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Ratings1.4K
primona's rating
Reviews17
primona's rating
Wanda Sykes and Kim Fields are great as sisters in this series. Mike Epps offers some funny moments as the always scheming husband. Overall, it's a light, fun watch.
I haven't written a review in a while. This is because existing reviews usually closely match my sentiments but in this case I feel compelled to warn Kingsley fans that he is not seen very much in this movie and those first 15 minutes in which we learn that shrewd real estate tycoon Damien Hale (Kingsley) is dying is the best part of the movie. The film goes down a lot with Ryan Reynolds playing the young Damien, a man who suddenly develops empathy and a host of other characteristics that don't represent any part of the Damien we were just watching a few minutes prior. Had there been a transition in the character brought on by living a new life, this movie would have been a lot better. Another thing that would make the movie better is if they had better casting for Maddie and Anna, two people in young Damien's new life. I won't share anything else as it may be considered a spoiler but all I can say is these two are barely tolerable in their roles. This movie had a lot of potential with a pretty creative plot but the two issues cited above make it average at best.
I just had the pleasure of seeing this movie again but this time through the lens of an adult. I'm amazed at how smart and funny this movie is. The film is a humorous and yet sad satire on how blacks are betrayed in film and television. The film focuses on Bobby Taylor (Robert Townsend) as he attempts to become a successful actor. It features over the top white Hollywood casting agents, producers, and directors who provide feedback to black actors (in some cases classically trained) on how to act "more black" or be like Eddie Murphy. The film is set-up as a series of vignettes which are all good but I had two favorites. One is a vignette that involves a television show called "Sneakin' in the Movies" which is a parody of Siskel and Ebert reviews, involving two ghetto teenagers. They review four movies: Amadeus meets Salieri, Chicago Jones and the Temple of Doom, Dirty Larry, and Attack of the Street Pimps. They're assessments, especially on what would really happen to Dirty Larry (a parody on the movie Dirty Harry) involve so many funny quotable lines that I dare you to not find yourself repeating one of them. The other vignette features Keenen Ivory Wayans as Jheri Curl. Now this second vignette might be hard to get unless you grew up in the 80s.
Despite the topic, the film is not mean spirited but uses humor to educate us on the stereotypes we frequently see (even today) when it comes to blacks in film and TV and it's not hard to see how this enlightenment we have obtained would expand to other minorities and diverse groups like Hispanics, Asians, or gays. It's good to learn and laugh at the same time – Enjoy!
Despite the topic, the film is not mean spirited but uses humor to educate us on the stereotypes we frequently see (even today) when it comes to blacks in film and TV and it's not hard to see how this enlightenment we have obtained would expand to other minorities and diverse groups like Hispanics, Asians, or gays. It's good to learn and laugh at the same time – Enjoy!