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This one movie and the BBC Television series CHEF are my only connection with Lenny Henry, however I am a fan of his work on both projects.

I haven't seen this movie on DVD as it is not released on Region 1 discs as of yet, I truly hope it is planned as I would love to own this title on DVD.

My remarks are based on the VHS version, tattered and torn as it is.

This film will keep you laughing and engaged from beginning to end, there are enough SNL-ish interactions between the characters to have caused a copyright infringement suit ;)(just kidding).

The first time I watched this film it was truly ground breaking in a sense of character and timing, at least in my opinion (not having had much exposure to BBC TV/Celebs). His (Lenny Henry) off beat characters and persona(s) throughout the film are engaging and remarkably funny.

Miles Pope seems to be the sort of guy you would not mind helping should he require it, although knowing ahead of time what kind of help he would need with regards to this film would surely have slowed my response time.

However from the beginning plane ride on through the ending sequence this movie keeps me interested and laughing, a must see comedy for all ages based upon my perspective.

Please, if anyone has any pull with the powers that be, have this title released on Region 1 DVD as soon as possible, thanks.

Lenny Henry who is somewhat under appreciated as an actor was superb in this film he's very funny in 'True Identity' and makes a groundbreaking performance in this in his 'whitesuit'. He makes a fantastic caucasian person looking a little bit like a taller version of Martin Short (comedian/actor). It's unfortunate that this wasn't as big a hit as it should and could have been...It wasn't marketed properly, wasn't on enough Screens etc etc. I 've seen far more mediocre films do far better at the Box Office precisely because the studio put more money into marketing it or opened very wide...and that is a shame. It's business! It would be wise and make great business sense for some studio to do another movie with Lenny Henry as the star; one that mixes comedy with another genre or two eg; Comedy/Action, Comedy/Horror. Comedy/Romance/Action. Comedy/Sci-Fi/Action etc. etc...Lenny Henry is a comedic giant and could make some studio a heck of a lot of money!

I am also a Lenny Henry fan and have enjoyed this movie each time it's been on (I think 3-4 times) on US cable. Like many movies, one needs to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the ride. Frank Langella is always good as an unexpected bad guy and I thought Lenny's dual role was very well done. This movie is lite fare and fun. Run to your nearest PBS outlet and watch Chef when it's on.

Growing up there was a bunch of movies I would have never saw if it wasn't for late night TV in the 90's. 'True Identity' happens to be one of them. It has stuck with me doing a Mrs. Doubtfire routine before that movie even existed. I'll state up front I'm not familiar with comedian Lenny Henry, but that didn't stop this film from having fun moments.

Struggling actor Miles Pope (Henry) is sat next to a reputed mobster (Frank Langella) who is thought to be dead on a flight. When it appears the plane is going down, the man airs his dirty secrets and afterwards wants Pope dead. With the help of his movie makeup neighbor, Miles undergoes a transition to being a white guy and then inadvertently takes the identity of the hitman sent to kill him. Faking his way thru conversations, making excuses, staging a fake murder scene until the gig is up and he has to find a real way out.

Quite a few recognizable faces pop up, but the show belongs to Henry, the dependable Langella and Andreas Katsulas (Star Trek TNG, The Fugitive) as the mobsters associate. There's a throwaway love interest and some corny cop play in which the film takes a dip however there's a solid laugh or two during his aspirations for a successful acting career.

Remember that classic bit from 'The Simpsons' with the pamphlet on stealing cable? "Fact: Most movies on cable get two stars or less and are repeated ad nauseam." That's 'True Identity' in a lot of ways. Good pieces here, I certainly laughed but you have to sit thru formula to get to them.

Watching "True Identity," I was somehow reminded of an old "Saturday Night Live" Eddie Murphy skit where he disguised himself as a white man, then walked around New York City in makeup, realizing that when no black people are around, white people like to get funky.

At first I thought it was just a basic idea that bore resemblance, until two gags used in Murphy's skit were used in the film, and I started to wonder how they had ever gotten away with ripping off his materal. Then I realized that the writer of the film, Andy Breckman, used to write for "SNL," and that the film was an unofficial spin-off of Murphy's skit.

The problem with "SNL" spin-offs is that they take a successful five-minute paper-thin gag and stretch it out to full length. Mary Katherine Gallagher was never very funny, but her skits were watchable; whoever decided to put her oddball, unlikable character into a movie was nuts.

Luckily, even though it is far from being a great motion picture, "True Identity" has its fair share of good moments, which include British comedian Lenny Henry getting to dress up as a white guy and pose as an Italian-American mobster hit-man, then posing as James Brown's brother. (One of Murphy's trademark characters on "SNL" was his impersonation of James Brown in "James Brown's Hot Tub.")

Miles Pope is an aspiring actor living in the big city with hopes of becoming the lead in "Othello." When he boards a plane, he finds himself seated next to a strange man named Leland Carver. When the plane starts to plummet, Carver (played by Frank Langella) admits that he used to be a criminal, who was believed to have died in an explosion, but in reality survived, had facial alterations, and "spent thousands setting up a new identity." Of course, the plane then regains itself, leaving Miles with the knowledge that he will probably be chased by the gangster's hit men. So his only option is to disguise himself as a white man.

This is essentially a very weak setup, with a truly ridiculous and contrived plot (like a mobster would admit his real persona for no reason whatsoever). But the movie does have a fair amount of fun, and a few good belly laughs, including the opening scene. "You need to get to your roots," a director of a play tells Miles. "Act more black." "But black people don't act like this anymore!" Miles says. The director doesn't care, so Miles tries to portray a stereotypical black man. The result is very funny.

The film, as a whole, is completely harmless and serves its purpose. It's entertaining, with a silly plot but a good amount of funny scenes. Henry is able to show off how good he is at comedy while we are entertained. And for the record, his "white man makeup" was much more convincing than Murphy's.