Pootie Tang

I'm not saying that Pootie Tang will be for everyone, but for those interested, it is really a gas. Pootie Tang was originated on Chris Rock's HBO show with Crouther playing Tang as the new president elect Pootie Tang telling his campaign in lingo that almost no one could understand but it was still dead pan. Now, he has a movie.

Lance Crouther plays the title character in a short yet entertaining movie about a hero with a belt that helps him against the forces of evil, plus his gift of saying things that have no meaning whatsoever (like ebonics mixed with down syndrome, but it's funny). Chris Rock (in 3 equally hilarious roles), Robert Vaughn and Wanda Sykes also star in this movie with it's only damaging flaw being that after a while it runs out of steam. Worth a look. B+

"Pootie Tang" is the ultimate guilty pleasure film. Sometimes I ask myself, "why do I laugh at this?". I don't know why, but it funny as hell. Chris Rock is a genius. I don't know how you come up with a story about a funny talking super hero. Throughout the whole movie, this guy is saying things that doesn't make any sense, but the characters surrounding him all understand. How do you come up something like that?!? And put it into a feature film!!! One liners like "sa da tay" and "sine your pity on the runny kine", are classics. "Pootie Tang" was conceived on the HBO hit The Chris Rock Show, in this spin off movie, Pootie is trying to take all the junk food, drugs and alcohol off the street that is being distributed by Dick Lecter (Robert Vaughn). The supporting cast includes The Chris Rock Show regulars including Wanda Sykes. "Pootie Tang" seems like a send up to 70's blaxpoitation films, but at the same time, I don't know what it is. "Pootie Tang" is a mixed bag of funk music, cheesy action and comedy. It all works for "Pootie Tang" making it the most unusual film ever made.

Pootie Tang- rated PG-13 *** out of ****

And so does my wife, a middle-aged hispanic girl. Just in case anyone thought this movie might only appeal to hip, young, black kids.

Heck, even my 70-year-old mother liked it! But she likes anything with Chris Rock in it.

Obviously, this is one of those movies where you have to "get it", but for those who do, it totally rocks! This movie works on so many levels. I loved the message, I loved the characters, and the movie is just hilarious.

I never outright recommend this movie to anyone, as it's too unpredictable. I say, see the previews - if you see anything there you like, chances are you'll love the movie. It's definitely worth checking out.

It's easy to pick out what people would object to in this movie. It really is little more than a sketch comedy bit extended to 80 minutes, it really only has one joke and it really is pure silliness. But I thought it was really funny. Some of it, like Pootie's defending himself with his braid, was even brilliantly silly. Having seen it three days ago, I have already forgotten virtually the entire movie, but I thoroughly enjoyed it at the time, and my girlfriend, who is less tolerant of pure silliness than I am, laughed throughout. It did run out of momentum a little as it went along, with a great first half hour followed by diminishing returns on that one joke, but there was enough fun through to keep us watching. 7/10

Pootie Tang actually can be looked at as a parable, an allegory of a messianic figure. How's that for making a purse out of a sow's ear? Consider: A powerful figure roaming around doing good deeds, speaking in a puzzling language that only believers understand, attended to by his apostles, befriending prostitutes. Suffering from inner demons he retreats to the wilderness (the farm) and experiences an epiphany through the physical manifestation of his creators, going back and finally confronting and conquering the demons. (Dirty D = Dirty Devil)Along the way he even awakens the dead (the knife wielder at the club), banishes a horde of false prophets (all the fake Pooties), and can bring people to rapture through sheer silence alone. Whew. Heady stuff. Sa Da Tay!