Hacker Cinema
Grand Canyon
1991 · Film · 134 min
Directed by Lawrence Kasdan
The lives of six residents from different backgrounds intertwine in modern-day Los Angeles. At the center is the unlikely friendship of two men from different races and classes brought together when one finds himself in jeopardy in the other's rough neighborhood.
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The phrase "Who's 'we,' white man?" is a reference to a scene in the 1991 film "Grand Canyon." In the scene, a wealthy white man tries to help a stranded African American man in a dangerous part of town. The African American man responds to the white man's offer of help with the question "Who's 'we,' white man?" which is a critique of the white man's assumption that they are part of the same group. The phrase has since been used in various contexts to challenge assumptions of shared identity or experience.
That's a widely held POV. Lucas hired a decent director in Irving Kershner and had outsiders do the actual screenplay, including Lawrence Kasdan. Kasdan went on to become a genuine heavyweight writer (Raiders, Jedi) and writer/director (Body Heat, The Big Chill, The Accidental Tourist, Grand Canyon). He also wrote TFA and Solo.
So, honestly, no surprise it was better executed than the first film. I maintain to this day that TESB is still the only one of the 9 "Skywalker Saga" movies that is genuinely a good film from an objective filmmaking perspective.
Watch one of the many documentaries on a good television. It's mostly just a big hole in the ground with nice colors that don't last very long because the light is constantly changing.
On top of that, depending on where you go, it's either full of tourists or has no facilities. Tourists are the worst part about the Grand Canyon and, while strictly an opinion, there are more interesting things to see.
If you do decide to go to the bottom, bring a lot of water with you. The climb back out can be labor intensive and hot. You're fine, so long as you remember to bring water. You might as well bring extra water, because there's almost always a tourist sitting there on the edge of the trail and slowly dying of thirst. So, you'll feel obligated to share your water. You might as well just bring a few extra bottles.
You'll get far better, and more comprehensive, imagery from a good documentary. It's hard to get a permit to raft the whole thing, for example. But, you can live vicariously through others and not have to deal with the tourists.
If you can't guess, I've been a half-dozen times. It hasn't once been my preferred destination. I've gone because I was in the area and at the behest of others. My first visit was on a family vacation. It's nice, but there are many other options that I personally enjoyed more. I'd just watch a documentary and make the trip a little longer so that I could go to Taos instead, but that's just me.