Pootie Tang

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.

I'm more into classic drama and the epic scene, but when I do get into a comedy it has to be absolutely senseless. I don't want to see any formulaic structure from the drama side of things crossing over - which a lot of Holly-comedies have - it has to take on its own form and the Chris Rock produced "Tang" does that. The cheese fact is a perfect 10 on the scale and the creative powers that be told this story with precision. I believe this will be a cult classic, not to mention it far out played "Undercover Brother" which was released on a healthier production and marketing budget that same year. Chris Rock should be proud of his producer role and Lance Crouther was the funniest black-man stereotype I've ever seen. Finally, I remember going to a Blockbuster a few years back with some friends to buy the DVD, it was such a cult hit that some kid had stole the disk and left the DVD jacket on the for sale shelf... That says something. True stupidity is an acquired taste which only few can actually understand. And I would bet a few Franks that comedic geniuses are serious people 90 percent of the time. But when they let loose, look out.

This movie is so unique, it may be as difficult for some to understand as it is to figure out Pootie's language. I was captivated from the first scene right up to the end. Kudos to Lance Crouther for his truly inspired performance as the hero. His physical comedy while combatting his foes or even just interacting with everyone else was brilliant and quirky. You really find yourself focusing on him in every scene, just to see what he was going to do next. There is also the ensemble of actors that inhabit Pootie's world, all of whom did a great job. I often read critics making comparisons between the modern charactor actors and how they pale before those of the distant past - razzz - wrong! These people hammed it up with style and flair. "I'm Dirty Dee, dammit!"

Sah da tay, my brothers.

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

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+