A SHORTAGE OF LAUGHS, AND VALUES, IN THIS CRUDE FAMILY-VALUES COMEDY.Byline: GLENN WHIPP WHIPP WhiteWater Head Impact Protection Project >FILM CRITIC A "family values family values pl.n. The moral and social values traditionally maintained and affirmed within a family. " movie featuring close-up shots of copulating dogs, a surplus of fat jokes and a woman who shaves her fiance's initials into an area south of the equator, "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins" sends a few mixed signals during its ungodly two-hour running time. This Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence[1] (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor. vehicle, written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee (Spike's talent-challenged cousin), seems designed to try to cash in on the Tyler Perry filmmaking model, combining family drama with exaggerated pratfalls to, in this case, ever-diminishing returns. Lawrence plays the title character, the host of a wildly successful Jerry Springer-like talk show (one of many dated pop-culture references in the film) returning to small-town Georgia for his parents' 50th wedding anniversary. Roscoe brings his hot-bod fiance, Bianca (Joy Bryant Joy Bryant (born October 19, 1976) is an American actress and former fashion model for Tommy Hilfiger. Bryant was born in The Bronx, New York. Her mother was fifteen years old at the time. ), a materialistic "Survivor" winner, who, among her many annoying qualities, constantly talks of "alliances." Also on hand: Roscoe's kid, ignored by both his father and the movie until the plot dictates otherwise. It takes a very long weekend for Roscoe to realize that Bianca's vegan vegan /veg·an/ (ve´gan) (vej´an) a vegetarian whose diet excludes all food of animal origin. ve·gan n. , pagan ways run contrary to what he really wants, namely (and in no particular order): baby back ribs, the approval of his scowling scowl v. scowled, scowl·ing, scowls v.intr. To wrinkle or contract the brow as an expression of anger or disapproval. See Synonyms at frown. v.tr. father (James Earl Jones) and a reunion with his high-school sweetheart (Nicole Ari Parker
The biggest obstacle in Roscoe's path to self-realization is his long-running feud with his cousin, Clyde (Cedric the Entertainer Cedric the Entertainer (born Cedric Antonio Kyles on April 24, 1964) is an American actor and comedian. Biography Personal life n 1992, he made his first TV appearance on It's Showtime at the Apollo. ). Roscoe's resentment over Clyde's long-running superiority turns him into a jackass jackass: see ass. every time Clyde shows up (which is often), meaning that Lawrence is playing a character both difficult to like and impossible to care about. What little there is to like about "Roscoe" must come from the supporting team. Mike Epps makes Roscoe's street-hustler cousin into a comic force, while Mo'Nique delivers plus-size power as another cousin not exactly taken with Roscoe's charms. (We can relate.) But when a movie devotes as much time to the romance between a designer-dud-wearing Pomeranian and a 25-year-old Labrador stud as it does its human counterparts, you know there's a problem in the editing booth. By the time Roscoe and Clyde engage in a brawl that has them crashing through several rooms before reaching the kitchen, the one remaining hope is that they'll land on something sharp and get this bloody thing over with. No such luck: There's still an obstacle course to come, making "Roscoe" an endurance test for even the heartiest. Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp@dailynews.com WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS - One and one half stars >PG-13: crude and sexual content, language, drug references. >Starring: Martin Lawrence, Joy Bryant, Mike Epps, Mo'Nique, Nicole Ari Parker, Cedric the Entertainer. >Director: Malcolm D. Lee. >Running time: 1 hr. 54 min. >Playing: Area wide. >In a nutshell: Tyler Perry-style family comedy has a shortage of laughs, a plethora of sitcom stupidity. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Martin Lawrence, left, and Cedric the Entertainer portray feuding cousins in "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins." |
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