Stylistically, Undercover Brother is all over the map. Lee, the film actually manages to make you laugh out loud on more than one occasion. ![]() However, thanks to a wonderful cast and skillful direction by Malcom D. The jokes are somewhat tired, the scenario is a little played-out, and the special effects are downright pathetic. With The Brotherhood by his side, Undercover Brother must infiltrate THE MAN's high-tech world of lily-white bad guys in order to rescue this would-be presidential candidate from becoming a mindless spokesperson for a restaurant that could send the civil rights movement back into the stone age.īased on a series of Internet cartoons, Undercover Brother is actually funnier than it has any right to be. Feather (Chris Kattan), plans to control the entire African-American population by slipping this mind-control drug into the foodstuff they so desire. What's worse is that THE MAN, with the help of his henchman Mr. That's right, folks: HE'S SELLING FRIED CHICKEN, complete with racially-specific side dishes. Using a state-of-the-art brainwashing chemical, THE MAN turns this political powerhouse into a fast food chain mogul, one that caters directly to the bawdiest of black stereotypes. ![]() ![]() You see, THE MAN's latest scheme involves an African-American presidential hopeful (Billy Dee Williams) and, well, a big ol' bucket of fried chicken. However, our too-cool-for-new-school hero soon finds himself joining forces with The Brotherhood, an organization devoted to stopping THE MAN from taking over the world. Griffin stars as the titular character, an afro-sheen wonderboy who uses his funky abilities to keep the white man from holding down his under-priviledged brethren. But right now, Undercover Brother is like a big jug of mayonnaise with a splash of hot sauce. Am I singing this film's praises too highly, you wonder? Am I simply caught in the heat of the moment? Perhaps. Undercover Brother is an underrated comedy masterpiece, peppered with so many little touches and laugh-out-loud moments that you'll need to watch the movie more than once to absorb all of the genius on display. Who the hell wants to see that? Anyone who pays to see that movie is retarded with a capital TARD." In my limited little universe, eating crow is a respectable pastime, so it should come as no surprise that I'm currently doing so RIGHT NOW. Anyway, when his 2002 feature Undercover Brother made its way into theaters, I remember thinking, "Oh, it's just another Austin Powers rip-off. Seriously! No joke! I used to laugh like a black man at a taping of Def Comedy Jam whenever I'd catch his stand-up on cable television, and I still get the urge to jump up and flail around whenever I see him on the big screen. Guess what? I think Eddie Griffin is funny. Comedy has a way of dealing with serious issues and finding humour in it.Funnier than Billy Dee Williams selling fried chicken. I think comedy is one of the art forms that can truly get away with that. The film makes some subtle points without being a drum major and beating people over the head with it. It just didn't work out.ĭoes the film have any serious points to make? I didn't want the film to have a skinny man running and a fat man jumping. But the stunt man they had for me was 50 pounds heavier than me. Why do you hire a pilot and tell him not to fly? Malcolm pretty much let us fly by the seat of our pants as long as we were keeping the story moving forward.ĭid you do any of Undercover Brother's stunts? Malcolm said, "Go!" Someĭirectors want you to go strictly by the script, which always confuses me. How much freedom to improvise did you have making the film? Pork-chop sideburns have already made a comeback. Kids are getting bored with letting their underwear hang out of the back of their pants. I have a pimp uncle and another uncle who wants to be a porn star - they're the subjects of my next project, "Eddie Griffin: Dys-Funk-tional Family". He said, "Boy, you remind me of myself when I was 25." We've got similar backgrounds. I met him at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. ![]() My inspiration is the one and only godfather of comedy himself, Richard Pryor. After I woke up from fainting I said "Yes!" I'd been a 70s buff for a long time, so to play that character was amazing. Then Brian Grazer asked me if I wanted to play Undercover Brother. But I was laughing out loud at home reading this script. You get sent a lot of scripts and some of them are fireplace starters. What attracted you to "Undercover Brother"? US comedian Eddie Griffin, previously seen as Deuce Bigalow's pimp, dons platform shoes and an outrageous Afro to play Undercover Brother, a funky crime fighter whose fashion sense hasn't left the 70s.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |