White Chicks (D+ or 1.5/4 stars)
2 African-American FBI agents (Marlon & Shawn Wayans) try to pass themselves off as Hamptons' socialites, Tiffany & Brittany Wilson, in 'White Chicks', a comedy written by the Wayans Bros. & directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. The two Paris & Nikki Hilton-esque snobs gets injured, so it's up to these agents to find someone with pale enough make-up to pass them off as the girls, as they're hired to protect them from a kidnapping plot. I chuckled at several points, but really, this is a preposterous, poorly thought-out movie that loses its wit & steam, going on for way too long. Plus, what human being with half an eye & ear could not see that these tall, muscular, deep-voiced girls are really black men? Come on, now.
Because they are disgraced in the FBI agency, Marcus and Kevin Copeland are shamefully demoted. They have to deal with 2 spoiled cruise ship heiresses. After getting injured, the girls refuse to leave their hotel due to their scarred appearance. Rising to a challenge, and hoping to save face, The Copeland bros. step-in & get all dolled up. Some hilarious situations unfold. But the jokes start to dwindle early on. Sitting through a 110 minute movie such as this that has a shallow, superficial plot becomes torture after a while (including learning about women's feelings ... gag me). The jokes just kept getting recycled as they went on.
I've seen plenty of 'make-up/disguise' movies before: Tootsie, Mrs. Doubtfire, etc. This doesn't hold a candle to those films. They even resort to the overused, farting/diarrhea shtick (pretty lowbrow if you ask me). And it's not only bathroom jokes, add in some sexist jokes, racist jokes, & you've got lots to shake your head at (including the senseless plot). I've enjoyed the Airplane movies, Naked Gun, etc. I know good lowbrow comedy, I even can handle some sexist, racist jokes when delivered in the right context, but that's not the case here. Smart commentary on race, elitism, eating disorders, & money are nary to be found here.
I actually find the Wayans' bros. to be quite funny, usually. A lot of their SNL/Madd-type skit-work is hysterical. But there was no need to make this movie; other than to make some money. You can't possibly enjoy this film is you're, say, over 40 yrs, old. They had a chance to really make a 'smart' goofball film, & what they did was rely on cheap jokes. And like I said, 'any' jokes that could be considered humorous came few & far between. And the last reason why I didn't like 'White Chicks' ... the timing of the release. The era of the Hilton sisters craze is nearly over. No one cares enough anymore to watch a parody of them.
Because they are disgraced in the FBI agency, Marcus and Kevin Copeland are shamefully demoted. They have to deal with 2 spoiled cruise ship heiresses. After getting injured, the girls refuse to leave their hotel due to their scarred appearance. Rising to a challenge, and hoping to save face, The Copeland bros. step-in & get all dolled up. Some hilarious situations unfold. But the jokes start to dwindle early on. Sitting through a 110 minute movie such as this that has a shallow, superficial plot becomes torture after a while (including learning about women's feelings ... gag me). The jokes just kept getting recycled as they went on.
I've seen plenty of 'make-up/disguise' movies before: Tootsie, Mrs. Doubtfire, etc. This doesn't hold a candle to those films. They even resort to the overused, farting/diarrhea shtick (pretty lowbrow if you ask me). And it's not only bathroom jokes, add in some sexist jokes, racist jokes, & you've got lots to shake your head at (including the senseless plot). I've enjoyed the Airplane movies, Naked Gun, etc. I know good lowbrow comedy, I even can handle some sexist, racist jokes when delivered in the right context, but that's not the case here. Smart commentary on race, elitism, eating disorders, & money are nary to be found here.
I actually find the Wayans' bros. to be quite funny, usually. A lot of their SNL/Madd-type skit-work is hysterical. But there was no need to make this movie; other than to make some money. You can't possibly enjoy this film is you're, say, over 40 yrs, old. They had a chance to really make a 'smart' goofball film, & what they did was rely on cheap jokes. And like I said, 'any' jokes that could be considered humorous came few & far between. And the last reason why I didn't like 'White Chicks' ... the timing of the release. The era of the Hilton sisters craze is nearly over. No one cares enough anymore to watch a parody of them.