UNCLE DREW (20180 – My rating: 8.5/10

Uncle Drew is a sports comedy directed by Charles Stone III and written by Jay Longino. Being that I’m not a lover of comedies, I didn’t know what to expect of Uncle Drew. All I can say is, I’m glad went to see it. To my surprise, a 5:05pm showing on a Tuesday, only had the 2 front rows available. I’ve changed my opinion of animated films and I think I will have to change my opinion of comedies. Keep reading to find out what all the fuss is about.

Uncle Drew is a basketball legend, especially in his neighborhood. Years ago, he was supposed to play at the Rucker Classic with his team, but due to an (unknown to everyone else) conflict, he and his team broke up and disappeared the night before the competition. He seemed to have disappeared, as no one had heard from him since that night of the Rucker Classic.

—  SLIGHT SPOILERS BELOW  —

Currently, Dax (Ashton Tyler) is an underappreciated coach of a team called Harlem’s Money. Broke and disillusioned with the condition of his current team, Dax also has a longstanding rivalry with Mookie (Nick Kroll). Mookie is a great basketball player and on a winning team. He also has a lot of mouth, as he steals Dax’s star player, Casper Jones (Aaron Gordon) and Dax’s girlfriend, Jess (Tiffany Haddish), who kicks him out of her apartment, leaving Dax homeless as well as broke.

An older neighborhood acquaintance, Angelo (J.B. Smoove) who hangs out in the barbershop, suggest that Dax try to find and meet Uncle Drew (Kyrie Irving), after he is turned down by all the players he approached. Sad and bewildered, Dax oddly gets to see Uncle Drew play in the park. Drew turns out to be an exceptional basketball player, despite his age, so Dax approaches him and convinces Uncle Drew to join his team. However, there’s a condition. Uncle Drew wants his own team which consist of Preacher (Chris Webber), who has a wife, Betty Lou (Lisa Leslie) and a ministry, Boots (Nate Robinson) who’s in a wheel chair and in a nursing home under his granddaughter’s care Maya (Erica Ash), Big Fella (Shaquille O’Neal) who is enormous and teaches a karate class and Lights (Reggie Miller) who is partially blind.

To see where this all leads is hilarious.  Dax and Uncle Drew begin an adventure that will have you laughing the whole time.  Uncle Drew is utterly ridiculous but fun despite it’s craziness.  This movie is a delightful fantasy that will take you away from all the stressful politics, and negativity of the day.  I highly recommend it.  Everyone clapped when the movie ended — that’s always a good sign.  Check it out!

 

GIRLS TRIP (2017) – My rating: 8/10

Girls Trip is a Black, raunchy girl bonding “Hangover” knockoff (sort of) farce, only this time they got it right.  With an all-star cast and a rock solid story involving each character’s personal ups and downs, Girls Trip is a hit.  An American comedy directed by Malcolm D. Lee and written by Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver, who based the script on their own experiences involving four female college friends who meet up for the first time in five years to go to New Orleans to attend the Essence Music Festival in order to reconnect and rekindle their sisterhood and wild sides.  There are several nights of partying, hook-ups and bad decisions, as well as raw and vulnerable moments that strengthen their bond.

Below are character definitions rather than a synopsis of the film because it would be too hard not to spoil the very funny scenes and setups. For the most part, I enjoyed the movie and think you should check it out as well.  Not for anyone under 18.

Dina (Tiffany Haddish) is foul-mouthed, funny wild and an abrasive woman with an unmanageable temper that gets her into lots of trouble.  In real life she’s a standup comic known for her raunchy comedy routines (like the one in Girls Trip about farting during doggie style sex).

Ryan Pierce (Regina Hall) is a successful career-obsessed, self-help author who is married to a not so loyal, successful man, who she can’t seem to break away from.  Ryan, otherwise seems level headed and in control of her life and business.  She has no children but would love to have some.

Sasha Franklin (Queen Latifah) is a gossip magazine blogger who gave up her real dream of being an accomplished editor/reporter as a trade-off for fast money, which she needed, since she didn’t have the financial means to do otherwise.

Lisa Cooper (Jada Pinkett Smith) became a housewife and overly prudish, single mother devoted to her two boys with no life for herself.  Edged on by her sisterhood, Lisa displayed her wild side during Girls Trip, stealing some of the funniest scenes of the movie.

Elizabeth Davelli (Kate Walsh) is the only white member of the crew and is Ryan’s oversexed manager / agent who made many bad decisions that lead to lots of laughs.

Stewart Pierce (Mike Colter) as the philandering husband in business with his wife, Ryan.

Malik (Kofi Siriboe) is a dark, handsome love interest for Lisa who had some of the funniest scenes in the film.

Julian Stevens (Larenz Tate) is a band member and former class mate of Ryan’s from college as well as a potential future love interest for Ryan.

Expect to see appearances by Mariah Carey, Ne-Yo, Faith Evans, Morris Chestnut, Gabrielle Dennis, MC Lyte, New Edition, Common, Estelle and Beyoncé as themselves.