| WELCOME HOME, ROSCOE JENKINS |
 2008 - USADirector: Malcolm D. Lee
- Reviewed by Vickie
This time around, Lawrence is "Dr. RJ Stevens"—aka: Roscoe Jenkins—a hot-shot TV talk-show host who's sort a weird amalgam of Jerry Springer and Dr. Phil. He's a television superstar with a trophy girlfriend named Bianca (Joy Bryant), herself a pop-culture icon for winning Survivor and being the token "bitch" on her season (think: Omarosa). Together, they are an entertainment-magazine wet dream, and both of them milk every photo op for all its worth. But Roscoe runs face first into reality, and all the skeletons in his closet, when he and Bianca head to rural Georgia for his parents' 50th anniversary celebration—an event that reunites Roscoe with all his relatives and re-ignites plenty of sibling rivalry. Among the Jenkins clan are Daddy and Mommy (James Earl Jones, Margaret Avery); ball-busting older sister Betty (Mo'Nique); burly brother Otis (Michael Clarke Duncan); scheming cousin Reggie (Mike Epps); and de-facto "brother" Clyde (Cedric the Entertainer), who was adopted by the Jenkins as a boy after the deaths of his parents and with whom Roscoe has competed since childhood. For everything, including the affections of Lucinda (Nicole Ari Parker), Roscoe's "one that got away." Written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee, who previously helmed Roll Bounce and Undercover Brother (both of which I liked a lot), WHRJ tries too hard to be slapstick and winds up burying its humor in cheap jokes and over-the-top physical combat. That's right, combat. Roscoe winds up fighting, in overlong sequences pushed past the point of funny, with just about everybody at some point... the scene where he and Bianca have loud, angry sex actually made me roll my eyes. (And anytime the film was needlessly crass, I lost interest.) When all the hoopla dies down, though, there are some genuine laughs to be had with Roscoe and his kin. All the folks involved in the film are funny, so it's to be expected that they'd be able to churn out something decent amid the din. Lawrence doesn't really do anything new, but if ain't broke, why fix it? He turns in his trademark manic performance, and watching his character unravel bit by bit as his family pushes all his buttons is endlessly entertaining. Among the extensive supporting cast, Mo'Nique and Mike Epps stand out as hilariously funny, and Cedric the Entertainer makes for a great comedic foil. Unfortunately for the "heart" of the movie, the kid playing Jamaal, Roscoe's son, is completely forgettable, and the story would have been better served without the somewhat lame father-and-son subplot. WHRJ isn't a great movie. It's not even a great Martin Lawrence movie. But it's not the worst movie I've seen in 2008 (yes, I know it's only February but I've already seen some gems!), and it's certainly enough fun to brighten a grey winter afternoon... if for nothing else than Mo'Nique challenging Joy Bryant to a fight. Gold. |
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Okay, here's the thing. This is a Martin Lawrence movie. That means, by
default, it's going to be somewhat low-brow where humor, plotting and
execution are concerned. But it also means that, by default, chances
are I'm going to cut it more slack than I would a comedy starring Adam
Sandler or Ice Cube. Why? Because, for some reason I have yet to fully
understand, I really enjoy Martin Lawrence movies. There, I said it.
Feel free to judge me.
