This is another one of those movies where we're forced to watch a clash of two extremely stereotypical groups based on culture, and as usual it's a white Anglo-Saxon protestant (WASP) male and his family who meets the street-smart black gangsta-ish ex-con woman. As usual the conflict arises when the two are forced to get along and develop a friendship while uptight neighbors/bosses/coworkers who aren't okay with mixed-race friendships watch disapprovingly.
Unfortunately, this movie has too few laughs to make up for the stereotypical crap. There wasn't a single white person in the movie that wasn't an uptight stereotypical nerd (except for the stereotypical party animal high schoolers), and there wasn't a single memorable black character who was articulate and didn't act like your stereotypical thug or party animal.
Steve Martin is one of my favorite comedians (since The Jerk, pick it up if you want to see a movie done right) and Queen Latifah is always a pleasure to watch (beautiful), but this movie just didn't do it for me. I get tired of movies where all the comedy stems from reinforcing stereotypes that are less accurate every year.
Yes, there are uptight WASPs in this country, but you know what? I don't know any. They're not as common as this movie portrays (which is everyone). Yes, there are black gangstas in this country but not every black person around. There are a lot of well-spoken, cultured blacks out there. One is Secretary of State. Another is running for President.
A little bit of believability would take this movie a LONG way. I don't find a lot of humor in racial stereotypes, not when on the one hand we're supposed to laugh at it here and on the other hand, it's taboo to mention things like this in public. The word Negro is used in this movie so many times but I haven't heard that word used in real life in years (except for some Mormons I went to school with).
Anyhow, I'm tired of the stereotypes. 2/10 stars.
Unfortunately, this movie has too few laughs to make up for the stereotypical crap. There wasn't a single white person in the movie that wasn't an uptight stereotypical nerd (except for the stereotypical party animal high schoolers), and there wasn't a single memorable black character who was articulate and didn't act like your stereotypical thug or party animal.
Steve Martin is one of my favorite comedians (since The Jerk, pick it up if you want to see a movie done right) and Queen Latifah is always a pleasure to watch (beautiful), but this movie just didn't do it for me. I get tired of movies where all the comedy stems from reinforcing stereotypes that are less accurate every year.
Yes, there are uptight WASPs in this country, but you know what? I don't know any. They're not as common as this movie portrays (which is everyone). Yes, there are black gangstas in this country but not every black person around. There are a lot of well-spoken, cultured blacks out there. One is Secretary of State. Another is running for President.
A little bit of believability would take this movie a LONG way. I don't find a lot of humor in racial stereotypes, not when on the one hand we're supposed to laugh at it here and on the other hand, it's taboo to mention things like this in public. The word Negro is used in this movie so many times but I haven't heard that word used in real life in years (except for some Mormons I went to school with).
Anyhow, I'm tired of the stereotypes. 2/10 stars.