I just got back from Orlando (I finally got to see "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" in one of only three theaters in Florida projecting it digitally). It's late, and I still have a lotta stuff to do, so I have to rush through this. I'm really sorry about that.
"Undercover Brother" is funny. VERY funny. I laughed my ass off a lot during this movie, and that's all I wanted. Sure, it's silly, stupid, and it's guaranteed to offend at least half the people who see it, but so what? It's funny, dammit.
Ever since Chris Rock did that extremely controversial (and extremely funny) "Niggaz Vs. Black People" skit during his "Bring the Pain" show on HBO, the floodgates were open. Before that, the problems with race relations in this country were hush-hush, and there were certain things that couldn't be said. Instead, we were forced to remain quiet, afraid of saying the wrong thing. Granted, white people can't really get away with saying what Chris Rock said during that skit, but that's understandable. If a white person said it, we're left wondering what the motive was, and what the white person was FEELING as he or she was saying those things. There's no way around it, if a white guy said what Chris Rock said in that skit, he'd be called a racist, and I'd probably agree. But at the same time, Chris Rock was saying a lotta things that white people, even the ones who aren't racist, had been thinking about for a while. Anyway, the point I'm making is that when Chris Rock did that skit, it was suddenly alright to make fun of race relations, and laugh at the negative stereotypes that are really funny anyway. With "Undercover Brother," that ideology is taken to a whole new level, and it's done well.
Eddie Griffin is PERFECT as the title character. The first time I ever saw him was during his standup comedy show I watched on TV (also HBO), a show he did in my hometown of Miami. I liked it, but the thing I remember most was that one of the girls they showed in the audience was a girl I went to school with. This girl was gorgeous, she used to sit next to me in my Chemistry class, which was taught by Mr. Macyntire (I probably misspelled that) at American High. I saw that comedy show a few years after I graduated, so I hadn't seen her in a while. But yeah, I thought Eddie Griffin was funny. It's just that what I came away with most from the comedy show was seeing that girl.
Most everyone in the rest of the cast is really good, too. Denise Richards (sexy babe from "The World is Not Enough," "Drop Dead Gorgeous," "Wild Things," and "Starship Troopers") is very good, and I realized that she has really good comic timing. To be honest, I was surprised at how good she was. Aunjanue Ellis (I'm not familiar with her earlier work) was really good as "Sistah Girl." I've never seen her before, but I thought she was great. Dave Chappelle (starred in "Half Baked") was hilarious as "Conspiracy Brother." That guy is really funny. He's made a lot of appearances on Howard Stern's radio show lately, and he's constantly saying funny stuff. In this movie, he's funny, but it's not the same kinda funny that you may be used to from Dave Chappelle. It's just as effective, though. Chi McBride (His first name is pronounced "shy"... he plays the principal in the TV series, "Boston Public") is excellent as "The Chief." If you've seen the movies and TV shows that "Undercover Brother" is spoofing, than you're very familiar with the kinda character Chi McBride plays. It's very well done. Billy Dee Williams (achieved immortality when cast as "Lando Calrissian" in "The Empire Strikes Back") is absolutely hilarious playing a guy who's obviously modeled after Secretary of State Colin Powell. A great performance. But my favorite has to be Neil Patrick Harris as "Lance." Neil Patrick Harris will forever be known as "Doogie Howser" (by the way, he will soon be the voice of "Peter Parker"/"Spider-Man" in the upcoming "Spider-Man" animated series on MTV), but the last couple of times I've seen him in movies, he's been really good, to the point where he stands out. First it was in "Starship Troopers" (which he did with Denise Richards), and now it's with "Undercover Brother." His "whiteness" is exploited beautifully in this movie, and I really liked his performance. The biggest disappointment has to be Chris Kattan as "Mr. Feather." I think that Chris Kattan is one of the funniest guys working today. He's hilarious in Saturday Night Live (and I thought he was a riot in "A Night at the Roxbury"), but he seemed outta place in this movie. I dunno, he just wasn't the right cast choice.
"Undercover Brother" was directed by Malcolm D. Lee, and yes, he's related to Spike Lee... they're cousins. Malcolm D. Lee also directed "The Best Man," which I never saw, but heard good things about. The story was by John Ridley (he wrote "U-Turn," as well as the book it's based on... he also helped write "Three Kings"), and the screenplay was written by John Ridley and Michael McCullers (he helped write "Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me" and "Austin Powers: Goldmember"... he's also one of the writers for the upcoming movie, "The Cat in the Hat," based on the book by Dr. Seuss and starring Mike Myers). The movie is based on "Undercover Brother," John Ridley’s original animated web series from UrbanEntertainment.com. This is probably the first feature film to be based on an Internet web series. There's a pretty significant milestone for ya! The director and the writers all did an excellent job. Kudos to all of them for their "solid" work.
I liked this movie a lot. It's definitely not perfect, and not every single joke is funny, but it did make me laugh a lot, and that's what's important. But as funny as it is, it's not the best comedy out there, nor is it the best urban comedy. That title goes to "Friday" (the original one). But "Undercover Brother" made me laugh often and well, and I enjoyed it. Also, I think it would make for a good sequel. I'd love to see a series of "Undercover Brother" movies. See this movie!
Scale of 1-10: 8