The Hustle

"The Hustle" is not as bad as the ratings would have you believe. Is it silly? Yes. Is the plot paper thin? Absolutely. But this movie is set up for the jokes and they delivered the jokes.

Junior (Charlie Murphy) and Freddy (Al Shearer) work for a bug extermination company called Roach Stompers. They have to wear humiliating outfits and worse yet, they have to deal with roaches. The two professed kleptomaniacs got in hot water when they stole ten thousand dollars from a Japanese gang. They couldn't even repay the money because Freddy lost it all while running from said gang. With no conceivable way to pay it back, Freddy decided that bilking honest churchgoers by pretending to be a pastor was the best way to earn the $10k in the week they were given.

There were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in this comedy. I don't think Charlie Murphy has been given enough credit as a comedian and he certainly wasn't given enough roles. The biggest mistake of this movie was repeating the plot of the Ice Cube movie "First Sunday." It was only one year prior that "First Sunday" was released with the premise of robbing a church. If I had any other criticism it would be the dark-skinned jokes. I don't find them that funny because they perpetuate an ugly stereotype and promote self-hate.

This movie was helped by some familiar faces: John Witherspoon, David Alan Grier, Tiny Lister, and Kym Whitley to name the most well-known. It's sad that of the cast of this movie three have passed away: Charlie Murphy, Tiny Lister, and John Witherspoon.

"The Hustle" is no masterpiece, but it certainly had me laughing, and that's all that I ask for.

Junior Walker and Freddy are exterminators. Freddy still lives with his mother, who is raising Freddy's daughter and wishes her son would grow up. As a result of a wild chase, Freddy accidentally caused the Chinese mob to lose $10,000, and the mob want their money back in a week--or else! The guys get a painful demonstration of what could happen.

One of the company's clients is the predominantly African-American Bethel Baptist Church, whose pastor is old and fat, and his second-in-command is eager to replace him. The pastor mistakes the exterminators for replacement pastors that he had asked for, and they don't deny that's who they are. The pastor ends up in the hospital in a coma, so Freddy and Junior take over as pastors, to the dismay of Brother Efrom, who has them checked out.

Freddy, who admires the work of greedy and charismatic TV preacher Rev. Isaac Montgomery Paid, sees a perfect way to make money. Easter is a week away, and Freddy sets a goal for the struggling congregation. Only a few people show up the first Sunday, but people like Freddy a lot, and while they don't give at first, Freddy is very persuasive and goes out into the community. Derrick, one of the few white people at this church (and maybe the only one) offers to put some life into the church's lame band.

So will Freddy succeed? Not just in raising the money but in remaking the church.

This movie has its good points. While Freddy's intentions are less than honorable, he does good work in the process. It is true that this movie does not have a lot of respect for Christian values. But most of the characters seem genuine in their faith, in the sense that they are holier than thou and their own sins aren't as but as other people's. That's about as genuine as you will usually find in Hollywood.

David Alan Grier is the standout performer, and I do mean performer. The TV preacher only appears on TV screens.

John Witherspoon, who is great as the President's Dad in "The First Family", plays a barber. I liked seeing him here.

I have to wonder why, a week before Easter, no mention was made of Palm Sunday, or Maundy Thursday, or Good Friday.

I saw a cleaned-up version but it is obvious this film is vile and filthy.

Is it a movie with a faith message? Yes, in a sense it is.