. However, no white person can ever truly appreciate the Black experience in America so there are certain jokes that might appeal more to

Black people.

Paul Sapiano: If the cops want to pull you over and search you they will find a reason. So, make it more difficult for them:  Don’t drive dirty. Understand that

weed makes your car smell, even hours later.  Stop at stop signs, use turn signals, wear seatbelts, have license, registration and insurance at the ready, make sure your license plate

light is working and your tint isn’t too dark. It’s pretty basic stuff but there are so many people who don’t do this that the cops might move on to

an easier target.