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I wasn’t expecting much from the movie
White Chicks. In fact, the Wayans brothers make two extraordinarily ugly women,
and the commercial left me wondering if I really wanted to see this
DVD.
Kevin and Marcus Copeland (Shawn and Marlon Wayans) are two partners
working for the FBI, but they just can’t seem to get a break. After blowing a major
undercover assignment, they find themselves in the deep trouble with their boss.
Fortunately, there’s a major case involving two heiresses (Is the similarity to the
Hilton sisters a coincidence? Hmmm…) who may be the target of a kidnapping, but nobody
on the task force wants to escort them.
Through good fortune (tongue
firmly in cheek), the Copelands score the detail in an effort to redeem themselves. Of
course this is a slap-stick comedy, and if they were able to deliver the package without
incident, it would have been a short film indeed. After a fender-bender leaves the girls
unwilling to go to the Hamptons, the Copelands come up with the hair-brained idea to take
their places incognito.
I must admit that White Chicks really had
some funny stuff—and Marlon Wayans impressed me with his comic timing. Some of the
dialogue was bland, but Marlon gave it a sparkle that his brother just didn’t pull
off.
I also had to dig deep to believe that the brothers disguised as
women would fool anybody, but that’s the beauty of fiction versus reality. Sometimes you
just roll with it.
I have to confess that I would have given this movie a
C or C+ if it weren’t for two key scenes. Both had to do with bodily functions, so I’m
revealing a bit of my demented guy humor, but the scene with Marlon in the bathroom
rivals that of Finch in American Pie. And Marlon’s scene in the restaurant
reminded me of the family in Eddie Murphy’s The Nutty Professor.
So
take note film directors and screenwriters: if you want to score a laugh with me, insert
the right amount of fart and poop scenes/jokes, and I’ll bump my grade up by at least
half a letter.
Extras on the DVD include commentary, several featurettes,
including a few behind-the-scenes shorts, and previews.
GRADE: B
(movie) B (DVD)
