Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some rumblings from the Lab.
So it looks like our man about town, LUKE CAGE, has checked in with another advance look at an upcoming film. This time it's the new Spike Lee movie. It's strange... I have trouble putting this together with the rest of Spike's filmography. It just doesn't seem like him. Then again, he did a great job shooting the John Leguizamo performance piece FREAK for HBO, so who knows? Let's see what our Hero for Hire has to say.
Reasonable rates, satisfaction guaranteed… Luke Cage, Hero For Hire is here to help you.
Wassup, Head Geek? How is everybody? Me, I’m doing fine. Mostly because I’ve just seen a real funny movie called THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY. It officially opens in select cities in mid-August, but I made it into a private screening. How did I do it? Let’s just say the Invisible Woman owes me a favor from Marvel Team-Up #103.
KINGS is essentially a stand-up comedy movie, like Eddie Murphy’s RAW or Martin Lawrence’s YOU SO CRAZY. Recorded during a two-year, nationwide tour that grossed over $37 million samoleons, the tour featured four talented fellows: Steve Harvey, Cedric “The Entertainer”, D.L. Hughley, and Bernie Mac. The director is, of all people, Mr. Spike “Gotta Be the Shoes” Lee.
Now, you may already be familiar with these fellows from their television shows: Steve and Cedric star in “The Steve Harvey Show”, Hughley has his own self-titled show, and Bernie Mac has a recurring role on Moesha. But forget all that. Push the sitcom crap out of your mind. These four fellows, with no writers and no laugh tracks, sparkle like diamonds. Personally, I don’t know why stand-up movies are so few and far between. Usually, you need cable to see any featured comic, and even then they’re usually edited and censored. (Except for HBO, God bless ‘em.)
Steve Harvey opens the show, and from then on, he owns that audience. I’m trying to review here without giving away the best jokes, but I’ll tell you that Steve’s got a very funny bit about how the Titanic story would’ve ended differently if there’d been black passengers on board. Steve also has, in my opinion, the movie’s best moment. Breaking from the comedy to just talk plainly about music, Steve leads the audience through his favorite soul singers. People below a certain age may be a little confused, but the audience in the film (and a few in the theatre) were on their feet, dancing with the music, cheering when they heard the first few bars of their favorite song. Steve goes beyond comedy here, he simply connects with the audience with some deeply beautiful and emotional music. Just try not to sway with the rhythm. You can’t resist.
Cedric’s next. He uses the movie’s only special effect with a Matrix parody, sings, dances and shows the crowd how a black man would drive the Space Shuttle. (Hint: One hand would be hanging out the window.) He could’ve been a one-man show on his own, bouncing around from subject to subject with a clear joy. D.L. Hughley has the most “traditional” set, spending some time in the honored stand-up tradition: making fun of the audience. (He’s really good. Like a black Don Rickles.) Bernie Mac, goddamn, the man’s an inferno. Staring at the camera with large eyes and flaring nostrils, you get the distinct impression that his comedy is the only thing preventing him from going on a killing rampage. He rants about oral sex, married life, and why he hates his nieces and nephews. (The two-year old niece is an evil mastermind plotting to destroy him.) A warning, however: even though the entire movie is R-rated for sex talk and curses, Bernie’s set is the most outrageous of the film. Just close your eyes and remember that he’s a comedian who’s trying to make you laugh.
The real gems in this movie come from the backstage footage. Little snippets of each comic reveal a side we’ve never seen before. Note how Bernie Mac crosses himself before he gets on stage. Cedric warms up his voice in the bathroom, and sings a short opera verse, then turns to the camera wistfully and says, “That was a lifetime ago.” Little things can reveal a lot, and Spike Lee used good judgment on what to include. Folks, this movie is NOT, I repeat, NOT just a “black thing” any more than Jackie Mason is a “Jewish thing” or Melissa Etheridge is a “lesbian thing.” These comics are black, and so is most of the audience, but that’s only the starting point of the humor. It would be a real shame if this movie was ignored just because of race, because, it’s simply damn funny. And funny transcends racial barriers.
The movie will only have a limited release, so check your local papers. And then go. Because you’ll laugh yourself silly.
Questions, comments, hate mail and pleas for help can be sent to Luke Cage, Hero For Hire!!
