In the Mix

Heavy-hitting R&B star Usher apparently has a following, but they don't seem to be lining up for this lame vanity project that's being palmed off as a real movie. The fact that In the Mix was directed by the fellow who gave us The Adventures of Pluto Nash enters into the equation, though I doubt that too many Usher fans have concerned themselves with who directed him in his first starring role. Maybe they just smelled a stinker. They would not have been wrong. Star vehicles like this are hardly new. Even Bing Crosby's earlier films are little more than attempts to cash in on the crooner's radio and recording popularity, and it would be a kindness to pass over the bulk of Elvis' screen career. That is, it would be at any other time than when discussing In the Mix, which makes me long for the brilliant writing and emotional complexity of It Happened at the World's Fair. At least in Bing and Elvis' movies, the filmmakers let their stars do what they were known for - namely, sing. Here, however, someone got the bright idea that Usher (Usher Raymond, to give him his full name) should just act. Perhaps they should have determined whether he was capable of that feat first. Let it be said that as an actor, Usher would probably make a pretty good zither player.

'In the Mix' has Usher playing Darrell, who happens to be at the right place at the right time. That depends on how you look at it. He takes a bullet for Dolly (Emmanuelle Chriqui), a mafia princess. As a result, he becomes her bodyguard. Then the trouble starts happening.

This movie was not especially great. It is fun at times, but not by much. The acting is not great and the plot is very predictable. None of the characters have much personality. Anthony Fazio who plays Dolly's brother is annoying. It is kind of like 'My Bodyguard' meets 'The Sopranos', only a little milder and not nearly as good.

I thought the best part was Rufus the bulldog. He was the funniest part of the movie and he is only in three scenes. I would not go to this unless you really want to see Usher.

This movie is about as good as what would have been found in the toilet anyway! Perhaps the most racist movie I have seen in my life. Examples: 1. Usher's favorite restaurant is a fried chicken place, where he orders "the usual", which turns out to be...you guessed it, fried chicken and collard greens

2. Although neither Usher nor his friends are gangsters in the movie, it seems that the only things black people use as currency during card games are guns.

3. "I heard black men can dance" 4. All Italians are mobsters. 5. I like Usher's little minstrel show dance at the end of the movie. Overall, I was disappointed with myself for donating any money to this racist cause. I will never again watch an Usher movie unless he puts on blackface and admits that In the Mix was about as racist as the KKK would hope it to be.

Not only was this movie poorly written, it goes to show us what most of us knew already. That is the simple fact that Usher can not act. Some films of this nature, have a borderline cute plot or fun story, this completely lacks both. This is yet another attempt from a pop-star(if you deem him worthy of that title), trying to make the transition from music to film and failing miserably. Do not waste your ten bucks going to see this movie as , box office attendance will plummet the DVD should be on the shelf by Christmas. It is pretty sad, that only because the fact of someones popularity in a certain arena, that they are automatically pushed into another and we are suppose to accept it. I would hope that this movies target audience(which is i'm sure 13 year old girls) would reject it as I had.

Let me just say that I was surprised when I saw "In the Mix" settling down in the Bottom 100. Surprised, but not in a bad way. I'm just glad that people see this movie as what it is, and not "how famous Usher is" or "how good we WISH this movie was"

Because, to put it bluntly, I went in the theater expecting junk, and junk is what I got. I don't think that there is anyone out there who expected great things from Usher, but I most certainly did not expect the worst movie that I have ever seen.

So, let's go over why this movie was so bad. Firstly, the acting is quite dreadful. Usher acts like a robot, and sometimes almost forgets to show emotion. Emmanuelle Chriqui is not half bad, and neither is the supporting cast, but Usher's artificial acting spoils all of their efforts. The plot is nothing original, but nothing incredibly awful. With some different acting, hey, I might actually be able to sit through 95 minutes of it without getting close to crying at the pathetic attempt at a movie.

So, here's what I recommend:

Don't watch the movie at all (unless you're one of those people who try to watch really bad movies just to see how bad they are)

If you MUST watch it, wait for it to come out on DVD, and rent it. Or wait for a stupid friend of yours to buy it, and borrow it. Make sure that you do not waste any money on this piece of junk. If you want what's best for you, spare yourself, and don't watch it at all.