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An amusing story occurred when I left the movie theater.
Surprisingly, Martin Lawrence made me laugh…again.
Mo’Nique? At last, she has exhibited potential in the realm of cinema by embodying her stand-up persona.
The often overlooked Mike Epps? Unbelievably funny with hints of pure adorableness.
And James Earl Jones? Well, um… he is a great and powerful figure in Hollywood.
To be brief, “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins,” the new film by writer \director Malcolm D. Lee best known for “Undercover Brother” and “Roll Bounce”, is a charming and occasionally touching movie that is far more funny than you would expect, largely due to the filmmakers’ ability to reign in their cast of standup comedians into a simple, yet effective storyline.
As with most of his films, Hollywood Lawrence portrays RJ Stevens, a successful talk show host who has managed to accomplish the almost impossible. Ever popular in Hollywood with a new fiancee, a “Survivor” contestant and winner who is most famous for panties-turned-chocolate-cake-donator, he manages quite the life for himself.
As his family prepares for the celebration of his parents, Jones and Margaret Avery’s, 50th wedding anniversary, RJ, also known as Roscoe Jenkins, is called back home. Bianca thinks it best for ratings and as a result, they all have to travel to a small town in Georgia. In addition to RJ having to put up with his playa’ cousin (Epps), brother turned sheriff (Michael Clarke Duncan), and skiing sister (Mo’Nique), he also has to deal with his childhood ‘rival’ Clyde (Cedric the Entertainer) who, somewhat annoyingly, seems to have captured the heart of RJ’s first ‘crush’ Lucinda (Nicole Ari Parker who is ‘Soul Food’ on TV).
If you are a fan of Tyler Perry, and don’t mind Lawrence’s somewhat excessive humor, you will likely enjoy ‘Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins’. The film, at some points, pays homage to family, while simultaneously portraying them in a way that makes them unappealing.
We realize almost instantly that RJ’s “Team of Me” philosophy stems from him playing second fiddle to Clyde, who was raised by RJ’s parents after his own died while RJ was a child. With a giant brother, a king of a father, and an extrovert sister, it is easy to see how RJ would struggle feeling big in this family.
Lawrence manages to contain his outrageous self surprisingly well, but he does not have the skills to pull off transitioning from RJ to Roscoe as seamlessly as one would expect. Like Steve Carell in “Dan in Real Life,” Lawrence is great at portraying the wounded man/child. Unlike Carell, however, he loses the ability to simply be sincere, which is frustrating, to say the least. Lee’s script builds up sincere so much that it is especially hard to accept in the later scenes of the film involving his son and, quite frankly, the too convenient anniversary reception.
A native of Indianapolis, Mike Epps‘ character RJ’s cousin is probably not too different from the relative who comes to every single family function and is always looking for a handout. Epps is an incredibly underrated comedian, mostly because he chooses to partake in lesser film projects. He is a scene-stealer, and with his performance here, where he goes so over-the-top, he manages to garner laughs as it works without a doubt.
Mo’Nique, on the other hand, is undoubtedly over the top in her portrayal of RJ’s bible-toting/showing thong wearing sister that’s an absolute menace to her younger sibling. Unlike Lawrence, Mo’Nique gets to display her genuinely sweet side while seamlessly blending it with her improvisational talents in the second half of the film.
James Earl Jones, while always being relegated to underwritten supporting roles, adds value as RJ’s father and Avery spices things up with her usual mommy touch. In contrast to Parker’s performance, which is one of the few not outlandish and grounded, Nicole’s portrayal of RJ’s love interest had her exceeding in her role as the beautiful and fierce “Survivor” queen. Cedric the Entertainer certainly does what he can to elicit chuckles from a simple role, but sadly falls short when it comes to the anniversary reception scene.
Lee’s script sometimes misses and settles for the easy jokes. I mean, come on, does modern cinema even need another film that joins the ranks of “sprayed by a skunk” shameful montages? Uh. No thanks. More often than not, however, Lee’s methodology is akin to that of “Roll Bounce,” the film in which he skillfully intertwined laughter with heart and real relationships. While “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins” is not a standout, it is witty in its own right, offering more than its fair share of winners and strong ensemble chemistry that makes the film enjoyable even though it does get a bit long in the tooth. The film is PG-13, so parents bringing young toddlers to this “family comedy” may need to have some words with the kids on the drive home. Madea is not nearly as amusing as Tyler Perry when he throws off the dress, but Martin Lawrence is more alive than ever with Big Momma in the background and RJ Stevens in front.
David Newman’s original score underscores the film’s frantic and subtle moments, while the film’s production specs enhanced both RJ’s quintessential “fish out of water” performance and the small town feel of Georgia.
Martin Lawrence, welcome back to decent cinema.
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