Two things... one, Legacy Critiques is being changed to Legacy Reviews. Minor thing, but I'm going to start archiving my reviews online, so that is it's being made.
Two, this is just a review to kill time between now, and Spiderman. I'm seeing the film next Monday, so that review will be up then.
With that, enjoy...
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The premise behind Keenan Ivory Wayans’ new movie, White Chicks could have been disastrous. Having two very black men perform as two very white women develops the potential to be insulting to both races and sexes by pandering to stereotypes and clichés. Luckily, the movie rises above what it could have been and delivers a fun film, with some very funny moments.
Marlon Wayans and his brother, Shawn, play Kevin and Marcus Copeland, respectfully. They are two FBI agents who, in an effort to please their annoyed Chief, take on the babysitting duties of two millionaire heiresses, Brittney and Tiffany Wilton, who are targeted by a kidnapper. (Wilton, Hilton… See the connection?) A car crash on the way to a social extravaganza in the Hamptons however leaves the girls horribly deformed (i.e. a scratch on the nose and lip), and the agents are forced to pose as the blondes. Of course, this action leads to a comedy of errors as the boys discover what it’s like to be a girl, as well as try to keep their covers from being exposed not only by the Wilton Sister’s friends, but also by the other FBI agents swarming the gala.
The film has some truly funny moments which mostly come in exposing the differences between races. Differences in attitudes of self and musical preferences provide great comedy. The differences between genders provide more heart to the film, than humor. Seeing the Wayans brothers trying to get dressed in hip-huggers and mid-drifts is truly amusing though. However, the male body (especially the mid-section) seems strange in the clothing. Also, the hands make the brothers seem quite creepy with the long hair and blue eyes. The facial make-up is phenomenal, however on Marlon there is creepy ridge between his eyes that I found rather distracting. Honestly, though suspension of disbelief is the only way to buy the make-up and dress-up to pass the men off as white chicks. It’s close, but still obvious.
The movie suffers from two flaws. They aren’t huge flaws but are there none the less. First, the pacing of the film is awkward. Whether it’s the not-so-funny parts between the funny parts that cause this, I’m not sure. It starts off slow, then goes for good bit before slacking in the middle. It picks-up again at the end though, which is a good thing. Second, the agents’ motives for playing the girls get lost until about halfway through the movie. It appears for a while as if they are having so much fun being women, they forget why they are there in the first place. When the plot is finally re-introduced, it comes as a bit of a surprise. It doesn’t ruin the film completely, but does take away from it.
It’s a fun movie. It’s not necessarily a classic, but it’s not trash either. It’s a funny film with a so-so plot. It has enough heart to warrant a viewing at some point, and enough comedy to maybe warrant a second one. But with The Terminal, Dodgeball and Spiderman 2 being currently out, there are a lot better movies you can find. It was better than I thought it would be, but save White Chicks as a rental.
3 OUT OF 4 STARS
Overall Summary- It’s a funny movie. It lacks in some areas, but makes up for it in others. It was better than anticipated, but not amazingly great.
Two, this is just a review to kill time between now, and Spiderman. I'm seeing the film next Monday, so that review will be up then.
With that, enjoy...
______________________________
The premise behind Keenan Ivory Wayans’ new movie, White Chicks could have been disastrous. Having two very black men perform as two very white women develops the potential to be insulting to both races and sexes by pandering to stereotypes and clichés. Luckily, the movie rises above what it could have been and delivers a fun film, with some very funny moments.
Marlon Wayans and his brother, Shawn, play Kevin and Marcus Copeland, respectfully. They are two FBI agents who, in an effort to please their annoyed Chief, take on the babysitting duties of two millionaire heiresses, Brittney and Tiffany Wilton, who are targeted by a kidnapper. (Wilton, Hilton… See the connection?) A car crash on the way to a social extravaganza in the Hamptons however leaves the girls horribly deformed (i.e. a scratch on the nose and lip), and the agents are forced to pose as the blondes. Of course, this action leads to a comedy of errors as the boys discover what it’s like to be a girl, as well as try to keep their covers from being exposed not only by the Wilton Sister’s friends, but also by the other FBI agents swarming the gala.
The film has some truly funny moments which mostly come in exposing the differences between races. Differences in attitudes of self and musical preferences provide great comedy. The differences between genders provide more heart to the film, than humor. Seeing the Wayans brothers trying to get dressed in hip-huggers and mid-drifts is truly amusing though. However, the male body (especially the mid-section) seems strange in the clothing. Also, the hands make the brothers seem quite creepy with the long hair and blue eyes. The facial make-up is phenomenal, however on Marlon there is creepy ridge between his eyes that I found rather distracting. Honestly, though suspension of disbelief is the only way to buy the make-up and dress-up to pass the men off as white chicks. It’s close, but still obvious.
The movie suffers from two flaws. They aren’t huge flaws but are there none the less. First, the pacing of the film is awkward. Whether it’s the not-so-funny parts between the funny parts that cause this, I’m not sure. It starts off slow, then goes for good bit before slacking in the middle. It picks-up again at the end though, which is a good thing. Second, the agents’ motives for playing the girls get lost until about halfway through the movie. It appears for a while as if they are having so much fun being women, they forget why they are there in the first place. When the plot is finally re-introduced, it comes as a bit of a surprise. It doesn’t ruin the film completely, but does take away from it.
It’s a fun movie. It’s not necessarily a classic, but it’s not trash either. It’s a funny film with a so-so plot. It has enough heart to warrant a viewing at some point, and enough comedy to maybe warrant a second one. But with The Terminal, Dodgeball and Spiderman 2 being currently out, there are a lot better movies you can find. It was better than I thought it would be, but save White Chicks as a rental.
3 OUT OF 4 STARS
Overall Summary- It’s a funny movie. It lacks in some areas, but makes up for it in others. It was better than anticipated, but not amazingly great.