The Original Kings of Comedy (2000) 3 stars out of 4. Starring Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac. Directed by Spike Lee. Rated R.
"The Original Kings of Comedy "is a raw, funny concert film spotlighting four of the funniest black comedians on the circuit today - Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac.
This is an interesting experience, not so much for the four gentlemen named above, who all are very fine comedians. No, it is more for the cultural significance of this venture.
It is interesting to compare this concert film with Richard Pryor's groundbreaking 1979 `Live in Concert' movie.
My, how times have changed. The language is still as biting as it was 20-plus years ago. In fact, Bernie Mac delivers an entire riff on the word `motherf ...,' explaining why black people like to use it so much.
But the anger of Pryor's time concerning the gap between blacks and whites has subsided, replaced by a bemused indulgence as if the Caucasian race was a beat behind and not quick enough to get the joke.
That is not to say that this quartet of well-dressed funnymen don't do a number on the foibles of blacks.
Harvey, for instance, begins by spoofing the hit film "Titanic," ridiculing the concept of the band staying on board and playing until the ship sinks. Black musicians, he says, would have dropped their instruments, grabbed the nearest piece of furniture for ballast and dove in.
Harvey then berates rap music, explaining his love for the `old school' - as he calls the sounds of the soul groups of the ‘60s and ‘70s. He doesn't like going to rap concerts because it's too much work, he explains. The singers always are barking out orders: clap yo' hands, get on your feet, feel the groove.
All poor Harvey wants to do is sit back and enjoy the music.
This is the tenor of the routines by the talented foursome.
Watching the comedians interact with the audience brings to mind a church service. The fervor and love in which the Charlotte, N.C., crowd embraces these men is akin to a clergyman-congregation relationship.
Director Spike Lee intercuts several audience reaction shots, and as you watch, you feel as if he is more interested in the byplay between performer and customer than in the actual comedic routines.
And he probably is. After all, Harvey, Hughley, Cedric and Bernie Mac are not doing anything differently than they've done on various comedy specials on HBO, Showtime or some other cable network.
It's not the comedy that is the main focus, but the cultural phenomenon. The audience inspires the comedians, urging them on, applauding, shouting encouragement and agreement, recognizing and laughing at themselves in the various descriptions of black life spotlighted by the standups.
Cedric regales the crowd with his explanation of why there isn't a black president, going on to explain how a black leader would handle a billion-dollar deficit, and the audience explodes.
Unfortunately, "The Original Kings of Comedy" will probably have a limited appeal. I saw it with a mostly black preview audience, who howled, stomped and clapped, enjoying themselves immensely.
I would urge others to take a chance. You may surprise yourself and laugh along with the rest of us.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier. in Lafayette, IN He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at bobbloom@iquest.net Reviews by Bloom can be found on the Internet Movie Database at: http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
Bring It On (2000) 1 1/2 stars out of 4.. Starring Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford and Gabrielle Union. Written by Jessica Bendinger. Directed by Peyton Reed. Rated PG-13.
Probably the one saving grace of "Bring It On" is its sincerity.
After all, this is a story about cheerleaders - usually a target of cinematic ridicule - and their struggles to make it to the national championships in Orlando, Fla.
Admittedly, the plot isn't "War and Peace." This is just a silly, formulaic movie with stock characters who are pretty to ogle.
The photography is well lit, the film's score is bouncy and the cast plays it straight. It avoids the pitfalls of tackiness and sexism.
The story centers around the Rancho Carne High School cheerleading squad in San Diego. The squad has won the national championship five consecutive years. Now, under the leadership of newly appointed captain Torrance Shipman (Kirsten Dunst), the Toros squad will shoot for title No. 6.
But Torrence makes a disturbing discovery. The squad's routines had been stolen from the Clovers, a hip-hop squad from East Compton, by the Toros' former captain.
Thus Torrance must create enough confidence in herself and her squad's abilities to devise all new routines to carry them to the championship.
Meanwhile Isis (Gabrielle Union), the driven captain of the Clovers, must concoct a way for her squad to raise money to attend the nationals so they can gain the recognition they so richly deserve.
"Bring It On" does have a certain innocent charm to it, despite its PG-13 rating. The sexual innuendo is limited to the cheerleading routines.
The movie's main flaw is that most of the characters, especially the Toros girls, are types.
But this is not the fault of the performers, but of writer Jessica Bendinger.
Dunst, who made a startling film debut in "Interview With the Vampire," and since then has gone on to do fine work in such films as "Little Women," "Drop Dead Gorgeous" and the made-for-cable drama "Devil's Arithmetic," is smart, honest and inventive as Torrance.
the school has no gymnastics program. Dushku, best known for her role as Faith in WB's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," plays Torrance's new best friend who opens her eyes to the Toros' former captain's perfidy.
Acting honors, though, go to Union as the tough, self-sufficient Isis who fights to bring her squad to the nationals.
"Bring It On" is very lightweight fare. Honestly, who takes cheerleading - or cheerleaders - seriously. The good folks at Universal, though, in trying to emphasize the importance of cheerleading enclosed a fact sheet in the press kit that includes a list of famous people who were cheerleaders. Among the names, Madonna, Kathie Lee Gifford, Donna Rice, Alicia Silverstone, Meryl Streep, Paula Adbul, Halle Berry and Sheryl Crow.
Come on, studio folks. It's only a movie - loud, colorful, but feathery, with limited appeal for those who believe cheerleading is the alpha and omega of their existence.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier. in Lafayette, IN He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at bobbloom@iquest.net Reviews by Bloom can be found on the Internet Movie Database at: http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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