Essence Atkins Movies
Actress Essence Atkins began appearing onscreen in the late '80s, with small appearances on shows like Saved By the Bell and The Cosby Show. She would go on to land a series of starring roles on short-lived series throughout the '90s like Under One Roof and Smart Guy before finding lasting success with a starring role on the comedy series Half and Half, which she stayed with from 2002 to 2006. After the show ended its run, Atkins made a number of appearances in movies like Love for Sale and Dance Flick. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
A privileged white girl from the suburbs moves to the inner city and attempts to perfect her notoriously clumsy dance moves in this parody of popular dance movies. Damon Wayans Jr. and Craig Wayans star in a comedy co-written by Shawn, Keenen Ivory, Marlon, Craig, and Damien Wayans, who also directs. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Damon Wayans Jr., Craig Wayans, (more)
- 2007
- Add Love and Other Four Letter Words to QueueAdd Love and Other Four Letter Words to top of Queue
Philadelphia-based television talk-show host Stormy LaRue (Tangi Miller) has always put her professional life before her personal life, but when her terminally ill Nana (Aloma Wright) makes one last wish to see Stormy marry, the self-centered media starlet embarks on a tireless mission to seek out the ideal husband. All Nana ever wanted was to see Stormy exchange her wedding vows, and all Stormy wants is to make her loving Nana's dreams come true. But what's a woman to do if she can't find the perfect spouse? Now, as Stormy scrambles to hire an actor to pose as her husband and videotape the sham ceremony to send to her ailing grandmother, Nana surprises everyone by announcing that she plans to attend the wedding in person. Things go from bad to worse when the minister, a lifelong friend to Stormy, senses that something isn't quite right about the radiant bride and her dashing groom. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tangi Miller, Aloma Wright, (more)
- 2002
In this independent psychological drama, Lillian (Jade Henham) is a woman who is depressed and dissatisfied with her lot in life; she's the kept woman of a successful businessman, Gene (Samuel Bottoms), who has sexual identity issues and likes to dress up as Marilyn Monroe during his encounters with Lillian. Lillian longs for a different sort of relationship, and while Gene is away on business, she meets Luke (Robert Glen Keith), a handsome and seemingly sensitive writer who seems to offer a healthier perspective on love and sex than that to which she's become accustomed. However, in time she discovers Luke has secrets of his own, and now she finds herself torn between two men, neither of whom is giving her what she needs. Looking Through Lillian was the first feature film for director and co-screenwriter Jake Torem; leading lady Jade Henham also contributed to the script. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Three men discover that meddling in their sister-in-law's love life only makes their own lives more complicated in this romantic comedy. Eva Dandridge (Gabrielle Union) developed a sense of responsibility early on in life, when after the death of her parents she was left to care for her three younger sisters, Kareenah (Essence Atkins), Bethany (Robinne Lee), and Jacqui (Meagan Good). All four of the Dandridge sisters have grown up to be attractive, intelligent, and successful; Kareenah is happily married to Tim (Mel Jackson), while Bethany is engaged to Michael (Duane Martin), and Jacqui is going steady with Darrell (Dartanyan Edmonds). However, Eva still watches over her siblings like a hawk, and while her sisters love Eva dearly, Tim, Michael, and Darrell wish their sister-in-law would stay out of their business. The guys decide that if Eva had a boyfriend, she might be less interested in running other people's lives, and they turn to Ray (LL Cool J), a notorious ladies' man, for help. Ray is short on cash, so the guys make him a deal -- they'll give him 5,000 dollars to romance Eva, sweep her off her feet, and then dump her a few weeks later. Ray agrees, and while getting past her no-nonsense demeanor takes some doing, before long she's head over heels for him. However, Ray unexpectedly finds himself falling in love with Eva, and Eva, when offered a job in another town, decides to stay on to be with Ray. Even worse, the other Dandridge sisters are so impressed with the romantic Ray that they start demanding a bit more TLC from their own men. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- LL Cool J, Gabrielle Union, (more)
- 2002
The premise of this UPN sitcom was based on the notion that half-siblings never get along -- at least, not on black-oriented sitcoms with loud laugh tracks. Rachel True and Essence Atkins starred as half sisters Mona and Dee Dee who, despite their oil-and-water personalities (one was footloose, the other an uptight preppie), ended up living in the same apartment building. As if this wasn't hilarious enough, the girls, who shared the same father, were constantly besieged by their respective mothers Phyllis (Telma Hopkins) and Big Dee Dee (Valarie Pettiford), who likewise never saw eye to eye on anything. The air was thick with creative and sometimes amusing personal insults, enabling the series' writers to bypass such irritations as providing plots or character development. Half and Half debuted September 23, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rachel True, Essence Atkins, (more)
A pair of real-life multi-platinum rap artists star in this genial substance abuse comedy recalling the pro-marijuana work of Cheech and Chong and such films as Half Baked (1998). Silas (Method Man) and Jamal (Redman) are buddies who enjoy smoking voluminous amounts of the illegal plant. They end up in the possession of some magical weed that enhances their brainpower during college entrance exams, thus enabling them to enter that esteemed institution of learning, Harvard University. Once firmly ensconced in the halls of academia, however, the pals run out of their supernatural supply and are forced to get creative in the pursuit of an Ivy League degree. Included in their narcotic-addled plans: smoking the bones of dead president John Quincy Adams. Produced by Danny DeVito's Jersey Films, How High (2001) co-stars Obba Babatunde, Fred Willard, and Hector Elizondo. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Method Man, Redman, (more)
A high school student learns some tough lessons about love, sex, and honesty in this independent drama. Nikita (Essence Atkins) is a 17-year-old girl whose mother (Roz Ryan) has turned to religion in the wake of her husband's death. Nikita, however, is having a bit of trouble navigating the moral and ethical roadways of her own life. While Nikita has an after-school job at a clothing store, she supplements her income by lifting merchandise from the shop and selling it to her classmates, and when she finds herself falling for a boy at school, it turns out to be Mr. Jackson (Kenney Lee), her English teacher, who is not only older but engaged to marry the vice principal (Mari Morrow). As Nikita comes to a crossroads where she has to decide if she's going to take the high road or the low road in life, her friend J-Smooth (William L. Johnson) finds himself in a similar position, as he struggles to leave behind his past as a petty thief without alienating his longtime friends who are still steeped in the street life. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Essence Atkins, Kenney Lee, (more)
- 2000
Recording artist Monica Arnold stars in this made-for-cable drama as African-American pre-med student Camille Livingston. Having been carefully raised in the lap of privilege and luxury by her wealthy, "mixed" parents, Camille is fully prepared to make her doctor father's dream come true by following in his footsteps. She is also resigned to wed a "safe" young man, fellow student Calvin (Rainbow Francks), at her parents' behest. All of this changes when she falls head over heels in love with college drop-out Billy Ryan Gallo (Christian Kane), a struggling young jazz musician. Filmed in Montreal, Love Song was first broadcast over MTV on December 1, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monica Arnold, Christian Kane, (more)
- 1989
To take a break from boys, Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) goes to an all-girl party with her friend Susan (Lisa Rieffel). Out of boredom, the girls inaugurate a drinking contest called "The Alphabet Game"--and despite her initial resistance, Vanessa ends up stewed to the gills! Although the agonies suffered by Vanessa throughout the "morning after" are all too familiar, the reaction of her parents Cliff (Bill Cosby) and Clair (Phylicia Rashad) to the situation are most surprising indeed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Anxious to get on her school's pep squad, Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) tries to impress her friends by telling them how her mom Clair purchased a painting at for $11,000 (which of course happened in the second-season episode "The Auction"). The plan backfires when Vanessa is turned down for the squad because she's too "stuck-up" about her "wealth". In another money-driven situation, Cliff (Bill Cosby) overspends at the appliance store, forcing Clair (Phylicia Rashad]) to overstep her bounds. And finally, Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) regrets teaching kid sister Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) how to play checkers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
