Foolish (1999) Reviewed by Eugene Novikov http://www.ultimate-movie.com/foolish.html Member: Online Film Critics Society
*1/2 out of four
Starring Eddie Griffin, Master P. Rated R.
What would inspire someone who cannot write or act to pen and star in a movie? A better question, what would inspire a studio to produce said movie? If you have an answer, let me know. Foolish, the new movie written by and starring Master P is a jaw-droppingly horrible film, one with no redeeming value socially, cinematically or otherwise. Comedically it has some potential, but only in its stand-up comedy moments, which I can turn on Comedy Central for.
Master P stars as Fifty Dollah' (beat that!) as a mobster (I think) who is trying to start a comedy club/act with his little brother Foolish (Eddie Griffin). But the two of them have to deal with an angry mob boss (played by Andrew Dice Clay, for the very first time entertaining), a stubborn club owner and family problems (the latter in Foolish is a perfect example of Roger Ebert's "Idiot Plot," if everyone here wasn't an idiot, there would be no problem)
So what does Foolish have to offer beside a bunch of idiotic character names? Not a hell of a lot. As I have mentioned, Master P cannot act or write. He acts like the rapper that he is. The occasional despair that his script requires him to exhibit is excruciatingly forced, as are his warm and fuzzy scenes with his little bro. As for his script -- well, I suppose he delivers what one would expect from a musical artist with no previous screenwriting experience. If you haven't yet figured it out, that is not saying much.
Co-star Eddie Griffin (really the star of the show) is quite a different story. The fact of the matter is that Griffin, whose most significant screen outing to date is probably the mildly successful tv show Malcolm and Eddie on the fledgling UPN network, is an extremely talented comedian, stand-up and otherwise. He has much in common with Chris Tucker (Rush Hour, Money Talks) in how quickly and effortlessly his speech flows from his lips. He spouts profanity with impressive dexterity (to the extent which that can be done), and while I hope that does not become his trademark it works in a few scenes in this movie.
And indeed, I laughed at a few stand-up scenes here, but from a feature-length movie I expect more. Foolish provided me with no reason to care for these characters. Every scene which has any potential for dramatic impact is effectively diffused by either a stupid joke (in a scene where tension escalates between the two brothers, Foolish blurts out towards his jewelry-sporting sibling "You lay one hand on me and this cemetary is going to be a gold rush") or something even more idiotic such as Foolish smashing his own car (to which I said, a bit too loudly for the occasion "Huh?") after getting slightly upset with his wife.
Believe me when I say that there is nothing in Foolish that warrants parting with your hard-earned $8. You'll get more laughs from watching 30 minutes of Comedy Central or any virtually any sitcom if you don't have cable. Eddie Griffin fans may enjoy this derivative (although offensive) yarn, but everyone else should stay the hell away. ‰
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