No robarás en domingo

A very appealing cast is left with little to work with in "First Sunday," a manufactured comedy whose script fails to rise to the level of its actors. Desperate for some quick cash, Durell and LeeJohn come up with a scheme to break into a local church and carry off the fund earmarked for the construction of a new building. Unfortunately, this seemingly simple robbery quickly turns into a complicated hostage situation when a dozen or so of the most prominent church members unexpectedly show up on the scene.

"First Friday" does elicit a few hearty laughs, due, in large part, to its game cast and the occasional funny line scattered in and amongst the numerous clunkers. Ice Cube effectively plays straight man to Tracy Morgan's endearingly bumbling sidekick, and they, together with the other actors, help to comprise a fine comic ensemble. The problem lies in a screenplay which often goes for the obvious joke over something truly original or clever, and which pours on the syrup to alarming proportions near the end just to ensure the movie its status as a morally upright, "feel-good" comedy.

It's a harmless enough little diversion if you have some time to kill, but the company is far more appetizing than what it is they're dishing up.

It was supposed to be entertaining. I doubt Ice Cube is crossing all fingers and toes that he'll get an Oscar nod. Lighten up! Big deal.

Not every movie has to be a groundbreaking blockbuster hit. The inspirational messages (considered silly by some) might hit certain people that didn't anticipate getting a message from the movie. Momma T talking to Ice Cube at the end was a great message and the teens that might see this movie need to hear it.

Lots of teens will see this movie I'm sure and they will walk away with a positive message, who knows. If you saw this movie and were disappointed in it, you must have had sky high hopes and it was CLEAR AS DAY what the movie was going to be like in the commercials. If you think you wasted your time, you need to pay more attention to commercials before going out to the theater. Come on man!

But to me, Katt Williams made it worth while, he never fails me.

I went into this movie looking for laughs and that's exactly what I got. The premise of the film is rather daffy; two decent men are in desperate need for money; one (Ice Cube) to prevent his beloved son moving to Atlanta with his mother who has no other choice since she has debts that she cannot afford; the other (Tracy Morgan) secured a deal with a Jamaican thug to sell wheelchairs but messed it up, lost the wheelchairs and now owes the guy a lot of money. So what do they do? They stumble upon this church, they sit, they enjoy the music and the singing; and notice that the church's deacon handles a lot of money for the church's upcoming repairs. The next day, Tracy Morgan's character LeeJohn suggests they rob the church to Ice Cube's Durell's outrage. He immediately refuses but after an impass concerning his son's departure, he becomes determined to do it. But not everything goes according to plan, quickly the two are compelled by circumstances to turn the robbery into a hostage situation.

The main characters are not thugs, they are men who are driven by despair and see no other way out to get money on such short notice. They are driven by their enclosing circumstances; at many points during the movie they struggle with their morality. Durell is a serious man, but has a soft spot for his son. LeeJohn is a goofy man-child who doesn't even have an idea of when his birthday is. The most interesting aspect of the plot is that when the two men realize that the money they are after is not actually there, meaning somebody stole it first; which can only be one of the people having a meeting on the church that same night.

It has many ingredients to make it appealing; the interactions between hostage takers and hostages, Katt Williams' funny input, the final message of the movie delivered by Momma T (Olivia Cole) and the funny exchanges between Durell and LeeJohn.

Ice Cube plays his usual self, acting all tough but warm inside; Tracy Morgan also plays his usual character, very similar to his character Tracy Jordan on 30 Rock. That's what functions, that's the verified formula for comedic success. The other supporting actors give fine performances: Chi McBride as the Pastor, Loretta Devine as Sister Dory, Malinda Williams as the Pastor's daughter Tianna, the aforementioned Katt Williams as the church's choir director and Michael Beach as the deacon, who is great!

I had a nice time watching this flick and would definitely watch it again when in the mood for comedy. It can be a bit stereotypical at certain moments, but is definitely very watchable.

I'm baffled by the anger in some reviewer's critiques. Sure, this movie is hardy Citizen Kane or even up to the level of the Barbershop movies, but it's not terrible. It's main issue is its inability to sustain a tone. Instead, it varies between pathos, light comedy and (of all things) hostage drama.

As with the Barbershop movies, the persistent theme is community and family. The central characters are two petty criminals who remain criminals because of previous convictions. This isn't a laughable theme. A felon has a very difficult time making a living. When's the last time you saw a job application which didn't ask about previous criminal record? Anyway, in an effort to both pay off scary people and maintain family cohesiveness, two of society's losers decide on one more crime.

The subsequent series of events combine serious situations with interesting characterizations and then throws in some scenes of such silliness that they tend to stomp a bit on the rest of the movie. Approach with an open mind and you'll be for a light, decent movie with some interesting character sketches.

So, it turns out "blaxploitation" films are still alive and well, and these days cast Ice Cube, Katt Williams and Tracy Morgan in the leading roles.

This offensive film parades just about every stereotype about African Americans that you can get away with while still maintaining a PG-13 rating. That translates into a ghetto setting curiously devoid of drug dealers and crack whores. There is one character who dresses like a pimp, but I'm convinced that was because of a mix-up in wardrobe, rather than a deliberate attempt at authenticity.

What is inexcusably absent though is a discernible plot. The screenplay seems to be a weak attempt to re-purpose the flimsy dramatic premise that powers "Die Hard", but relocating it in a church and mashing some Agatha Christie mystery elements for good measure.

What emerges then, in place of a plot, is a severely frayed thread, ambitiously intended to link together a series of set pieces where the various performers deliver signature material - kind of like what you'd find at a school concert, only less coherent.

"First Sunday" does have some funny moments and to be fair, the family did chuckle about the movie for a couple of days after watching it. So think of this movie as a set of toppings in search of a (first) sundae.