There are comedy ensembles and then there’s the cast of You People. Kenya Barris’ feature directorial debut brings together Jonah Hill, Lauren London, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Eddie Murphy, Nia Long, Molly Gordon and Travis Bennett as one big happy hilarious family. Well, sort of. 

The film centers around Amira Mohammed and Ezra Cohen, a star-crossed couple facing a cultural divide akin to that of the Montagues and Capulets — just swap out fair Verona for sunny Los Angeles. He’s white and Jewish, she’s Black and grew up Muslim, and when the two unexpectedly fall in love after a rideshare mix-up meet cute, their relationship is put to the test by their respective families.

As for the all-star ensemble of comedy savants he’s assembled, even Barris can’t quite wrap his head around that one. “To get this cast in your first movie, it’s like the first time you have sex and getting one of the Victoria’s Secret Angels,” he tells Tudum.

Can romance prevail over difference? Meet the parents and decide for yourself.

Meet the Cohens

Parrish Lewis/Netflix

Ezra (Jonah Hill) talks to his mom, Shelley (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), in You People.

Jonah Hill 

At 35, Jewish millennial Ezra is still figuring things out. Bored by his high-paying finance job, this Brentwood native finds joy in sneakers, hip-hop and The Mo & E-Z Show, a podcast he co-hosts with best friend Mo (Sam Jay). If only he could find someone to share his passions with… As it turns out, love is just a rideshare mix-up away. Ezra meets Amira when he mistakes her for his driver, and the two almost instantly hit it off over their shared interests. But can they get past their cultural differences? And more importantly, can their families?

Hill, who co-wrote the script for You People with director Kenya Barris, has been making us laugh since his breakout role in 2007’s Superbad. “Jonah is an improvisational genius,” Barris says.

But two Academy Award nominations later (for Moneyball and The Wolf of Wall Street), Hill  proved he can also make us cry. Look no further than Stutz, the documentary Hill recently directed about the therapist who changed his life.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus 

A comedy powerhouse ensemble? That’s just another day at the office for the Seinfeld and Veep star. 

You probably know a Shelley. Ezra’s well-meaning but overbearing mom is thrilled that her son has finally found someone he loves — and expresses it in all the wrong ways. Determined to prove her love and respect for Black culture, she showers Amira with compliments and observations that range from tone-deaf to completely inappropriate. 

“This woman is a very progressive, liberal-leaning and affluent mother on the west side of Los Angeles,” Louis-Dreyfus told Netflix about her character. “She’s very connected to her son and only wants good things for her boy. She probably, shall we say, over-parents him a bit and considers herself to be a very, very liberal left-leaning human being in all aspects of her life.”

Fun fact: You People reunites Louis-Dreyfus with former Saturday Night Live cast member Eddie Murphy; it’s the first time the two have worked together since the ’80s. 

You can follow Louis-Dreyfus on Instagram and Twitter.

Can You Make It Through the Cringiest Moments in You People?You wince, you lose.

David Duchovny 

The X-Files and Californication star plays Arnold Cohen, Ezra’s well-meaning but extremely capital “D” dad. According to Duchovny, his podiatrist character “is a very content guy and says what’s on his mind, which, in a movie like this, is good because he puts his foot in his mouth.” Does he ever!

Unlike his character, however, Duchovny understands the power of words. The Golden Globe–winning actor holds a B.A. in English literature from Princeton University and an M.A. in English literature from Yale University, and he’s published five novels. His literary talents got the spotlight in 2021’s The Chair, in which he played himself in a cameo opposite Sandra Oh. 

You can follow Duchovny on Instagram.

Molly Gordon 

Talk about family ties! After sharing the screen with Hill’s real-life sister Beanie Feldstein in Booksmart, Gordon now plays Ezra’s on-screen sister Liza in You People. The character shares her brother’s interest in style –– when she’s not trying to wrangle her mother, Liza makes her own glasses, and trust, you’ll want a pair. Likewise, the Shiva Baby star is taking a page out of Hill’s book and making the leap to directing. Gordon’s feature debut Theater Camp, co-directed with Nick Lieberman, will premiere at this month’s Sundance Film Festival. 

 You can follow Gordon on Instagram and Twitter. 

Meet the Mohammeds

Parrish Lewis/Netflix

Akbar Mohammed (Eddie Murphy) with children Amira (Lauren London) and Omar (Travis Bennett) in You People.

Lauren London 

While Ezra was mastering the “Cha Cha Slide” at bar mitzvahs in Brentwood, costume designer Amira grew up “sort of Muslim” in Baldwin Hills. London describes her character as “a laid-back LA girl. Very chill, goes with the flow, very stylish, very easygoing. Someone I would want to be friends with.” 

That description could also apply to London herself. The LA native caught the acting bug after appearing in music videos for hip-hop artists like Ludacris and Snoop Dogg. Her breakout role in Chris Robinson’s 2006 movie ATL led to roles in I Love You, Beth Cooper, Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family and The Perfect Match, to name a few. 

“There’s a potential for her to be like Julia Roberts,” Barris says of the female lead. “She’s already been iconic in our community, but there’s a naturalness to her. People who are stars, there’s something about them. You want to be around them. And I think Lauren has that. I hope this movie brings attention to her.”

You can follow London on Instagram and Twitter. 

Eddie Murphy 

Amira’s stern father is an architect who takes his Muslim faith seriously. A proud Black man, he’s worked hard to give his family the kind of life they deserve, but never lets them forget where they came from. And guess what? He’s not the biggest fan of Ezra. 

Comedy legend is an overused term but how else do you describe the actor who’s given us Trading Places, Coming to America, Beverly Hills Cop and Shrek? (And that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of Murphy’s long and distinguished career.)

“When he steps in front of that camera, he is magic, he is surgical,” Barris tells Tudum about working with Murphy. “You’re like, ‘This is a movie star.’ ”

Still, like ogres and onions, Murphy has layers left to explore. “I’ve never played a character like Akbar,” Murphy says. “My movies don’t usually delve into race or press those buttons. I don’t usually deal with those issues and themes in my films — so it was fun to play this kind of role.”

Nia Long 

Long plays Fatima, Amira’s mom who shares her husband’s hesitations when it comes to seeing her daughter marry into a family she doesn’t quite understand. 

“It’s fun to watch the differences between Black people and Jewish people play out,” says Long. “But the true irony is how much we have in common.”

The star of Love Jones and The Best Man knows a thing or two about complicated relationships. From her early TV arc as Will Smith’s girlfriend and fiancée Lisa in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to more recent films like Netflix’s Fatal Affair, Long has navigated some romantic doozies — and it’s always a treat to watch. As Barris neatly sums it up: “Nia Long is an icon.”

You can follow Long on Instagram and Twitter.

Travis Bennett 

Is that Taco from Odd Future as Amira’s protective brother Omar? You better believe it. After bursting onto the scene alongside Tyler, The Creator, Bennett has transitioned into acting with a role in Dave Burd’s (aka Lil Dicky) acclaimed comedy series Dave, and now, You People. 

You can follow Bennett on Instagram and Twitter.