Undercover Brother
(2002)
|
Malcolm D. Lee's UNDERCOVER BROTHER is a rollicking spoof that earns the distinction of being the first studio film to find its inspiration in a character created specifically for the Internet. Based on writer John Ridley's satirical series which premiered on the Urban Entertainment web site, UNDERCOVER BROTHER follows a hipper-than-hip, Afro-sporting superhero-of-sorts (the multi-talented Eddie Griffin) who stands up for oppressed people everywhere, and looks damn good doing it. But when The Man and his demonic henchman Mr. Feather (Chris Kattan) drug a wildly popular black presidential candidate (Billy Dee Williams), Undercover Brother must team up with the positive underground group the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. in order to restore peace and unity within the community. Employing his seemingly endless arsenal of clever disguises--including the ultra-nerdy Anton Jackson--Undercover Brother embarks on his dangerous mission. Lee's live action comedy successfully preserves the energy of the original animated shorts, resulting in an hysterical romp that is stuffed with enough pop culture references for two sequels. Griffin uses the character as a platform for his boundless talents, and supporting players Kattan, Dave Chappelle, Aunjenue Ellis, Denise Richards, and Neil Patrick Harris do their part to keep the jokes erupting like a giddy volcano. |
The first major feature film to be adapted from an internet cartoon, this satire-cum-spoof stars comedian Eddie Griffin as a leather-clad, Afro-sporting secret agent who's recruited by an organisation called The Brotherhood. His arch-enemy is The Man, a white racist megalomaniac who brainwashes a black general into giving up his presidential ambitions in favour of opening a chain of chicken restaurants. Undercover Brother attempts to poke fun at white perceptions of black culture while celebrating the glories of blaxploitation movies and 1970s fashions and music, and there are some neat touches in this vein — the Brotherhood's dopey white intern is a product of affirmative action. Overall, though, many of the jokes are just too stale to work and it suffers in comparison to the similarly themed Austin Powers movies.