Bobby McGee Movies
Boyz N the Hood meets Tales from the Crypt in this alternately horrific, funny, and socially conscious anthology film. The four grim vignettes are framed by the tale of three street hoods who break into Mr. Simm's inner-city funeral home to find a stash of drugs. The mortician puts them off, by telling them a few eerie stories about his "patrons." ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Clarence Williams III, Joe Torry, (more)
Robert Townsend's superhero action comedy underwent much tinkering during post-production, employing four editors to whip the film into shape. Townsend wrote, directed, and produced this urban fable and also stars as Jefferson Reed, a meek substitute teacher in an inner-city neighborhood dominated by a gang of leather-jacketed, peroxided blonde goons who call themselves the Golden Lords. The residents of the neighborhood feel they can do nothing about the gang. But then a meteor hits Jefferson, who finds that he can fly, has super-strength, and can retain all the information in a book in thirty seconds. As a result, Jefferson, who normally is afraid of heights and runs from danger, becomes a reluctant superhero. The word about the "Meteor Man" gets back to the Golden Lords, who intend to rid the neighborhood of this milquetoast crime-fighter. The Meteor Man contains a cornucopia of cameos appearances, including Bill Cosby, Luther Vandross, Sinbad, Big Daddy Kane and Nancy Wilson. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Townsend, Marla Gibbs, (more)
- 1992
Will (Will Smith), star player of the Bel-Air Prep basketball team, squares off against Marcus Stokes (Allen Payne), leading player on the Malibu Prep team. Both Will and his opponent are determined to win at all costs--but it means lot more to Marcus, a fellow "homeboy" who may very well lose an athletic scholarship if Bel-Air wins the game. Will Will do the wrong thing at the right time to help the other guy? A surprise ending caps this neat little lesson on values and priorities. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1992
It's election night, and incumbent Judge Robertson (Sherman Hemsley) handily defeats opponent Philip Banks (James Avery). This comes about because of the outrageous pack of lies told by Robertson against Philip in the course of the campaign. An angry Will (Will Smith) shows up at Robertson's victory rally and tells him to "drop dead"--whereupon the senile old judge instantly does so! The rest of the episode deals with a guilt-stricken Will and a not-so-unhappy Philip, who ironically is called upon to deliver Robertson's eulogy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Loosely based on the life and times of several R&B artists (The Dells, The Temptations, Frankie Lymon, Sam Cooke and others) The Five Heartbeats traces the rise and fall of a popular African-American 1950s singing aggregation. The story is told from the point of view of one of the "Heartbeats," played by Robert Townsend (who also co-produced, directed and co-wrote the script with Keenan Ivory Waynans). The film is an amalgam of anecdotes drawn from real-life experiences: the long struggle upward, the first rush of success, the dishonest record-company executives, the hard-nosed but nurturing managers, the sex, the drugs, the isolation and the precipitous downward slide. The film begins and ends in the 1990s, as the middle-aged "Duck" (Townsend) ruminates on the past and makes the best of the present. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Townsend, Michael Wright, (more)
- 1989
- R
To date, there have been few American cinematic attempts devoted completely to including the nationalist Vietnamese perspective during the American involvement in Vietnam. This film attempts to provide a more inclusive perspective. An American soldier, Captain Keene (Beau Bridges) is captured by Ho (Liem Whatley, an idealistic young Vietcong soldier. At first highly distrustful of the young man, a bond develops between them when it becomes clear that the young man is protecting the American from mistreatment by his superiors. A crucial moment comes when the boy chooses to flee with his American captive in order to protect the man's life. Haing S. Ngor, who won an Academy Award for his performance in Killing Fields, makes a brief appearance as a North Vietnamese military man. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Beau Bridges, Dr. Haing S. Ngor, (more)
Eddie Murphy, in addition to starring as Quick, the son of 1930s Harlem gambling-house proprietor Sugar Ray (Richard Pryor), also wrote and directed the film. The plotline details the combined efforts of Quick and Sugar Ray to prevent white gangster Bugsy Calhoune (Michael Lerner) from muscling in on their operation. The supporting players include Redd Foxx, Danny Aiello and Jasmine Guy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, (more)
Keenen Ivory Wayans wrote, directed, and starred in this hilarious parody of blaxploitation films in the comedy I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. Jack Spade (Wayans) returns home from a hitch in the army to find his brother Junebug has died from an overdose of gold chains, leaving his widow Cheryl (Dawnn Lewis) and mother Ma Bell (Ja'net DuBois) alone to fend for themselves. Ma throws two inept thugs (Damon Wayans and Kadeem Hardison) sent by the evil white guy Mr. Big (John Vernon) down a flight of stairs. Junebug owes $5,000 to Mr. Big for his gold-chain addiction and tries to force Cheryl into prostitution to pay off the debt. Jack recruits his old friend to go after Mr. Big to seek revenge. John Slade (Bernie Casey), Hammer (Isaac Hayes), Slammer (Jim Brown) Kung Fu Joe (Steve James) and the former Pimp Of The Year Flyguy (Antonio Fargas) join up with Jack to avenge his brother' death. Chris Rock makes a brief appearance as the annoying customer who risks his life by irking rib joint owner Hammer. Funny and fast paced, the writing, acting, sight gags and cameos by Robert Townsend, Peggy Lipton, Clarence Williams III, Eve Plumb (Jan from The Brady Bunch), Kim Wayans, and Gary Owens makes this a must-see for any comedy fan. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Keenen Ivory Wayans, Bernie Casey, (more)
In this unusual teen comedy, the most popular girl in school embarks upon the worst date of her life after she loses a bet and is forced to attend the prom with the school's biggest nerd. The trouble begins when her doofous date gets lost en route and they end up stranded on the worst side of town. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Keanu Reeves, Lori Loughlin, (more)
This satirical look at the ambivalent relationship between Hollywood power brokers and African-American performers marked the writing, producing, and directing debut of Robert Townsend. The filmmaker also stars as Bobby Taylor, a struggling actor looking for his big break despite his family's and co-workers' reservations about his chosen career path. While working a day job flipping burgers, Bobby heads out to insulting cattle calls where white casting agents pass judgement on whether he seems "black enough." Meanwhile, he imagines himself playing Sam Spade, Rambo, and other movie heroes rather than the stereotypical roles actually available to him. When Bobby actually does win one such pimp-daddy part, however, he is forced to choose between accepting work that opens doors, but ultimately demeans him and returning to obscurity with his principles intact. Hollywood Shuffle's enormous supporting cast includes a wealth of black actors, from then-unknowns such as Damon Wayans to veterans such as 227 star Helen Martin. Self-financed and filmed on scraps of hand-me-down celluloid, the film helped establish actor Townsend as a director of note and also kick-started the career of co-screenwriter and co-star Keenen Ivory Wayans, who would cast Townsend in his own directorial debut the following year. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Townsend, Anne-Marie Johnson, (more)
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