Reviews

When this movie is released on video, it deserves a spot in your permanent comedy collection, right alongside Eddie Murphy's Delirious and Richard Pryor Live in Conert.

I noticed that a lot of the reviewers at this web site weren't able to warm up to D.L Hughley's heckling of the crowd and Bernie Mac's no-holds-barred finale. Too bad. The brothas and sistas I was in the theatre with with were dying with laughter all the way through this flick, and ESPECIALLY when Bernie Mac was laying it down. His "example" of how a certain word (hint: the first part is mutha) can be used a variety of ways in casual conversation between fellas was brilliant because it was grounded in the truth. Go to any place where some self-styled playas are just cooling out: you'll see 'em capping on each other and cussing like pirates just like Bernie Mac. But just like Bernie's standup, it's all in good fun.

I love how the concert was staged so that the two old heads, Steve Harvey and Bernie Mac, emcee and anchor the show respectively. This was a shrewd move since these guys were the most experienced and therefore just a little more adept at working the crowd to a fever pitch. DL Hughley was his usual wisecracking, crowd heckling self --I counted at least 8 people that he absolutely nailed :-)-- and Cedric unleashed his rapier wit and off-the-wall dance routines that, one point, had me laughing until my stomach hurt. Cedric has always represented St. Louis well and I'm already seeing folks out on the street repeating his classic bits in this movie verbatim.

I reiterate: this ain't just a good concert movie. These four titanic talents provide the sharpest, frankest, and most outlandish comedic insights into black culture and mannerisms to date. Pryor would be proud.

In the 30s and 40s, there were no shortage of excellent romantic comedies. Of course, it helped that Hollywood legends like Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Katherine Hepburn, and Jean Arthur were still in their prime. Dave is a throwback to those old school soap operas, and Reitman and company pull it off with gusto.

Replace Stewart and Arthur with excellent modern actors Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver. Introduce classic but loaded premise: Good-natured do-gooder, who also bears a striking resemblance to the President, is forced into impersonating him when the latter becomes incapacitated. The problem is, the President is a scumbag and his wife hates his guts. Sit back for two hours and enjoy the fireworks. Be sure to lookout for the scenes where Dave visits the children's home and where the president's wife discovers Dave in the shower -- Jimmy Stewart himself would have been proud of the performances.

I have nothing against pushing the envelope in the American cinema, but too often filmmakers are so hell-bent on making the "next big thing" they ignore the timeless qualities that got people interested in movies in the first place: engaging story and characters you actually care about. Dave fits the bill and then some.

This is not the type of movie you watch for the clever plot and well-defined characters. This is a cheap, bawdy comic romp to be enjoyed with the fellas at a weekend get-together or at a bachelor party. Where else can you see a nubile young Fran Drescher wearing next to nothing and James Brown urging a crowd of scantily clad dancers to "get up offa that thang" in the same movie?

Nothing wrong with a little mindless entertainment, especially since Dr. Detroit doesn't pretend to be anything else.

This is not the type of movie you watch for the clever plot and well-defined characters. This is a cheap, bawdy comic romp to be enjoyed with the fellas at a weekend get-together or at a bachelor party. Where else can you see a nubile young Fran Drescher wearing next to nothing and James Brown urging a crowd of scantily clad dancers to "get up offa that thang" in the same movie?

Nothing wrong with a little mindless entertainment, especially since Dr. Detroit doesn't pretend to be anything else.

Robert Townsend's independent debut is a light-hearted farce that explores the struggles of black actors of Hollywood. But the issues that the film could be applied to talented folks in any field who are prevented from reaching their full potential because of stereotypes.

Many of the cast were unknowns at the time but they did an excellent job in the various skits. My favorite is the parody of Siskel and Ebert's TV show, where two street hoods sneak into the movies to give their own rather unique reviews. Amadeus is slammed by the amateur critics because "the movie's title is too hard to pronounce" while a movie about Zombie Street Pimps is given the thumbs up, because of the attention to detail. This is typical of the kind of humor employed throughout the movie - Townsend takes a racial stereotype and turns it outside out, making us think and laugh out loud at the same time.

I wish more directors, black or not, would follow Townsend's personal, self-effacing approach to movie-making but I guess it's easier to produce yet another violent shoot-em up or special effects showcase. Oh well.

I enjoyed this short from the 70s as much as I've enjoyed any animated cartoon. The key players from the strip at that time are all there -- Mike, B.D., Boopsie, Joanie, Mark, Zonker -- and even some personal favorite minor characters, like Jimmy Thudpucker, make an appearance.

The premise is simple: The characters reflect on how the turbulent socio-political climate of the past decade has changed them. What ensues is an episodic, heart-warming and hilarious series of flashbacks and current events including B.D.'s offensive line engaging in philosophical discussions with their backs pinned against the goal line and the aforementioned Thudpucker doing his best Bob Dylan impression. It's an amazingly faithful translation of the comic strip, the likes of which we may never see again.