The Original Kings of Comedy Review
by "Rose 'Bams' Cooper" (bams AT 3blackchicks DOT com)August 23rd, 2000
'3BlackChicks Review...'
THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY (2000)
Rated R; running time 117 minutes
Genre: Comedy (concert)
IMDB site: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0236388
Official site: http://www.kingsofcomedymovie.com/
Directed by: Spike Lee
Performers: Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric The Entertainer, Bernie Mac
Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2000
Review URL: http://www.3blackchicks.com/bamsorgkings.html
Let's get one thing straight, from jump: if one is to speak of kings of comedy - especially filmed concert-comedy, and most especially in terms of originality - any exclusion of the name Richard Pryor, immediately calls ones sanity into question. Not to mention the magnitude of ones cajones. So, are Misters Harvey, Hughley, Entertainer [yes, I know], and Mac heirs to Pryor's crown, or just mere pretenders to the throne?
Hmmm...
The Story (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**):
Named after the long-running comedy tour that began in 1997 and ended on the same stage in 2000, THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY was filmed at the Charlotte Coliseum on February 26th and 27th, 2000, and features stand-up comedians and actors Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric The Entertainer, and Bernie Mac. The four men are shown not only on-stage, but also in short behind-the-scenes bits that give the audience a brief look at what motivates These Four Kings to do what they do best. Look and listen closely, and you might find that what you see on-stage, is not necessarily what you'd get in Real Life...
The Upshot:
I think Pryor can breathe easy [hmmm...all things considered: no pun intended]. This foursome is good, no doubt, but it'll take a lot more than their approximately 30 minutes of stage time each, to wipe away any memories of RICHARD PRYOR: LIVE ON THE SUNSET STRIP from my mind.
That said, past the "trash-talk" title of this Spike Lee joint, the four "Kings" comedians do fit the bill for an audience that is used to their brand of comedy - and, let's face it: that audience consists mostly of cultural Blacks, and Whites who are Down. Not to say that any of the four were purposefully exclusionary - they weren't. It's just that I'd be very surprised to hear that Mr. And Mrs. Mainstreet were as laid out throughout most of this concert, as many of the members of my (mixed ages and races) viewing audience were at times.
[Hmmm...maybe I've gotten off to a bad start here. Mr. And Mrs. Mainstreet, feel free to go see the "Kangs" (as Steve Harvey jokingly said the "country-ass" audience referred to them). You can be Down too. Anyway...]
Each of the four comics have had successes in similar venues: Harvey hosts IT'S SHOWTIME AT THE APOLLO and is the star of THE STEVE HARVEY SHOW TV series; Hughley was the original host of BET's COMIC VIEW (back when it was funny) and like Harvey, is also star of a self-titled TV series (THE HUGHLEYS); Cedric The Entertainer was the host of the second year of COMIC VIEW (back when it was still funny, though well on the way to becoming the unfunny joke that it is today) and co-stars on THE STEVE HARVEY SHOW; and Bernie Mac, along with his ongoing role on MOESHA, has appeared in movies like LIFE and ABOVE THE RIM. But in this comedy concert, it was their skills as veteran stand-up comedians, that came into play. With varying degrees of success.
Those "varying degrees" were strange, considering that each of the four had very similar routines - granted, spiced with their own personal flava. If you kept track, you'd note that each of them touched on Old School ways, on male/female relationships, and on the ObWhiteAudienceMembers and how "we're different...but really, we're the same", amongst other similar topics. Of course, such is the Stuff of comedy, especially the comedy of My People. The way some of the comedians were better at that Stuff than others, though, put me in mind of IROC car races: since the vehicles are similarly equipped, the winner is determined solely on his or her driving skills. And in this case, Steve Harvey - playing concert host while doing his own schtick - won the Kings' Race Of Champions.
Harvey, a self-proclaimed "country boy" [though all of the Kings were Country, dag!] had both the Charlotte and the theater audience right in the palm of his hand. He worked the crowd like a master (to say that he reminded me of Johnny Carson in this, is a compliment), and almost everything out of Harvey's mouth, was flat-out funny. D.L Hughley, who followed Harvey, wasn't as "on" as I've seen him in the past. I've never heard this particular routine of his before, but it sounded too familiar; too...tired. I found myself wishing he'd do his brilliant "Come Back With Me" nostalgia "tour" (which reminds me: I need to find that tape...).
Up next was the always-stylish Cedric The Entertainer, and while he couldn't quite top Harvey, he also pumped up both audiences. I know *I'd* pay for a recording of "Peanut Butter...No Jam". Closing the bill - in my opinion, a mistake - was Bernie Mac. The thought that kept coming to me while watching Mac was, "what the hell is he so mad about?". The second thought was, "...and why should I care?". Not a good thing when you're supposed to be laughing at the jokes. True, I snickered now and then, but Mac never took off for me. And neither did the relatively flat ending.
Unless I miss my guess, Spike Lee should take blame for that virtual thud. That, the ineffectiveness of too many of the background bits [why not spend some time telling us about the tour itself? Or why such talented men aren't making hand-over-fist like buttcheek-spreaders like Jim Carrey? Why'd you short-change the off-stage bits, Spike?], and especially the terrible editing job done on this film. And can you get less impersonal than to keep showing the auto-tracking camera moving back and forth across the stage? The cold feeling of the shots almost negated the energy that Harvey & Company generated. Still, Lee deserves props if only for bringing this concert to a wide audience. After all, when's the last time you saw a comedy concert released theatrically?
Taken on its own merits, THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY was a successful comedy concert; more successful in some parts (any time Steve Harvey was on-stage) than in others (Bernie Mac's show-closing routine, Spike Lee's filming, the poor editing, and the "off" feeling some of the non-concert bits), but overall, a good show to watch. But it does beg two related questions: one, why a theatrical release? (possible answer: not everybody gets HBO?); and two, why MTV Films?
The "Black Factor" [ObDisclaimer: We Are Not A Monolith]: Thank you, Brother Spike, for providing me with the grindstone for today's Black Factor Axe.
"How's that?", you say? Well, I'll tell ya: it has been said that Lee chose MTV Films over BET as a vehicle for producing "Kings" primarily because, in a word, BET is notoriously cheap toward its performers (something to the effect of Lee wanting to be paid in something other than "sodas and subs"). Say what you want about the guy, but in this case, I say, more power to ya, Spike.
Ahhh, BET: home of the wannabe-a-goldtooth-gangsta video manual, the return of the minstrel show (aka, the latter years of COMIC VIEW), and the never-ending infomercial. BET: the Graveyard for any and every old Black TV show - as long as it was a comedy (and usually, a lame one). BET: The Hoochie Network. Yes, Brother Spike was right on the money, in more ways than one. And if Lee's word ain't good enough for you, check out the comic strip THE BOONDOCKS by Aaron McGruder (available online at http://www.boondocks.net/). McGruder's strip frequently provides pointed - and funny - commentary on the sad state of BET. Bammer sez check it out.
Now, don't get me wrong; BET owner Robert Johnson knows how the game is played in the capitalistic society known as Corporate America. We can bitchnmoan until the cows come home, but at the end of the day, Johnson uses BET to line his pockets with dough. And maybe that's as it should be; after all, Johnson is really no different than the owners of any other television network, who are also out to line their pockets with dough, and produce pablum just as unpalatable as anything on BET. But one thing is certain: given Johnson's bottom line, the history of BET to this point, and how We sometimes view anything Black-related, We delude Ourselves when We think that BET is *anything* deeper than what the name implies: a television network that (purports that it) provides entertainment either primarily for, or about, Blacks.
Still..."Black Entertainment Television", my melanin-enhanced behind. With a notable few exceptions (Tavis Smiley, TEEN SUMMIT, BOBBY JONES GOSPEL, and maybe one or two more), it's been a LONNNNNNNG time since I was Entertained by anything on BET. As always, Your Mileage May Vary.
Bammer's Bottom Line:
"Kings"? Hmmm...more like Clown Princes (and Bernie Mac, more a Squire). Still, the foursome did well, with Steve Harvey conducting the How To Work An Audience clinic of a lifetime. I have no idea whathell was up with Spike Lee's poor filming and editing, though. This joint looked downright ugly.
THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY (rating: greenlight):
But though his illness may have left Richard Pryor long past his stage performing time, King Richard is *not* yet dead. Long live the King...
Rose "Bams" Cooper /~\
Webchick and Editor, /','\ 3BlackChicks Review /','`'\
Movie Reviews With Flava! /',',','/`, Copyright Rose Cooper, 2000 `~-._'c /
EMAIL: [email protected] `\ ( http://www.3blackchicks.com/ /====\
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