John Witherspoon
- 2008
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From his memorable performances as the dog-catching dad in the hit Friday trilogy to his recurring role as "Pops" in The Wayans Brothers, comedian John Witherspoon has kept movie and television viewers in stitches for years. Now, the pop-culture icon who spawned such catchphrases as "Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!" and "You Got to Coordinate!" is bringing his act to the stage and nothing is off limits in this release of a 2007 performance that highlights why David Letterman once called Witherspoon "the funniest man alive." ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Witherspoon
First time filmmaker Eric Amadio offers a honest, sexy, and occasionally crude take on modern relationships in this comedy that uses the act of sex as a springboard to explore larger issues of intimacy and vulnerability. Beginning at the earliest stages of romance, following through to the final goodbyes, and tenderly exploring every area in between, the relationships shared by eight separate couples serve as the heart of this enlightening and entertaining take on human emotions and vulnerability. From Neil and Bob's conversations about who is the "femme" in their relationship and who is the "butch" to David and Jordy's quest to understand why their relationship failed, Kristy and Sam's first time, and Alana and Marco's struggle just to remember each other's names, this lively relationship comedy looks all kinds of relationships from a variety of unique perspectives. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mila Kunis, Jane Seymour, (more)
Fate brings a childless couple a bundle of joy -- who happens to have a criminal record -- in this comedy directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. Calvin Simms (Marlon Wayans) is a master criminal who with the help of his friend and sidekick, Percy (Tracy Morgan), plans a daring robbery of a museum where one of the world's largest diamonds is on display. One of reasons Calvin is able to get inside secure areas is his size -- Calvin is dwarf who stands less than two feet tall, and can slip in unnoticed where more conventionally sized people would not. While Calvin is able to get the diamond, he's nearly caught by the police while making his getaway, and stashes the jewel in a bag carried by a passerby. Eager to recover the diamond from the unwitting accomplice, Calvin and Percy figure out a way to get into his house -- they dress Calvin up as a baby, and leave him on the doorstep of the passerby's home. As it happens, the couple who live there (Shawn Wayans and Kerry Washington) have been wanting to have a baby, and they eagerly take the new arrival under their wing, embracing the joys of parenthood while ignoring some of the toddler's unusual behavior. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, (more)
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)
- 2004
Comedian and Hollywood Shuffle-director Robert Townsend serves up another batch of satirical sketches in this fourth volume in the Robert Townsend: Partners in Crime series. Along with humorous vignettes featuring the likes of Damon Wayans, Reynaldo Rey, and John Witherspoon, the program includes a musical performance by rapper MC Hammer. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
The gang from Friday and Next Friday are back in this urban comedy, in which Craig (Ice Cube) and Day-Day (Mike Epps) have finally moved out of their respective parents' homes and gotten an apartment together. However, a bogus neighborhood Santa Claus (Rickey Smiley) decides to help Craig and Day-Day share the wealth by robbing their apartment, and when he rips off their stereo, he also makes off with their rent money, which was hidden in the speaker cabinets. Desperate to make rent and have some money for Christmas presents, Craig and Day-Day land jobs at a local strip mall, where their fathers, Mr. Jones (John Witherspoon) and Uncle Elroy (Don "D.C." Curry), have gone into business together running a barbecue joint. Craig and Day-Day are installed as security guards, and while Craig tries to make time with Donna (K.D. Aubert), a saleswoman at the Pimp N' Ho's Boutique, and keep things orderly at Holy Moly's Doughnut Shop, Day-Day attempts to transform himself into a master of crime-fighting, which causes a lot more problems than it solves. Friday After Next is the first feature film from director Marcus Raboy, who previously directed music videos for Sting, Li'l Kim, Staind, and Friday After Next star Ice Cube. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- K.D. Aubert, Terry Crews, (more)
Eddie Murphy returns as a doctor with a gift for talking to animals in this sequel to a box-office blockbuster. Murphy is John Dolittle, who this time around attempts to save an endangered Pacific forest from lumber industry forces by reintegrating an endangered species of bear back into the wild. Unfortunately, Dolittle's candidate is a performing bear (voice of Steve Zahn) with a taste for junk food and no natural skills in the wild. If Dolittle is going to save the species and its habitat, he must get him to mate with a fussy female (Lisa Kudrow) by providing lessons in winning the heart of the opposite sex. Dr. Dolittle's problems are compounded by a local animal work stoppage and furry woodland creatures who have organized their own version of the Mafia. Norm Macdonald returns as the voice of Lucky the Dog, co-starring with Kevin Pollak, Jeffrey Jones, Michael Rapaport, Molly Shannon, Reni Santoni, and Kristen Wilson. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wilson, (more)
In this sequel to the urban comedy Friday, rap music star Ice Cube returns as Craig Jones, a streetwise man from South Central Los Angeles who has a knack for getting into trouble. This time out, Craig is still trying to outsmart neighborhood bully Debo (Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr.); after Craig gets the better of Debo in a fist fight, Debo is determined to flatten Craig in a rematch. Looking to stay out of Debo's way, Craig decides that it would be a good time to visit his cousin (Mike Epps) and uncle (Don "DC" Curry), who have recently won the lottery and moved into a spacious new home in the suburbs. Like Friday, Next Friday was written by Ice Cube and his frequent musical collaborator DJ Pooh; music video director Steve Carr made his feature debut with this film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Yet another recurring character from Saturday Night Live makes the jump to the big screen in this comedy. Leon Phelps (Tim Meadows) is the host of a radio call-in show in which he dispenses advice on the fine art of seduction, for which he seems to have quite a talent -- rather surprising, seeing that he's usually broke, nearly everything he says sounds crass and obvious, and he possesses a fashion sense that would have been gauche in the mid-1970s but seems just plain freakish today. After finally going too far during a broadcast, Leon is fired, but he receives a note from one of his former flames who wants him to come back to her -- and is willing to support him in high style. This sounds just fine with Leon, except she hasn't signed her name, and now Leon has to backtrack through his numerous conquests of the past and figure out who wants him to work his love magic. Meanwhile, a group of husbands who've been cuckolded by Leon, led by Barney (Lee Evans) and Lance (Will Ferrell), are hot on his trail, eager to get revenge. The Ladies' Man also stars Tiffani Thiessen and Karyn Parsons as two of the ladies in Leon's life and Billy Dee Williams as the ultra-smooth proprietor of Lester's Straight-Up Lounge. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Meadows, Karyn Parsons, (more)
Longtime television director Tony Singletary (Married... With Children, Moesha) makes his feature debut with this urban comedy set in a radio station. John Witherspoon stars as Wes, a station director who has his hands more than full with disc jockeys Jordan (Marcus Chong) and Venom (A.J. Johnson). The DJs have their hearts in the right place, but soon their antics get out of control. Ajai Sanders also stars. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Deon Richmond, Marcus Chong, (more)
- 1998
Season four of The Wayans Bros. ended with aspiring actor Marlon Williams (Marlon Wayans) landing a regular role on the network sitcom "Everybody Loves Everybody," and Shawn Williams (Shawn Wayans) finding himself without a means of support when his newsstand burns to the ground. Thus, season five finds the brothers' "roles" hilariously reversed: Marlon is now the responsible breadwinner, and Shawn is the wheeler-dealer -- serving as Marlon's agent, and taking a 50 percent cut of his brother's earnings! Most of the season's episodes are built around the brothers' misadventures in show business. In one episode, Marlon is aghast to learn that his TV role may require him to kiss another guy; in another, Shawn attempts to rescue Marlon from the influence of a drug-abusing fellow actor; and in still another, Marlon becomes so popular that he is kidnapped by a female fan -- and when Shawn tries to save him, he gets snatched himself! Elsewhere, the brothers' restauranteur dad, Pops (John Witherspoon), runs for city council, and the stars' real-life sister Kim Wayans makes a return appearance as Marlon and Shawn's country cousin Sheila. Other guest stars appearing in the fifth and final season of The Wayans Bros. include Missy Elliott and Paula Abdul. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, (more)
Recording star and rapper Master P is the executive producer, screenwriter, and co-star (with A.J. Johnson of The Players Club) of this comedy about two South Central Los Angeles scam artists operating a business in a vacant lot. Working out of their van, Black (Master P) and Blue (Johnson) deal in TV sets and boomboxes, but when a driver mistakenly drops off a cell phone shipment, Black and Blue are ready to dial "C" for cash, bringing in both a local hacker (Anthony Boswell) and sexy Sweet Lorraine (Gretchen Palmer). Business is on the upswing, but then a hood (Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr.) has a deal go sour and blames Black and Blue. A phone security man (Frantz Turner) and the FBI are also closing in. Rapper Ice Cube does a cameo. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Master P, A.J. Johnson, (more)
In this road comedy, NYC film school grad Leta (Melissa De Sousa) gets a job assisting music-vid director Bleau Kelly (Downtown Julie Brown), and a group of rappers, singers, starlets, and showbiz wannabes sign on for a video to be shot in Florida. The gang gets acquainted on a decaying bus as they travel down the East Coast, encountering barroom fights and other problems en route to the vid gig. Cameo by Snoop Doggy Dogg. Not to be confused with another 1998 release titled The Ride. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Malik Yoba, Melissa DeSousa, (more)
The trajectories of two opposing romantic relationships are fodder for this African-American screwball comedy from co-writer, star, and director Rusty Cundieff. Montel (Cundieff) and Clyde (Joe Torry) stars as friends who couldn't be less alike. An introverted photographer, Montel wants to meet the one right girl for him and settle down to build a family, while Clyde is a flamboyant womanizer just out for a good time. At a party, they meet Adina (Paula Jai Parker), a sexy golddigger seeking a wealthy husband with robotic determination, and her shy law clerk friend Brandy (Tisha Campbell). The couples pair off in predictable combinations, but while the brief encounter between Clyde and Adina quickly implodes when she discovers that Clyde's success is an act and his Porsche is borrowed, the relationship between Montel and Brandy blooms into a true romance. Eventually, they decide to marry, leaving Clyde and Adina to reunite in a selfish scheme to break their best friends up using whatever treacherous means they can employ. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tisha Campbell, Rusty Cundieff, (more)
- 1997
A theme of racial harmony underlies this comedy-drama. The couple Joe (Ernie Hudson) and Annabelle Lee (Pam Grier) learn the baby they are adopting is not black but Chinese. As Julian Lee (Dante Basco), reaches teen-hood, his father dies and the adopted boy moves with his mom to Atlanta. Here he hopes to make friends with the local teens, who are somewhat perplexed by the Asian-American's hip-hop slang and high scores when he grabs the basketball. Julian intervenes when his younger brother Perry (Rashaan Nall) falls in with local gangsta Frog (Tone Loc) and his group. Meanwhile, in a parallel plot, similar problems surface for clueless foreign-exchange student May-Ling (Margaret Cho). She's baffled to find herself living with a black family, a situation leading to inventive cross-cultural comedy. The film's soundtrack combines hip-hop, funk, and Asian instrumentals. Shown at the 1997 Hamptons Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernie Hudson, Pam Grier, (more)
- 1997
The Wayans Bros. launches its fourth season with most of its familiar regulars back on the job: Shawn Wayans as hardworking newspaper-stand owner Shawn Williams, Marlon Wayans as Shawn's footloose brother, Marlon, John Witherspoon as the boys' restauranteur father, John "Pops" Williams, and Anna Maria Horsford as security guard Dee Baxter. The season begins as Marlon returns from a three-month tour with musician Keith Sweat, more determined than ever to find success in show business. Meanwhile, level-headed Shawn must work overtime to keep Marlon's head from either swelling to astronomical proportions or leaving his body entirely! Season highlights include a classic "fantasy" episode in which the regulars assume the leading roles in the old sitcom Good Times, with Shawn Wayans as J.J. ("Dy-no-MIIIITE!") Among the year's guest stars are Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Gloria Gaynor, En Vogue, Busta Rhymes, and even Jerry Springer. Season four ends as Shawn's newsstand is destroyed by an electrical fire, thereby setting up a curious role reversal, with Shawn unemployed and Marlon bringing in a weekly paycheck. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, (more)
- 1996
Season three of The Wayans Bros. is distinguished by the presence of Ja'net DuBois in the recurring role of Grandma Ellington, who presumptively moves in with her nonplussed grandsons Shawn and Marlon Williams (Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans). Alas, the toothsome Paula Jai Parker has left the series, leaving Shawn and Marlon without a "regular" leading lady their own age. In the season's crop of episodes, Shawn goes "yuppie" and spurns his old homies, forcing Marlon to bring him back to earth -- and in a reversal of the same basic situation, Marlon lands a job in a malt-liquor commercial, only to be accused by friends and family of perpetuating negative racial stereotypes. Elsewhere, the brothers' restauranteur dad, Pops (John Witherspoon), rejoins his old singing group; and "Life Without Marlon" is the series' obligatory It's a Wonderful Life spoof, with Shawn briefly assuming the Clarence character. Guest stars on season three of The Wayans Bros. include Pam Grier, cast as an older woman who captures Shawn's heart; and as themselves, actor Adam West, pro ballplayer Kenny Lofton, and musician Keith Sweat, the latter appearing in order to set up the season-ending "cliffhanger." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, (more)
The first season of The Wayans Bros. finds siblings Shawn and Marlon Williams (Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans) sharing the same NYC brownstone, with serious Shawn bringing in most of the money while merry-making Marlon is either goofing off or promoting some wild get-rich-quick scheme. Shawn hopes to earn enough money at his delivery job to wed Lisa Saunders (Lela Rochon), daughter of a high-profile doctor. Marlon meanwhile holds a temporary job as kitchen help at Pops' Place, the restaurant owned by the brothers' dad, John "Pops" Williams (John Witherspoon). The restaurant is housed in the huge Neidermayer Building, where pint-sized Lou Malino (Jill Tasker) is security guard. Marlon's co-workers are short-order cook Benny (Benny Quan) and counter girl Lupe (Joanna Sanchez). This season's episodes find Shawn getting sucked into Marlon's various "can't miss" business ventures, such as promoting a grooming product called Goop-Hair-It-Is (which unfortunately sets fire to the scalp!), a cab service catering to black people called Afro Pick-You-Up, and a children's-entertainment service which nearly gets Marlon and Shawn killed by a fearsome "Barney" knockoff named Brazilla. In other adventures, Marlon tries to become a male model, Pops gets locked out of the house when he stands up to his formidable wife, the brothers end up in the slammer for nonpayment of several parking tickets, and future series regular Paula Jai Parker shows up in a different role than Monique Lattimore -- specifically, the girlfriend of a particularly fiendish gangster. Among the iconic African-American guest stars appearing in The Wayans Bros.' inaugural season are Garrett Morris, Sherman Hemsley, Richard Roundtree, and Gary Coleman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, (more)
Comedian Eddie Murphy tried something different with this 1995 film that he produced and co-wrote, enlisting veteran horror director Wes Craven to give the story some chills. The uneven comedy-horror tale features Murphy as a vampire named Maximillian who arrives in Brooklyn on a ship full of people who have been brutally murdered. One of the corpses on board closely resembles that of Rita (Angela Bassett), one of the detectives assigned to the case. Maximillian targets Rita, hoping to get a dance with her that will bring her under his control. He enlists the help of a worker named Julius (Kadeem Hardison), biting his neck and turning him into a slowly decaying ghoul. Also seeking to romance Rita, though in a less sinister way, is her longtime detective partner Justice (Allen Payne). Maximillian uses his supernatural powers to interfere with the budding romance. Murphy also plays a preacher and an Italian gangster in this bizarre film. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Angela Bassett, (more)
Hard-core rapper Ice Cube, after appearing in such hard-hitting films as Boyz 'N the Hood and Higher Learning, played his first comic role in this picture he co-wrote with frequent musical collaborator DJ Pooh. Craig (Ice Cube) manages to get fired on his day off (though he claims it's through no fault of his own) and spends the day hanging out with his buddy Smokey (Chris Tucker) and trying to avoid his father (John Witherspoon), who wants him to find another job immediately. Smokey (whose name might have something to do with his tremendous fondness for marijuana) has even more serious problems; he was given $200 worth of weed to sell by Big Worm (Faizon Love), but he ended up smoking it instead, and if he can't come up with the money by the end of the day, he'll be in a world of hurt (and will put Craig in the same place just for being his friend). And Deebo (Tom "Tiny" Lister, Jr.), a gargantuan bully who roams the neighborhood on his bicycle, has it in for Craig, while Craig tries his best just to stay out of his way. As one would expect, Friday features a strong hip-hop soundtrack, featuring tracks by such artists as Dr. Dre, Cypress Hill, Mack 10, and Funkdoobiest, as well as old-school R&B selections from The Isley Brothers, Roger, and Rose Royce. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, (more)
- 1995
Premiering January 11, 1995, the WB sitcom The Wayans Bros. actually stars only two members of that large and apparently ever-expanding family of African-American entertainers. Fresh from their In Living Color success, siblings Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans (who also co-created this series) star as Shawn and Marlon Williams, polar-opposite brothers sharing the same New York brownstone. Shawn was the "serious" brother, who during the first season held down a solid job with an overnight delivery service and was diligently saving up enough money to marry Lisa Saunders (Lela Rochon), daughter of a prominent doctor. In contrast, Marlon lived to have fun, only occasionally showing up for his job as kitchen help at Pops' Place, a restaurant owned by the brothers' dad, John "Pops" Williams (John Witherspoon), a former boxer and R&B singer. Also working at Pops' during season one were counter girl Lupe (Joanna Sanchez) and cook Benny (Benny Quan). Losing his job and his girlfriend at the outset of season two, Shawn set up a newsstand in the lobby of the Niedermayer Building, which also housed his dad's restaurant. The building's main security guard had been diminutive Lou Malino (Jill Tasker) during the first season; she was replaced by Anna Maria Horsford as the corpulent Dee Baxter. Also added to the cast in season two was Paula Jai Parker as Monique Lattimore, a wealthy young lady who took a job in a nearby card shop when she lost her fortune -- and who during her single season on the series provided a verbal combatant for Shawn and an "unattainable dream" for the moonstruck Marlon. In season three, Ja'net DuBois joined the cast as the Williams boys' feisty Grandmother Ellington, who briefly moved in with the brothers. Weaving in and out the proceedings were a pair of shady street characters, White Mike (Mitch Mullany) and T.C. (Phill Lewis). In season four, Marlon launched an acting career and Shawn lost his newsstand to a fire. Come the next season, the brothers' "roles" had reversed: Marlon was now the responsible breadwinner, holding down steady employment as a regular on the TV sitcom "Everybody Loves Everybody," while Shawn was the wheeler-dealer, serving as Shawn's agent -- and skimming 50 percent off the top of each paycheck! The Wayans Bros. proved to be one of the fledgling WB's most popular early offerings, and went on to even greater success in off-net reruns after its September 9, 1999, cancellation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, (more)
- 1995
Season two of The Wayans Bros. is shy several regulars from season one, notably Lela Rochon as Lisa, Benny Quan as Benny, and Joanna Sanchez as Lupe. However, series stars Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans are still very much in attendance as polar-opposite siblings Shawn and Marlon Williams, as is John Witherspoon as the brothers' restauranteur dad, John "Pops" Williams. New to the series are Paula Jai Parker as Monique Lattimore, a formerly rich girl reduced to working in a card shop, and Anna Maria Horsford as Dee Baxter, the hefty replacement for tiny Lou Malino (Jill Tasker), security guard in the building housing Pops' diner. Having lost both his delivery job and his girlfriend Lisa, Shawn goes into business for himself, purchasing the newspaper stand in the lobby of the same building in which his dad's diner takes up space. This gives Shawn ample opportunity to verbally spar with the saucy Monique, while moonstruck Marlon (still occasionally employed by his dad) tries to figure out ways to make Monique pay him some attention. Meanwhile, two disreputable hangers-on, White Mike (Mitch Mullany) and T.C. (Phill Lewis), make the first of several recurring appearances. Among this year's highlights is an episode in which Marlon and Shawn suspect one another of being the father of the baby left on their doorstep, a run-in with a restless ghost which culminates in a zany exorcism, and the season closer, wherein Marlon takes Shawn to court over a silly but painful misunderstanding. Guest stars this season include future Jamie Foxx Show regular Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon as Shawn's temporary girlfriend in a wild spoof of the movie Fatal Attraction; Adrienne Barbeau and Pat Harrington Jr. as the brothers' landlords; and the stars' real-life sibling Kim Wayans as their gawky country cousin Sheila. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, (more)
- 1994
Will (Will Smith) falls in love with a girl named Lisa--not Lisa Wilkes, who will appear in later episodes in the person of Nia Long, but instead Lisa Adams, played by A Different World regular Cree Summer. Unfortunately, Lisa has a fearsome father named Augusteus (John Witherspoon), whose concern for her daughter's wellbeing borders on the psychotic. Intending to scare Will off, Augusteus takes him on a wild plane ride--culminating in a crash landing, leaving both men stranded in the wilderness! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
