First Sunday (2008)

Director:

David E. Talbert

Writer (WGA):

David E. Talbert (written by)

Release Date:

11 January 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Keep the faith. Steal the rest.

Plot:

Durell and LeeJohn are best friends and bumbling petty criminals. When told they have one week to pay a $17,000 debt or Durell will lose his son, they come up with a desperate scheme to rob their neighborhood church. Instead, they end up spending the night in the presence of the Lord and are forced to deal with much more than they bargained for.

Plot Keywords:

Church | Money | Father Daughter Relationship | Hairdresser | Gospel Choir

Cast

Ice Cube	...	Durell
Katt Williams	...	Rickey
Tracy Morgan	...	LeeJohn
Loretta Devine	...	Sister Doris
Michael Beach	...	Deacon
Keith David	...	Judge B. Bennet Galloway
Regina Hall	...	Omunique
Malinda Williams	...	Tianna
Chi McBride	...	Pastor Arthur Mitchell
Clifton Powell	...	Officer Eddie King
Nicholas Turturro	...	Officer D'Agostino
Olivia Cole	...	Momma T
Red Grant	...	Harold
C.J. Sanders	...	Durell Jr.
Rickey Smiley	...	Bernice Jenkins
Arjay Smith	...	Preston
Kim Staunton	...	Public Defender
Sterling Ardrey	...	Timmy (as Sterling D. Ardrey)
Gerry Black	...	Mr. Wally
Joy Brunson	...	Choir Member 2
P.J. Byrne	...	Assistant D.A.
Paul Campbell	...	Blahka
Melanie Comarcho	...	Waitress
Bashirrah Creswell	...	Choir Member 3
Antwone Dickey	...	Pirate
Starletta DuPois	...	Grandmother
Roy Jackson	...	Boyfriend
Patricia Mikel	...	Sister Baker
Byron Blu Mitchell	...	Choir Member 1
Aya Nagasaki	...	Massage Attendant
Reynaldo Rey	...	Soul Joe
Martell Robinson	...	Mordecai
Tiffany Pollard	...	Omunique's Client
Retta	...	Roberta
Kurt Carr	...	Choir Band
Nathaniel Kearney Jr.	...	Choir Band
Timothy P. Mason	...	Choir Band
Sheryl Harper	...	Choir Band
Vernon Keith Allen	...	Choir
Jackie Brown	...	Choir
Troy Clark	...	Choir
David Daughtry	...	Choir
Kesha Ealy	...	Choir
Janet Fuller	...	Choir
Chara Hammonds	...	Choir
Melody Hess	...	Choir
Frank Ingram	...	Choir
Patricia Johnson	...	Choir
Carolyn Johnson-White	...	Choir
Helen Jones	...	Choir
Shanika Leeks	...	Choir
Rodney Matthews	...	Choir
Margarette Miller	...	Choir
James Neuble	...	Choir
Aseneth Parker	...	Choir
Nicoe Potts	...	Choir
Kecia Sanders	...	Choir
Koda Turner	...	Choir
Andre Washington	...	Choir
Rodney Washington	...	Choir
Otha White	...	Choir
Rachel Whitlow	...	Choir
Linda Willis	...	Choir
Brandon Winbush	...	Choir
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Don Abernathy	...	Church Member (uncredited)
Kristin J. Hooper	...	Hot Girl (uncredited)
Diondre Jones	...	Restaurant customer (uncredited)
Sydelle Noel	...	Hot Girl #2 (uncredited)
Steve Turner	...	Homeless Drunk (uncredited)

Directed by
David E. Talbert

Writing credits (WGA)
David E. Talbert		(written by)

Produced by
Matt Alvarez	....	producer
Stacy Cramer	....	executive producer (as Stacy Kolker Cramer)
Ice Cube	....	producer
Trae Ireland	....	co-producer
Neil A. Machlis	....	executive producer (as Neil Machlis)
Jessica McCullagh	....	associate producer
David McIlvain	....	producer
Ronald G. Muhammad	....	executive producer (as Ronald Muhammad)
Tim Story	....	producer
David E. Talbert	....	producer
Julie Yorn	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Stanley Clarke

Cinematography by
Alan Caso		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Jeffrey Wolf

Casting by
Kim Coleman		(as Kim Taylor-Coleman)
Kim Hardin

Production Design by
Dina Lipton

Art Direction by
Robert Strohmaier

Set Decoration by
Halina Siwolop

Costume Design by
Gersha Phillips

Makeup Department
Tena Austin	....	makeup artist: second unit
John JayBee Bivins	....	barber (as John H. Bivins III)
Martha Callender	....	makeup artist
Debra Denson	....	makeup artist: Ice Cube
Jason Green	....	hair stylist
Andrea Jackson	....	hair stylist: second unit
Jasmine Kimble	....	hair department head
Bret Mayo	....	hair stylist
Cole Paterson	....	makeup artist
Cole Patterson	....	makeup artist
Beverly Jo Pryor	....	makeup department head
Judy Twine	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Craig Cannold	....	production supervisor
Neil A. Machlis	....	unit production manager (as Neil Machlis)
Nick Phillips	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alan B. Curtiss	....	first assistant director
Lynne Martin	....	second second assistant director
Basti Van Der Woude	....	second assistant director
Eddie L. Watkins	....	second unit director
Phil DeSanti	....	dga trainee (uncredited)

Art Department
William Eliscu	....	graphic designer
Susan Frontiera	....	construction estimator
Stephen Gibson	....	assistant property master
L. David Gordon	....	drapery foreman
Eric A. Hulett	....	set dec buyer
Vinson Jae	....	stand-by painter
Jeffrey Paul Johnson	....	property master (as Jeff Johnson)
Scott Kitchen	....	propmaker
Robert Kropfl	....	location foreman
Tim Lehman	....	location painter
Michael C. Magno	....	set dresser
Desma Murphy	....	assistant art director
Trevor A. Rudolph	....	set dresser (as Trevor Rudolph)
Tomas Sallvin	....	construction coordinator
John Sweeney	....	assistant property master
Viva Wang	....	set designer
Randy Molique	....	on-set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
Mark Agostino	....	pro tools operator
Walter Anderson	....	production sound mixer
Bill W. Benton	....	supervising sound mixer
Gary C. Bourgeois	....	sound re-recording mixer
Anita Cannella	....	foley artist
John Chalfant	....	sound designer
Anthony J. Ciccolini III	....	supervising sound editor
Gloria D'Alessandro	....	adr editor
Amy Kane	....	foley artist
Lisa J. Levine	....	adr supervisor
Mike Marino	....	foley mixer
Anthony M. McCovey	....	second boom operator
Daniel Pagan	....	foley editor
Lynn Sable	....	assistant sound editor
Douglas Shamburger	....	boom operator
Karen Spangenberg	....	dialogue editor
Susan Ham	....	apprentice sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Michael Clarke	....	special effects technician
Guy C. Feldman	....	special effects technician (as Guy Feldman)
Jeff Ogg	....	special effects technician
Dennis Petersen	....	special effects coordinator
Garth Steinheimer	....	special effects technician
Parry Willard	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Sean Amlaner	....	digital compositor: Zoic Studios
Raoul Bolognini	....	visual effects producer
Kristen Branan	....	head of production: Zoic Studios
Sean Coonce	....	digital compositor: Zoic Studios
Andreas Jablonka	....	digital compositor: Zoic Studios
Rocco Passionino	....	visual effects supervisor
Bethany Pederson Onstad	....	digital artist (as Bethany Pederson)
Dawrath Phoue	....	rotoscope artist: Zoic Studios
R. Matt Smith	....	digital compositor
Sean Tompkins	....	visual effects coordinator

Stunts
LaFaye Baker	....	stunt co-coordinator
Jwaundace Candece	....	stunt driver
Eugene Collier	....	stunts
Calvin Harrison	....	stunt driver
Toby Holguin	....	stunt double: Nicholas Turturro
Rashon Khan	....	stunts
Horace Knight	....	stunts
Ed McDermott II	....	precision driver
Len Richard	....	stunt double
Von L. Roddy	....	stunts (as Von Roddy)
Marcus Salgado	....	stunt performer
Lee Simpson	....	stunts
Eddie L. Watkins	....	stunt coordinator (as Eddie Watkins)

Camera and Electrical Department
Steve Adcock	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Cedric Bonier	....	electrician (2007)
George M. Chappell	....	rigging electric
Matthew Coleman	....	set lighting technician
James F. Cornick	....	rigging electric best boy
Fernando Espiritusanto	....	balloon light technician
John C. Flinn IV	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera (as John Flinn IV)
Lamarr Gray	....	rigging gaffer
Geoffrey Haley	....	Steadicam operator
Geoffrey Haley	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Gerald Harris	....	rigging best boy
Tracy Keele	....	grip
Kevin Kennedy	....	key grip
Frank Klepadlo	....	key rigging grip
Richard Kuhn	....	dolly grip
Ryan Louden	....	best boy grip
Richard Maxey	....	dolly grip (as Rick Maxey)
Thomas McGough	....	electrician
Johnny Medeiros	....	key video assist engineer
Brian Giuseppe Morena	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera (as Brian Morena)
Yen P. Nguyen	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera (as Yen Nguyen)
Peter Norkus	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Nick Pomerleau	....	lighting technician
Mark Reeves	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Tony Rivetti Jr.	....	still photographer
Vince Rodriguez	....	rigging key grip
Roger Sassen	....	chief lighting technician
Jeff Snyder	....	video assist operator
Kees Van Oostrum	....	director of photography: second unit
Joseph Wickner	....	camera loader (as Joe Wickner)

Casting Department
Kyle Burch	....	extras casting assistant
Dawn Marie Deibert	....	extras casting
Kim Hardin	....	additional casting
Eve Streger	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Annalisa Adams	....	costumer
Mina Amirzai	....	background costumer
Jean Bone	....	costumer
Nancy Ceo	....	costume supervisor (as Nancea Ceo)
Sean Haley	....	costumer
Jacqueline Kahn	....	costumer
Michelle Margolis	....	costumer
Elaine McGhee	....	costumer
Aaron Millsap	....	costumer
Delerna Moore	....	key costumer
Dalhia Schuette	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Jason Ellena	....	post-production assistant
Scott Gregory	....	digital film colorist
Kristine McPherson	....	first assistant editor
Harry Muller	....	color timer
Julia Nessling-Douglas	....	digital intermediate producer
Lorena Talpan	....	post-production assistant
Darin Wooldridge	....	additional digital colorist: Technicolor
Kay Sievert	....	colorist: dailies (uncredited)

Music Department
Spring Aspers	....	music supervisor
Todd Bozung	....	music editor
Kurt Carr	....	choir consultant
Ryan Gaines	....	music coordinator
Robert Johnson	....	music consultant
David Kitay	....	composer: additional music
Pilar McCurry	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
William R. Peck	....	driver
John 'J.P.' Pratt	....	transportation captain

Other crew
David Black	....	production assistant
Luis Bonachea	....	production assistant
Jules Carideo	....	production coordinator (as Julie Carideo)
Patrick Chisholm	....	assistant location manager
Aaron Criswell	....	assistant: Ms. Yorn
Ron J. DeGuzman	....	production assistant
Rob Frohling	....	assistant: Mr. Alvarez
Justin George	....	assistant to director
Justin George	....	production secretary
Robbie Goldstein	....	location manager
Patrick Hernandez	....	production assistant
De' Leon Howard III	....	stand-in: male utility
Iwona Kanclerz	....	script supervisor
Jamie Kemp	....	chef
Shelley Kirkwood	....	unit publicist
Nancy Leiviska	....	assistant: Ice Cube
Faleshia Lo	....	second assistant accountant
Gabe Morley	....	computer/video playback operator
Cory C. Myler	....	assistant production coordinator (as Cory Myler)
Michael Neal	....	payroll accountant
Nguyen Orange	....	assistant: Mr. Story
Paul Pawlowski	....	post-production accountant
Ramona Perez	....	assistant accountant
Danielle Porter	....	assistant: Mr. Talbert
Santos P. Rodriguez	....	cook
Will Ruvalcaba	....	key assistant location manager
Katie Schorling	....	assistant: Mr. Machlis
Carolyn Schultz	....	assistant location manager
Michael Serrano	....	additional set production assistant
Davida Smith	....	assistant: Mr. McIlvain
Marilyn Tasso	....	production accountant
Jan-Willem van der Vaart	....	production assistant
Christina Hwang	....	title producer (uncredited)
Arian Simone Reed	....	publicity consultant (uncredited)

Thanks
Zachary E. Carey	....	special thanks (as Pastor Zachary E. Carey)
Vincent Negron	....	special thanks (as Pastor Vincent Negron)
Aundrae Russell	....	special thanks
Maurice Wilkinson	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Screen Gems (presents)
• Cube Vision
• Story Company, The (as Story Company)
• Firm Films

Distributors

• Screen Gems (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• LK-TEL (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)
• RTL Entertainment (2011) (Netherlands) (TV) (RTL7)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2008) (Argentina) (all media)

Special Effects

• Zoic Studios (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Executive Assurance  security
• Liquid Soul Media  marketing and promotion
• All Balloons All The Time  balloon decor
• BT Industrial Supply  expendables
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Direct Tools & Fasteners  expendables
• Movie Movers  cast trailers
• Movie Movers  hair and make-up trailers
• Movie Movers  star trailers
• Rockbottom Rentals  cellular fax rentals
• Scarlet Letters  end titles
• Soundtrack  ADR Facility
• Technicolor Digital Intermediates  digital intermediate
• Technicolor Digital Intermediates  opticals
• V & J Translations  Japanese signage translations

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language, some sexual humor, and brief drug references

Runtime:

USA:96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Australia:PG | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:6 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

First Hope Community Church - E. Preston Street & Greenmount Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Screen Gems

Trivia:

Film prints were delivered to theaters under the codename "Bad to Worse".

Goofs:

Continuity: In the first church scene, when the choir finishes singing the spiritual, there is a wide shot of the church congregation. Most of the congregation located within the middle pews can be clearly seen giving a standing ovation. There is a cutaway to Durell and LeeJohn in which most of the congregation located within the middle pews are sitting or beginning to sit. After the cutaway the scene returns to same wide shot of the congregation. Most of the congregation located within the middle pews are still standing and only now are beginning to sit.

Quotes:

Pastor Arthur Mitchell:Actually, your honor, we have a lot of witnesses here that are willing to testify to a lot of things... like embezzlement.
Tianna:Misappropriation of funds.
Sister Doris:Falsifying documents.
Rickey:Not to mention, wearing an easter suit with a halloween shirt and tie set!

Movie Connections:

References "Dr. Phil" (2002)

Soundtrack:

T Dub

Subpar Comedy

Let me see: It's January, and a film is released with a recognizable star and an obvious audience. Should be a winner? Nah! Not for nothing is this called the "dead season" or the "dumping ground" because almost all the films released at this time are potential losers, films deemed by their owners weak for a variety of reasons, but most certainly heading for panning by the critics.

First Sunday, a heist film set in a church, fulfills all the requirements for this notorious time of year: The plot is thin and almost silly: a couple of slackers decide to rob a local church in order to pay debts or salvage a family, mixing guilt with almost innocence; Ice Cube stars against his type as a robber with at heart and he produces, an act that guarantees this weak film distribution.

Yet, I liked First Sunday well enough to keep it from my slag heap of grade F. I liked the sub-textual seriousness of kids without dads, dads dealing with unemployment and disrespect, and mundane church matters. In addition, Cube (Durell) has a solid persona, not varying much each film, of an intelligent, serious but secretly warmhearted guy, a working stiff who just hasn't had the right breaks.

His sidekick LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan) provides the feckless, goofy, but lovable klutz, whose heart is bigger than Durell's. Beyond reasonable humor is Katt Williams' Rickey, a choirmaster with loopy observations and mannerisms. The women in the congregation serve as enablers for the errant crooks, and in one case, as major eye candy. Most of the characters in the film are shameless stereotypes.

The responsibility for this sub par comedy rests with writer director David E. Talbert, whose more that a dozen successful plays with heavy social themes remind of the success Tyler Perry has had with a similar profile. But Talbert lacks Perry's refinement of style and substance that deftly mixes broad comedy with social concerns. Talbert may never reach the success of Perry, but he should keep trying because social comedy is a powerful part of our popular culture.