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Malibu's Most Wanted on DVD (2003)

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Average rating: 57%
4629112071226
3.0
from 164 members
 
Starring: Taye Diggs, Jamie Kennedy, Anthony Anderson, Regina Hall, Blair Underwood
Director: John Whitesell
Studio: WARNER HOME VIDEO
Run time: 82 mins
Certificate: 15
Genres: Comedy
Languages: English
Hearing-impaired: English
Subtitles: English
Released: 16/01/2004

Brief synopsis of Malibu's Most Wanted

Jamie Kennedy co-wrote and stars in this surprisingly tender comedy about keeping it real, in more ways than one. Kennedy is Brad "B-Rad" Gluckman, an aspiring gangsta rapper who just so happens to be the son of wealthy California governor hopeful Bill Gluckman (Ryan O'Neal). Fearful that Brad's behaviour is ruining Bill's campaign, campaign manager Tom (Blair Underwood) hires two actors to portray real-life gangsters and take B-Rad through an eye-opening tour of the actual 'hood, scaring the "black out of him." Sean (Taye Diggs) and P.J. (Anthony Anderson) are forced to recruit P.J.'s cousin, Shondra (Regina Hall), to help out with the scam, considering they're as ignorant of the ghetto as B-Rad himself. Soon, the game is underway. But when Shondra's ex-boyfriend (Damien Dante Wayans) becomes jealous of her seeming affection for B-Rad, he brings actual bullets into the mix. As the danger level rises, B-Rad begins to understand just how misunderstood he is. Yet he never buckles under the pressure, proving that if one stays true to oneself, anything is possible. Director John Whitesell finally makes the leap from television to the big-screen with this charming comedy, which is packed with laughs and a bumping hip-hop soundtrack.

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Critics Reviews

Rating of 2 stars out of 5 Radio Times

In this thin comedy Jamie Kennedy takes a character from his TV sketch show The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, and stretches it into a full feature. Kennedy plays B-Rad, the white privileged teenager who has taken on all the trappings of a black rap artist. His father, a campaigning US senator, arranges for his son to be kidnapped and shown what life in the 'hood is really like. B-Rad's gangsta posturing is amusing in his Malibu environment, but once transposed to the streets of LA the film becomes a pastiche of black urban life. There's way too much artifice, and the stereotypical characters and set-ups are central to the problem. It gets tedious watching the same old ethnic clichés, while the repetitive gags are as transparent as the plotline.

Members Reviews

Reviews Voted Most Helpful

Rated - 1 starsbecause there was not a -ve star option

Goosfraba from London, England , 22/03/2004

Perhaps I have been lucky up until now. This is quite simply the worst film that I have ever seen - ever. Even a Van Dam film has more redeeming characteristics than this one. Do not blame the actors - they have proven in previous films that they can hold a decent performance together. The fault lies with the fact that there was no clear direction for the film - other than there had to be a good ending. It seems as though they were making the script up as they were going along and what could have been a good gangster rapper send off ended up a real mess.

I cannot give you a pracae of this disaster because I am far too traumatised, but by far the best performance in the film went to the rapping rat.

  3 out of 5 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 4 starswhy do i like this film

Qaes Mujawar from london , 12/07/2004

white boy who thinks he's black. i dont know why i liked this film but i did. there are some hilarious scenes with jamie kennedy thinking he's 'getto'. the story lines a bit thin and slightly unoriginal but if your into the hip hop culture youll enjoy this.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
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Rated - 3 starsWord Up to the Bu!

Samuel Tyler from Reading, England , 07/12/2004

You may, or may not, know who Jamie Kennedy is. He had a small part in the first two Scream films and a small part in Three Kings. Since these early dalliances with fame Kennedy returned to the small screen and became very popular in America with his comedy show The Jamie Kennedy Experiment. In the show he would dress up ala Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway and make fun of people - one of his characters was a rich white boy who thought he was black.

This film stretches this idea to breaking point over 90 mins and just about gets away with it. The comedy is good and the characters are likeable especially the two middle class black actors pretending to be 'ghetto'.

The film does not outstay its welcome and the way it handles the jokes knowing they are not great makes this one of those films that although should be bad actually remains good to watch.

3 out of 5

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
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Most Recent Reviews

Rated - 3 starsWord Up to the Bu!

Samuel Tyler from Reading, England , 07/12/2004

You may, or may not, know who Jamie Kennedy is. He had a small part in the first two Scream films and a small part in Three Kings. Since these early dalliances with fame Kennedy returned to the small screen and became very popular in America with his comedy show The Jamie Kennedy Experiment. In the show he would dress up ala Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway and make fun of people - one of his characters was a rich white boy who thought he was black.

This film stretches this idea to breaking point over 90 mins and just about gets away with it. The comedy is good and the characters are likeable especially the two middle class black actors pretending to be 'ghetto'.

The film does not outstay its welcome and the way it handles the jokes knowing they are not great makes this one of those films that although should be bad actually remains good to watch.

3 out of 5

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
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