Mo'nique Movies
The career of funny-girl Mo'nique began in her early 20s, when she took to the improv comedy stage on a dare from her brother. The impulsive decision met with success, and she began to pursue a career in stand-up comedy, eventually performing on such renowned shows as Def Comedy Jam, Showtime at the Apollo, and Snaps.Mo'nique's big break came in 1999, when she landed her own sitcom, starring on UPN's The Parkers as a single mom attending college alongside her daughter. She was 32 years old, and the days when she was working at the phone company in her home town of Baltimore were about to seem very far away. The critical and commercial success of The Parkers led to a slew of awards and movie roles, including Two Can Play That Game, Baby Boy, Half Past Dead, Shadowboxer, Domino, and Soul Plane.
Despite having her pick of scripted roles, Mo'nique was still itching to get back to her stand-up roots. She joined Adele Givens, Sommore, and Laura Hayes for a hugely successful comedy tour called The Queens of Comedy, which was captured on film and released by Paramount Home Entertainment and the Showtime network in 2002.
Never shying away from her status as a full-figured woman, Mo'nique has used her notoriety and her famously sarcastic wit in order to advocate for voluptuous women everywhere. Her funny and empowering book Skinny Women are Evil became a best seller in 2003, and she soon afterward began working with the Oxygen network on a beauty pageant for full-figured women called F.A.T. Chance-an acronym for Fabulous and Thick. She also starred in the movie Phat Girlz in 2006, playing a struggling fashion designer looking for love and success in a world of "hot bodies." Later that same year the large and in-charge star could be seen on screen with the Broken Lizard comedy troupe in the alcohol-chugging chuckler Beerfest. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
Noted hip-hop producer DJ Pooh, who co-wrote the urban comedy Friday, makes his directorial debut with this comedy-drama. A young African-American man is enjoying his freedom after his second stretch in prison. Under the "three strikes and you're out" law, another brush with the police could mean life behind bars, so he's determined to stay out of trouble. He quickly learns, however, that trouble has a way of finding him, no matter where he goes. DJ Pooh also stars in 3 Strikes, alongside N'Bushe Wright and Brian Hooks. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Hooks, N'Bushe Wright, (more)
Ten years later, writer and director John Singleton returns to the South Central Los Angeles neighborhoods of his debut film Boyz 'N the Hood (1991). Tyrese Gibson stars as Jody, a jobless 20-year-old African-American man who has fathered two children by two different women, Yvette (Taraji P. Henson) and Peanut (Tamara LaSeon Bass), although he still lives with his 36-year-old mother Juanita (Adrienne-Joi Johnson). As Jody grapples with the increasing pressures of adult responsibility, he also contends with his troubled best friend Sweetpea (Omar Gooding) and new adversary Rodney (Snoop Doggy Dogg). Then there's his mother's live-in boyfriend Marvin (Ving Rhames), a reformed gangsta who agrees with Juanita that her son should grow up, move out, and move on. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyrese Gibson, Omar Gooding, (more)
Love really is a battlefield in this war of the sexes comedy that marks the directorial debut of Def Jam's How to Be a Player (1997) screenwriter Mark Brown. Vivica A. Fox stars as Shante, a knowledgeable veteran of the dating game who thinks she's found the perfect mate in the handsome Keith (Morris Chestnut). When Keith is spotted stepping out with Shante's arch-rival Conny (Gabrielle Union), the spurned lover institutes what she labels the "ten-day plan," an all-out assault on Keith designed to make him come crawling back to her. Shante's scheme includes sexy lingerie, home cooking, aloofness, and other tactics intended to make Keith regret his errant ways, but Keith is receiving contradictory advice from his allegedly worldly wise buddy Tony (Anthony Anderson). Two Can Play That Game is produced by Doug McHenry, director of Jason's Lyric (1994) and Kingdom Come (2001). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vivica A. Fox, Lee Anthony, (more)
Four of today's hottest black comedians headline this Queens of Comedy video special, a follow-up to Spike Lee's The Original Kings of Comedy film (although Lee does not direct here). Adele Givens, Mo'Nique (from UPN's The Parkers), Sommore, and Laura Hayes (from BET's Comic View) present a very provocative adult program with riffs on everything from the size of various body parts, to the habits of men, to former president Bill Clinton. ~ Jessica Frost, All Movie Guide
- 2002
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Russell Simmons' HBO series Def Comedy Jam was one of the first nationwide showcases for African-American comedians, who could perform raw, streetwise material without censorship or interference; many of the show's guests have gone on to become some of the best known comic talents in America today, and this home video collects more highlights from the show's history. Def Comedy Jam: More All Stars, Vol. 2 features side-splitting material from Martin Lawrence, Steve Harvey, Don "D.C." Curry, Mo'Nique, Tommy Chunn, and more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Some of America's best urban comics have appeared on BET's standup showcase ComicView, and this home video collection brings together some of the show's all-time funniest moments. On BET ComicView: All Stars, Vol. 2, Arnez J plays host to such laugh merchants as Rickey Smiley, Sommore, Mo'nique, and many more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Action hero Steven Seagal goes behind bars -- though don't worry, he isn't really a bad guy -- in this action thriller. Sascha Petrosevitch (Seagal) is an FBI agent working undercover to infiltrate a gangland kingpin's operations. While Petrosevitch is able to gain the trust of one of the gangster's lieutenants, Nick Frazier (Ja Rule), things go haywire during an FBI raid, and Petrosevitch takes several slugs in the back as he struggles to maintain his cover. Eight months later, Petrosevitch and Frazier are serving time together in the newly refurbished Alcatraz Penitentiary, as Petrosevitch secretly continues his investigation. Prison warden Hubbard (Stephen J. Cannell) is arranging for the execution of convicted killer and thief Lester (Bruce Weitz), and U.S. Supreme Court justice Jane McPherson (Linda Thorson) has announced she will attend as a witness. But Hubbard's assistant Donny (Morris Chestnut) has devised a secret plan -- it seems Lester stole and stashed away 200 million dollars in gold before he was arrested, and Donny, along with an underground SWAT team, takes control of the prison and takes Hubbard, McPherson, and the other assembled dignitaries hostage, demanding to be told where Lester has hidden his fortune. Now Petrosevitch must drop his cover and persuade his allies within the prison -- including Frazier and Little Joe (Michael "Bear" Taliferro) -- to join him in a desperate bid to foil Donny and free the hostages. Half Past Dead also features Nia Peeples, Kurupt, Tony Plana, and Claudia Christian. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Seagal, Morris Chestnut, (more)
A black family gets a first-hand look at the trials and tribulations of upward mobility and suburban segregation in this pointed comedy. In 1973, Tom (Danny Glover) is an African-American attorney who is determined to raise himself up by his own bootstraps from his position near the bottom of the totem pole at a law firm. Tom takes on a case no one else is willing to touch -- defending a confessed arsonist whose crime claimed the lives of two teenagers -- and when he manages to score a surprising legal victory for his client, Tom is given a promotion and he moves his family to a new home in the suburbs. However, Tom and his wife Mabel (Whoopi Goldberg) discover they're only the second black household to move into the neighborhood (the first was a woman who struck it rich in the lottery), and housewife Mabel soon learns her neighbors aren't especially open to the notion of ethnic diversity in their community. Good Fences was directed by former cinematographer Ernest Dickerson and produced in part by his frequent collaborator Spike Lee; the film was screened in competition at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, (more)
- 2003
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Roasting Emmitt Smith: Sha's All Star Comedy Roast 2 features the basketball big man and other famous sports and entertainment figures poking fun at the man who would retire from the NFL as the game's all-time leading rusher. Among the personalities who appear are comedians Dick Gregory and Jeff Ross, Smith's teammates Daryl Johnston and Michael Irvin, and sportscaster tuart Scott. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shaquille O'Neal, Emmitt Smith, (more)
- 2004
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Plus-sized comedian Mo'nique -- best known for her starring role on the situation comedy The Parkers -- offers up her adults-only standup act in all its raunchy glory on this performance video. Platinum Comedy Series: Mo'nique - One Night Stand features the comic performing for fans in Biloxi, MS, as she offers her own uninhibited perspectives on love, sex, relationships, and parenting. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
After an excruciatingly humiliating in-flight experience that culminated in a messy breakup and the untimely death of a dog, Nashawn Wade (Kevin Hart) sues the airline for all it's worth. This turns out to be a more than profitable move on his part; the lawsuit brings him a settlement in the hefty amount of 600 million dollars. Eager to prevent his experience from happening to another -- and perfectly willing to reap the financial benefits of the cash cow he believes his plan to be -- Nashawn decides to launch NWA, an all African American airline complete with sensuous stewardesses, an onboard dance club, and a bathroom attendant. Far be it from giving "flying the friendly skies" a new meaning, however, chaos ensues in the form of a white family with the unfortunate last name of Hunkee. The Hunkee patriarch (as played by Tom Arnold) and his antics prevent the flight from going as smoothly as intended. The feature debut of music video director Jessy Tererro, urban comedy regulars Snoop Dogg and Method Man co-star. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Hart, Tom Arnold, (more)
Blood may be thicker than water, but it doesn't hold a candle to hairspray, as we learn in this urban comedy. Angela (Kellita Smith) is a successful hairdresser who operates her own salon based in Los Angeles. One day, Angela gets an unexpected visit from her sister Peaches (Mo'Nique), who runs a beauty shop of her own in Baltimore. The family reunion turns out to not be as happy as Angela may have hoped -- Peaches is trying to stay a step ahead of IRS agents who want to collect 50,000 dollars in back taxes, while also avoiding Marcella (Gina Torres), a fellow hair stylist who wants to take over Peaches' shop. Despite their differences, Angela and Peaches join forces in hopes of finding a way to get the bill paid and take Marcella out of the picture. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mo'nique, Kellita Smith, (more)
Jim Davis' famous cartoon cat finally makes his way to the big screen in this adaptation of the popular comic strip Garfield, which combines live action with CGI animation. Jon Arbuckle (Breckin Meyer) is a sweet, if somewhat clueless, man who shares his home with his pet cat, Garfield (voice of Bill Murray). Garfield is not your ordinary tabby -- he's fat, he's smart-mouthed, he's arrogant, he won't do anything he doesn't have to, and would rather stuff himself with lasagna than do something Jon asks of him. Despite this, Jon loves his cat, but when he decides to expand his animal family, Garfield is less than enthusiastic about the presence of Odie, a lovably enthusiastic dog whose only flaw is his extreme stupidity. While Jon is crazy for Odie, and especially likes having two pets that necessitate periodic visits to Dr. Liz Wilson (Jennifer Love Hewitt), a veterinarian he has a crush on, Garfield decides to remove Odie from the picture. Garfield arranges for Odie to become the property of Happy Chapman (Stephen Tobolowsky), a television host who acts like an animal lover on the round-cornered screen but doesn't much like pets on his own time. While Garfield at first enjoys ruling the roost again, he soon realizes the error of his ways, and in a rare example of selfless and ambitious behavior, hatches a plan to rescue Odie from Chapman. Garfield also features the voice talents of Debra Messing, Brad Garrett, Jimmy Kimmel, and Alan Cumming. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Murray, Breckin Meyer, (more)
The (mostly) true story of a Hollywood princess turned bounty hunter is told in this witty action-drama from director Tony Scott. Domino Harvey (Keira Knightley) was the daughter of famed actor Laurence Harvey (played by Jesse Pate) who passed on when Domino was only eight years old. Domino's mother, former fashion model Paulene Stone (played by Jacqueline Bisset and renamed (%Sophie Wynn) in the film), strove to give her daughter a comfortable life, but Domino was naturally rebellious, and after a contentious stint in boarding school, a brief career as a runway model, and a fling with the fashion business, Domino was looking for something more exciting. She found it when he met Ed Mosbey (Mickey Rourke), an ex-con who had gone on to a successful career as a "bail recovery agent" -- in short, a bounty hunter. Ed also taught others how to join his profession, and Domino took his course and joined his team, along with Choco (Edgar Ramirez), a headstrong bail agent who took an immediate fancy to Domino. Domino, Ed, and Choco became a successful team -- successful enough that television producer Mark Heiss (Christopher Walken) asked them to become the subject of a television reality series. However, it was after the cameras were turned on Domino that her life got truly crazy. Bail bondsman Claremont Williams III (Delroy Lindo) had hired Domino and her friends for a risky case, and soon Domino, Ed, and Choco were chasing missing men and money while landing in hot water with both the FBI and the Mafia. Domino was loosely based on Domino Harvey's real life story; sadly her personal life was as reckless as her career, and Domino died as a result of drug abuse on June 27, 2005, after this film was completed. The film also features Lucy Liu, Mena Suvari, Macy Gray, and Dabney Coleman. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keira Knightley, Mickey Rourke, (more)
Lady of laughter Mo'nique is your hostess for this no-holds-barred performance by a handful of up-and-coming African-American comics. The Big Black Comedy Show, Vol. One includes hilarious standup from DeRay Davis, Chris Spencer, Doug Williams, Rodney Perry, and more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Plus-sized funny lady Mo'nique is your hostess for this performance video, which features a handful of leading African-American comics. The Big Black Comedy Show, Vol. 2 features side-splitting standup material from Rodman, Vince Morris, Sexy Marlo, Ralphie May, and others. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
A late-career change of heart leads to a dangerous life on the run for two seasoned assassins whose complex relationship masks a dark past in director Lee Daniels' pulpy film noir. When Mickey (Cuba Gooding Jr.) was just a child, his abusive father savagely murdered the young boy's mother shortly before being gunned down by Rose (Helen Mirren), Mickey's stepmother. Twenty years later, Mickey and Rose are not only working together as hired killers, but they have grown to become lovers as well. When Rose discovers she is dying of terminal cancer and becomes addicted to morphine, her conscience soon prompts her to reevaluate her murderous ways. Assigned the task of taking out Vickie (Vanessa Ferlito), the wife of local crime boss Clayton (Stephen Dorff), Mickey and Rose are unable to complete their mission upon discovering that Vickie is pregnant. With the tragedy of the past threatening to lock Mickey, Rose, and their reluctant charge into a tragic cycle of death and deceit, the reluctant killers attempt to make amends for their violent past by protecting Vickie's unborn child and allowing Rose one last chance at redemption. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cuba Gooding, Jr., Helen Mirren, (more)
- 2005
The biggest franchise in comedy brings home the best stand up acts to hit the stage in a side splitting collection of clips that keeps the laughs coming. From larger than life Queen of Comedy Mo'Nique to the hilarious Bruce Bruce, Joe Torry and Original King of Comedy Cedric the Entertainer, this release offers all the laughs and entertainment of an all-star night at the comedy club at just a fraction of the price. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
