Directed by John Whitesell. Starring Jamie Kennedy, Anthony Anderson, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Blair Underwood, Ryan O'Neal, Damien Wayans, Bo Derek, Jeffrey Tambor, Niecy Nash, Noel Gugliemi, Mike Epps. Comedy Synopsis: A privileged kid from Malibu is obsessed with the hip/hop and gangsta rap culture. However, his father, who is running for Governor of California, thinks he might be a negative on the campaign trail and approves a phony kidnapping by actors playing South Central thugs in order to "scare" him back to his natural culture.
Now, I know this movie has been widely panned, but I've got to be honest with you: I really liked it.Like I say with all flicks, know what you're getting into when you rent, buy, or watch. You're not getting The Exorcist or Million Dollar Baby, so don't apply that standard. When you have a flick about a rich Jewish kid who is obsessed with the hip hop culture, you know the only point of the flick is to make you laugh...and I think Malibu's Most Wanted will do that...at least it did for me.
The premise is simple enough, if a little far fetched. Brad Gluckman (Jamie Kennedy Heckler), who likes to be known as "B-Rad" is fiercely loyal to the hip hop culture, which he considers his own. His dad (Ryan O' Neal Paper Moon) is running for Governor, and having Brad out on the campaign trail, or doing anything weird like his impromptu hip hop bootie shakes in full view of the media might cost him votes. So, at the urging of his campaign manager (Blair Underwood Just Cause), a plan to hire two actors (Taye Diggs Basic and Anthony Anderson Hustle & Flow) to portray South Central L.A. street thugs to kidnap Brad and scare him "white".
The two actors, unfamiliar with the ghetto, enlist the help of a cousin, Shondra (Regina Hall Scary Movie) who actually lives in South Central. Well, this less than ingenious plan is hatched and, as you would think, it runs into some rough spots as Brad is not as easy to scare "white" as thought, Shondra starts to take a little bit of a shine to him, and they run into some real gangsters.
Basically, this flick took a character created by Jamie Kennedy and stretched into into a feature by creating a number of scenes and situations tailor made for laughter at the expense of a character who thinks he knows a particular culture, but really doesn't.
What makes it work, in my opinion? Well, its funny. Most of the actors in this flick are, in fact, comedic actors, and there are several good performances. Diggs, Anderson, Underwood, and O'Neal are all dramatic actors of note who nail their comedic roles in this film. Hall is known for her comedic roles and she delivers, too, and the chemistry between her and Kennedy is more than believable, though you do have to remember this isn't a primarily romantic tale.
There are also a number of actors with small roles who make their comedic mark; Niecy Nash, Mike Epps (Next Day Air), Terry Crews, and Noel Gugliemi (Training Day) in his familiar role as gangster tough guy.
Look, if you like Jamie Kennedy, you will like this flick, plain and simple. Moreover, if you are the type of film buff who can laugh at racial and ethnic stereotypes-from all sides, you will really enjoy it as well. If you're somewhat sensitive or 'PC' on this type of humor, you can feel comfortable that its delievered in such a way that is not crude or overly offensive. I like that we can find humor in our stereotypes of different groups without having to resort to the crudest names.
This is a good movie to have some light hearted fun for a couple of hours. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Now, I know this movie has been widely panned, but I've got to be honest with you: I really liked it.Like I say with all flicks, know what you're getting into when you rent, buy, or watch. You're not getting The Exorcist or Million Dollar Baby, so don't apply that standard. When you have a flick about a rich Jewish kid who is obsessed with the hip hop culture, you know the only point of the flick is to make you laugh...and I think Malibu's Most Wanted will do that...at least it did for me.
The premise is simple enough, if a little far fetched. Brad Gluckman (Jamie Kennedy Heckler), who likes to be known as "B-Rad" is fiercely loyal to the hip hop culture, which he considers his own. His dad (Ryan O' Neal Paper Moon) is running for Governor, and having Brad out on the campaign trail, or doing anything weird like his impromptu hip hop bootie shakes in full view of the media might cost him votes. So, at the urging of his campaign manager (Blair Underwood Just Cause), a plan to hire two actors (Taye Diggs Basic and Anthony Anderson Hustle & Flow) to portray South Central L.A. street thugs to kidnap Brad and scare him "white".
The two actors, unfamiliar with the ghetto, enlist the help of a cousin, Shondra (Regina Hall Scary Movie) who actually lives in South Central. Well, this less than ingenious plan is hatched and, as you would think, it runs into some rough spots as Brad is not as easy to scare "white" as thought, Shondra starts to take a little bit of a shine to him, and they run into some real gangsters.
Basically, this flick took a character created by Jamie Kennedy and stretched into into a feature by creating a number of scenes and situations tailor made for laughter at the expense of a character who thinks he knows a particular culture, but really doesn't.
What makes it work, in my opinion? Well, its funny. Most of the actors in this flick are, in fact, comedic actors, and there are several good performances. Diggs, Anderson, Underwood, and O'Neal are all dramatic actors of note who nail their comedic roles in this film. Hall is known for her comedic roles and she delivers, too, and the chemistry between her and Kennedy is more than believable, though you do have to remember this isn't a primarily romantic tale.
There are also a number of actors with small roles who make their comedic mark; Niecy Nash, Mike Epps (Next Day Air), Terry Crews, and Noel Gugliemi (Training Day) in his familiar role as gangster tough guy.
Look, if you like Jamie Kennedy, you will like this flick, plain and simple. Moreover, if you are the type of film buff who can laugh at racial and ethnic stereotypes-from all sides, you will really enjoy it as well. If you're somewhat sensitive or 'PC' on this type of humor, you can feel comfortable that its delievered in such a way that is not crude or overly offensive. I like that we can find humor in our stereotypes of different groups without having to resort to the crudest names.
This is a good movie to have some light hearted fun for a couple of hours. Nothing more. Nothing less.
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