Foolish

"Foolish" is another addition to that subgenre of film that is tangible proof that if you're famous enough in any other area besides films, you can still make your own film. Master P and Eddie Griffin combine their celebrity sway into writing, acting, producing, and improvising an entire feature-length picture. The result is a poorly-written, poorly-acted, and tragically unfunny comedy about two brothers who are trying to make it to "the big time" in a supposedly oppressive and controlling world.

Among the favors called in by these two stars for this movie are a supporting cast of actors who could otherwise have been brought together to make a perfectly acceptable, direct to video, fluffy action/comedy: Andrew Dice Clay, Jonathan Banks, Sven Ole Thorsen, Traci Bingham, and even the late great Brion James. However, even their presences are wasted in favor of random footage of standup acts from Griffin as well as several of his fellow comedians. Music video director David Meyers makes his motion picture debut stitching together this unorganized sequence of scenes into a cohesive storyline. And the closing credits serve the dual purpose of showcasing songs from not one, not two, not three, but four separate artists from P's record label.

Master P read a book on screen writing and used everything he learned to put his script together. He even remembered to actually introduce the grandmother character a full 10 minutes before inexplicably having her die, and thus leading to Griffin's character's dramatic spiral into a drunken depression. And P made sure the script left plenty of scenes open for Griffin's standup routines, attractive women to appear in the nude, the characters to discuss their lives while driving in a car, and Griffin's standup routines. The end of the movie has something to do with "blue light".

I rented Foolish about 9 months ago and found it one of the most hilarious movies that I have ever seen. Not because of the acting by Master P and Andrew Dice Clay, but because Eddie Griffin was just " on " in this movie. Some of his acting was good but all of his stand up was great. On the DVD there's more stand up which is better than the movie stand up including bits about Hilary Clinton, Sperm and (of course) White People. To sum this up I would recommend viewing this if you really want to laugh your ass off and see something funny, but if your looking for a great story with suspense and plot don't bother.

While I knew what I was getting myself into by purchasing a ticket to a film written by Master P, who could have guessed that 50% of this movie would be a concert film.

That's where `Foolish' stands. If you enjoy comedian Eddie Griffin, then this film will sate your appetite quickly. If you're a fan of decent writing and average acting, then this flick will fail you. I understand where this film comes from. Like last year's `I Got The Hookup', Master P has cornered the market on lowbrow entertainment. Simply because it's cheap to produce, he can call in favors, and the audience can only trust the brand name of P. The final product is devoid of any real drama, interesting characters, and even laughs. I do not find Eddie Griffin funny at all, so sitting through his endless `White guys act like this, black guys act like that' type bits is intolerable. I doubt there is even 10 pages of dialog here, and the stuff that made it into the film is unintentionally funny. It's a hoot to watch Griffin and P try to stumble their way through a dramatic scene, It's more horrifying that anything David Cronenberg could dream up. A supporting cast of Andrew `Dice' Clay (wearing glasses that would make Elton John blush) and Traci Bingham should spell out clearly the quality of this production. Master P consistently shovels s**t to his audience, and they come begging for more. It's a crying shame. ---------- 2

I think Eddie Griffin is an underrated comic in the industry. He has received mild popularity with viewers of "Def Comedy Jam" and was on the short-lived UPN sitcom "Malcolm and Eddie." He is very talented, very energetic and I wish I can see him in more movies.

The film spends most of its time on stage, with Eddie on the spotlight doing his hilarious schtick. That's a good thing. Because I feel that is the only reason to see this film. All of its subplots involving drug-dealing and the death of a family member are throwaways. Master P doesn't exactly have a knack for drama. But ignore those elements and you'll have a great time. I was laughing uproariously!!!

This is short and to the point: the only good thing about the movie and the only reason why it isn't a 1 star movie is because of Eddie Griffin's incredible stand up. Master P is by far the worst screenwriter to ever put a film together. The worst part of the movie wasn't even the writing however, it was Master P's incapability to act that screwed the movie further. The entire movie should have been under the control of Eddie Griffin, perhaps he could have saved it, his scenes with his grandmother and his stand up are the only positive moments in this movie. and one last thought: why was Andrew Dice Clay in the movie? who made that decision???