John Witherspoon Movies
Funnyman John Witherspoon has parlayed a successful career as a standup comic into a series of memorable film roles. Born in Detroit, MI, Witherspoon began his show business career as a model in the early '70s before striking out on his own as a comedian. His first big break came in 1977 when he landed a regular spot on Richard Pryor's short-lived television variety series, and he began playing supporting roles on such shows as What's Happening!, Good Times, and WKRP in Cincinnati. In 1980, Witherspoon made his film debut playing a nightclub MC in Neil Diamond's 1980 remake of The Jazz Singer. Witherspoon's big-screen breakthrough, however, came in Robert Townsend's comedy Hollywood Shuffle, in which Witherspoon played Mr. Jones, the manager of the Winky Dinky Dog hot-dog stand. The surprise success of Hollywood Shuffle led to a string of film parts and recurring roles on two television series -- the short-lived Townsend Television in 1993 and 1995's The Wayans Bros., which ran for four years, with Witherspoon playing "Pop" Williams. In 1995, Witherspoon also played ill-tempered dogcatcher Mr. Jones in Ice Cube's urban comedy Friday. John Witherspoon still tours as a standup comic when he's not busy with film and television work. Witherspoon played a recurring part on the sitcom The Wayans Brothers, and appeared in small roles in a variety of films including I Got the Hook Up, The Ladies Man, and Fakin' Da Funk. In addition to appearing in multiple sequels to Friday, Witherspoon teamed up with old colleagues when he played a part for the Wayans brothers in Little Man. Witherspoon also brought his caustic sensibility to his voice work on the animated television adaptation of the controversial comic strip The Boondocks. ~ Rovi
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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wilson, (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)
Pop singer Neil Diamond stars in this ill-begotten second remake of Al Jolson's seminal 1927 musical The Jazz Singer. The moth-eaten story concerns a cantor's son who desires success as a pop singer, despite the wishes of his imperious father. The film takes place in the present day with Yussel Rabinowitz (Neil Diamond) playing a young (though middle-aged looking) cantor performing at the synagogue of his father (Laurence Olivier). Yussel is married and has settled down to a life of religious devotion to the teaching of his fath. But on the side, he writes songs for a black singing group, and when a member of the quartet takes ill, Yussel covers for him at one of their gigs by wearing blackface! The nightclub engagement is such a success that Yussel abandons his family -- and his father's synagogue -- and leaves his New York home for Los Angeles, hoping to break into the music business. Almost immediately he is spotted by spunky agent Molly Bell (Lucie Arnaz), who books him as an opening act for a touring comic. Yussel hits it big, but his father resents Yussel's forsaking their traditional Jewish ways. His father disowns him, rending his garments and bellowing, "I hef no son!" ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Neil Diamond, Laurence Olivier, (more)
Norbit director Brian Robbins re-teams with that film's star, Eddie Murphy, for this comedy about a smooth-talking man who discovers that he has only 1,000 words left to speak before dying. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Kerry Washington, (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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, (more)
Fatal Instinct is an Airplane-style spoof of the late-'80s, early-'90s cycle of erotic crime thrillers. Setting the plot in motion is a kinky murder. Armand Assante plays the cop assigned to the case; he's also the prosecuting attorney; the "Sharon Stone" part is essayed by Sean Young. A dash of Body Heat is thrown in the pot as Assante's wife Kate Nelligan plots her hubby's demise. Tony Randall has a bit as a judge, while the film's semi-mocking jazz score is provided by Clarence Clemmons -- who shows up on screen to toot his sax at various crucial plot junctures. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Armand Assante, Sherilyn Fenn, (more)
The first mainstream animated feature film directly aimed at African American audiences, Hyperion Productions' Bebe's Kids is based on a comedy routine by the late Robin Harris. Voiced by Faison Love, Harris endures a "date from hell" when he goes out with the lovely Jamika. His romantic rendezvous is ruined when he is stuck with Jamika's son-as well as Bebe's kids, three little horrors spawned from three different fathers. The worst of the batch is unhousebroken baby Peewee. The film manages within its 74 minute timeframe to skewer such topics as Hip-Hop music, urban riots and whitebread theme parks. Further proof that this is not a Disney flick was provided by the folks from the Motion Picture Production Code office, who bestowed a PG-13 rating upon the film. Bebe's Kids was released theatrically in tandem with the cartoon short Itsy Bitsy Spider, which was later spun off into a TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Faizon Love, Vanessa Bell Calloway, (more)
- 1986
- PG13
This drama follows an unlikely "ratboy" (S.L. Baird) after he is discovered living in a makeshift shelter in a garbage dump. Along comes Nikki Morrison (Sondra Locke, also the director) who meets the half-rodent, half-human creature and takes him over. She talks to a Hollywood producer and holds forth about him on a television talk show but when she brings ratboy to a press conference, he bolts for freedom -- enough is enough. The garbage dump was better. From that point onward, Nikki begins to change her mind about her treatment of the misbegotten creature and he develops an ambivalent feeling for her. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sondra Locke, Robert Townsend, (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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kevin Hart, Tom Arnold, (more)
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, Rovi
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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tim Meadows, Karyn Parsons, (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, Rovi
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, Rovi
- 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. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- 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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tisha Campbell, Rusty Cundieff, (more)
- 1997
- R
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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ernie Hudson, Pam Grier, (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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, (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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Angela Bassett, (more)
Eddie Murphy plays Marcus Graham, a hotshot ad exec who's also an insatiable womanizer. He is thus hardly prepared for his new boss, Jacqueline, played by Robin Givens. In terms of things romantic, Jacqueline is nothing more or less than a female version of Marcus -- and now, for the first time, he's getting the runaround. Boomerang boasts supporting-cast contributions from Halle Berry, David Alan Grier, Martin Lawrence, Grace Jones, Eartha Kitt, Geoffrey Holder, and Melvin Van Peebles. Watch closely and you'll see director Reginald Hudlin in a bit role. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Halle Berry, (more)
Starring Martin Lawrence and including Mark Curry, Tone Loc, Inez Edwards, John Witherspoon and Rene Jones among many others, Talkin' Dirty After Dark is a behind-the-scenes look at a Los Angeles black comedy club. Lawrence's character, Terry, will seemingly do about whatever it takes to get a gig at Dukie's comedy club. The subplots involve the goings-on of employers and employees of the club in the span of one evening. This comedy contains profanity, nudity, and adult situations. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi
- Starring:
- Martin Lawrence, John Witherspoon, (more)
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)
House Party is an infectious, engaging comedy starring the rap duo Kid 'N Play. Kid (Christopher Reid) decides to throw a party where he plans to blow the roof off the joint with his rhyming skills, so he and his friend Play (Christopher Martin) throw a huge party while Play's parents are away. The day of the party, Kid is grounded by his father (Robin Harris) and he has to sneak out of the house to get to the party, where he is confronted by several rival rappers, as well as a bevy of adoring girls. Though House Party follows a standard plot-line straight out of the '50s rock & roll films, the script is inventive, providing many different twists and turns, while Reginald Hudlin's direction is assured and very, very funny. Kid 'N Play are both terrific, but the true standout is legendary comedian Robin Harris in one of his few screen roles. House Party later spawned two sequels and an animated television series. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- Christopher "Kid" Reid, Christopher "Play" Martin, (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)
Forest Whitaker stars as the brilliant jazz saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker in this elegiac biopic. Director Clint Eastwood pays full homage to Parker's musical genius, but also devotes ample time to the musician's twin demons--drugs and alcohol-which accelerated his death at the age of 34. In his struggles to gain widespread acceptance for his music, "Bird" is forever stymied by his own self-destructiveness, and forever bailed out by the love of his life, Chan Richardson Parker (Diane Venora). The film bemoans the decline of the brand of jazz fathered by Parker, which came to be replaced by more conventional material -- as illustrated by the "descent" into the mainstream of Parker's mentor Buster Franklin. Also starring in Bird is Samuel E. Wright as Dizzy Gillespie. That's the real Charlie "Bird" Parker on the film's soundtrack, though most of the background music has been re-orchestrated. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Forest Whitaker, Diane Venora, (more)
- 1987
- R
A syndicate of Los Angeles gangsters is kidnapping beautiful young women, drugging them, and forcing them to participate in the filming of pornographic movies. A young woman teams up with a vice cop to try to find her sister, whom she suspects of falling victim to this gang. ~ Brian Gusse, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Naughton, Barbara Crampton, (more)
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