Eric D. Snider
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
Movie Review
"Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins"
Review by Eric D. Snider
Grade: D-
Rating: PG-13
Released: Friday, February 8, 2008
Directed by:
Cast:
The high incidence of film-critic suicides in the months of January and February is attributable to movies like "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins," a rancid, unfunny disaster full of embarrassing performances and shamefully simple-minded comic notions. It's a movie seemingly made by dumb people, for dumb people.
R.J. Stevens (Martin Lawrence), a Springer-style daytime talk-show host, is newly engaged to a gorgeous "Survivor" winner named Bianca (Joy Bryant), and is filthy rich besides, with a great life in Hollywood. He and Bianca travel to his hometown of Dry Springs, Ga., for his parents' 50th wedding anniversary, and naturally his huge extended family is down-to-earth and rural, and maybe a little suspicious of the Tinseltown big-shot that R.J. has become.
That's a solid comedy premise: small-town boy makes good, turns into a different person, then comes home for a reality check. The clashing of two worlds, Hollywood and the boonies, has often been the source of cinematic laughter. But here it's squandered by a large ensemble of unbelievable characters with unbelievable motivations -- one-dimensional chess pieces that the movie can move around interchangeably, depending on the needs of the plot. The film turns a very real and relatable situation into something foolish and implausible.
R.J.'s cousin Clyde (Cedric The Entertainer) has always been his rival, and the two have a tiresome series of petty arguments and competitions that are revived when they are reunited. The chief sticking point is that years ago Clyde stole a girl named Lucinda (Nicole Ari Parker) from R.J. Lucinda is now at the family reunion for some reason (seriously, why is she there?), and since R.J.'s fiancee Bianca is a shallow, opportunistic witch, it doesn't take a genius to figure out R.J. will eventually dump her for Lucinda.
In the meantime, there are shenanigans. Oy gevalt, the shenanigans. R.J. has a giant brother named Otis (Michael Clarke Duncan) who beats up on him! He also has a slutty sister named Betty (Mo'Nique) who talks dirty and can't seem to get Bianca's name right! There's a big ol' farm dog that gets it on with Bianca's froofy little lapdog! R.J. runs afoul of a skunk!
A skunk, ladies and gentlemen. You paid $10 to see Martin Lawrence get sprayed by a skunk.
R.J. also has a smooth-talking con-man cousin named Reggie, played by Mike Epps, who is evidently the black version of Robin Williams. He's permitted to ad-lib a lot, and he'll rattle off "jokes" a mile a minute, none of them funny but all of them delivered really fast so as to give the illusion of humor. Between Epps and the ironically named Cedric The Entertainer, how many incoherent improvisational comedians does one movie need?
That the movie stars Martin Lawrence -- who has never starred in a live-action film that was any good, EVER -- is no surprise. He is as rubber-faced, cross-eyed, and incompetent as ever. But I'm disappointed that it was written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee, whose 1999 debut "The Best Man" was serviceable, and whose subsequent directorial efforts "Undercover Brother" and "Roll Bounce" had some measure of quality. His first screenplay in nine years and THIS is what he comes up with? Half-baked old comedy retreads and immature sight gags?
I laughed once during the film, but it was at something that was supposed to be Very Serious and Important. It's the part where R.J., finally succumbing to Bianca's cutthroat influence, leaves his young son Jamaal (Damani Roberts) behind during the family's annual obstacle course race in order to beat Clyde. R.J. wins the race, yes -- BUT AT WHAT COST??? Jamaal is disappointed in his father's betrayal, and the rest of the family stands around eyeing him coldly and disapprovingly. The musical score plays the Sad Music. And I laughed. It was the one good laugh I had for the entire misbegotten two hours.
Grade: D-
Rated PG-13, a lot of profanity including one F-word, a lot of strong sexual vulgarity, plenty of comic fistfight violence
1 hr., 53 min.
Copyright © Eric D. Snider.
This work may not be transmitted via the Internet, nor reproduced in any other way, without written consent from Eric D. Snider.
This item has 15 comments
February 8, 2008 at 8:39 am
From the moment I first saw the trailer for this movie, I knew it would be awful, and so eagerly awaited the review. Bring on the angry comments about Eric's race being an issue in good vs. bad movies! Please!
February 8, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Eric - you know that if this had been made with Rob Schneider and David Spade, you would have been calling this movie comic genius. But, instead you're just a racist that only thinks that movies made by white people for white people are any good.
There. As Doggin was kind enough to point out, it had to happen. Now that it has, we can get on with making fun of this movie. I think I've been enjoying the political ads more than I enjoyed the trailers for this movie.
And for the record, on the advice of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost I will say that Bad Boys II was a great movie.
February 11, 2008 at 10:42 am
Call me simple-minded ..... but I thoroughly enjoyed this Martin Lawrence comedy. I was actually surprised (pleasantly) by how much I enjoyed it. In my opinion, this film is by far Martin Lawrence's best. The cast was also equally funny .... if not funnier. If you want a "feel good"......."laugh your [butt] off" kinda movie, then "WELCOME HOME RJ" is definitely worth two hours of your time.
February 11, 2008 at 2:25 pm
You are simple-minded.
February 11, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Neil, I have only one thing to say to you:
This sh*t just got real.
February 11, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Anybody know what the third comment at film.com means? Quoted here, in case you missed it:
"its very good film its for leef"
February 12, 2008 at 9:17 am
Andrew, don't you know leef? For shame! It's obvious to everyone that its for leef.
Yeah, I got nothing either.
February 12, 2008 at 9:29 am
What the heck - let's go back to the golden age of filmdom. I'd like to see a five-second movie shot on grainy red-and-white film: "Martin Lawrence Gets Sprayed By a Skunk" - only for real.
February 14, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Is it my imagination or did the trailers reveal James Earl Jones in this film? Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
February 16, 2008 at 10:20 pm
"its very good film its for leef"
Hmm...
"Relief?" As in comic relief, thus helpfully pointing out that the movie is, in fact a comedy? Or perhaps he/she/whatsit meant a thank-God-I-can-finally-shut-my-brain-off popcorn flick?
"Fo[u]r-leaf [clover]?" Maybe the author won the lottery after leaving the theater?
Or mayhap "leef" is a typo for "elef," itself a badly spelled and contracted form of "elephants," thus implying that the movie is suitable for those more interested in peanuts than intellectual matters.
Or! I'm very sleepy and fast approaching incoherence (which could explain the film.com comment, actually).
February 18, 2008 at 6:02 pm
I am wondering why who Lisa is quoting and why she is using ellipses to bend the quotes to her will.
Anyone?
February 19, 2008 at 11:01 am
Laylabean, Are you serious? Are you really wasting your time "wondering" about correct punctuation? Gosh! You really have way too much time on your hands. Why don't you "wonder" about getting a life.
This comment page was created for just that. To leave your personal comment about the movie and that is exactly what Lisa has done. Let's stick to the REAL purpose here Laylabean. Really... ellipses...ellipses...ellipses WHO CARES?
BTW, I loved Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. This was one of Martin Lawrence's funniest yet. ...ellipses...ellipses...ellipses
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Strangely, Jess' comment comes from the exact same IP address as Lisa's!]
[OTHER EDITOR'S NOTE: Oh, and Jess's email address indicates that her name is actually Lisa!]
February 19, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Congratulations! You're quite the clever one aren't cha' ?
February 21, 2008 at 4:51 pm
"That the movie stars Martin Lawrence -- who has never starred in a live-action film that was any good, EVER..."
Aww c'mon 'Ric, not even the first Bad Boys? I'd at least say that was his one and only cinematic achievement.
"But I'm disappointed that it was written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee, whose 1999 debut "The Best Man" was serviceable" I loved The Best Man. Loved Terrance Howard in it. I once searched in your archives for your review of it. That'd be nice to see.
March 28, 2008 at 7:52 am
Maybe 'leef' was meant to be 'feel' ??
Now, question about movie - why does R.J. have a son?? I'm not going to watch the movie, but from everything I've seen or read about it there's no mention about a pervious relationship/fling. Did I miss something? That part of Eric's review shocked me ... not so much for the insertion of a random son in the film, but more because Eric didn't make fun of this situation that seems to just beg for some sort of comment.