O BROTHER! BLAXPLOITATION SPOOF A GOOFY, CLEVER ROMP.

Byline: David Kronke Staff Writer

WELL, GLORY BE! The funk's on ``Undercover Brother,'' who sports a huge Afro and would fit right in with those '70s-era sneaker commercials featuring Bootsy Collins and NBA superstars.

In paying homage to the blaxploitation genre, ``Undercover Brother'' mocks racial stereotypes by lovingly embracing them. These are the same sort of fried-chicken, did-O.J.-do-it and adenoidal-white-guy lines you've heard dozens of stand-up comics run into the ground. Co-screenwriter and executive producer John Ridley reconfigured the material here, based on his series of Internet cartoons, making for a spirited and often funny lark of a movie.

Comic Eddie Griffin gives an agreeably goofy performance as Undercover Brother, aptly described by his initially reticent sidekick Sistah Girl (Aunjanue Ellis) as ``a 'Soul Train' reject with a Robin Hood complex.'' He's recruited by B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D., a secret organization combating the mysterious, shadow-enshrouded villain known only as The Man, who seeks to destroy African-Americans by diluting their culture. (One of his most insidious successes: ``Family Matters'' resident nerd Urkel).

Well-spoken black war hero Warren Boatwell (Billy Dee Williams, sporting eyeglasses that could've been swiped from Colin Powell's nightstand) is brainwashed by The Man into abandoning presidential aspirations for a fried-chicken franchise (slogan: ``We Do Chicken Right-On!''). Then, Undercover Brother is recruited by The Chief (``Boston Public's'' Chi McBride, who here channels Bernie Hamilton's apoplectic Capt. Dobey from ``Starsky and Hutch'') to infiltrate The Man's multinational inner sanctum.

Transformed into an egregiously assimilated black, complete with pastel sweaters and boat shoes, UB is seduced by ``the black man's Kryptonite,'' White She-Devil (Denise Richards, more convincing here than as a Bond-girl scientist). And even The Chief is momentarily envious. Soon, she's won over and The Man is momentarily foiled.

Far more clever than its TV campaign would suggest, ``Undercover Brother'' features a generous array of smart throwaway gags, many tossed out by UB's cohort Conspiracy Brother (a very funny Dave Chappelle). He routinely combines righteous rage with addle-pated misinformation.

``Undercover Brother'' is a bit too obvious, underscored by ``Saturday Night Live's'' Chris Kattan. He plays a twitchy turn as The Man's underling, Mr. Feather, and is even out-acted by James Brown. The film's easy accessibility may prove to be the secret of its crossover success. That, or Griffin and Richards fun-kay duet on that simpering plea for equality, ``Ebony and Ivory,'' sagely omitted from the soundtrack CD.

UNDERCOVER BROTHER - Three stars

(Rated PG-13: language, sexual humor, drug content and campy violence)

Starring: Eddie Griffin, Chris Kattan, Denise Richards, Chi McBride, Aunjanue Ellis, Dave Chappelle, Billy Dee Williams, Neil Patrick Harris.

Director: Malcolm D. Lee.

Running time : 1 hr. 25 min.

Playing: Wide release.

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As Undercover Brother, Eddie Griffin's only weakness is the White She-Devil, played by Denise Richards.