A Low Down Dirty Shame

After all these years, I can finally scratch this one off the list. I'm a big fan of Keenen's work. Who doesn't love In Living Color and I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, c'mon now! But somehow Shame went under my radar.

Straight up, it wasn't as good as I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, which is pure comedy gold. But it was definitely a perfect movie to watch after coming home from work and just wanting something that doesn't involve a lot of thinking but still fun to watch.

Everything about this movie is pretty mediocre: the action lacks explosions, the gun play is a little tame, and the bad guy isn't very "bad." What saves this movie is Keenen's charisma. The dude is really funny and can carry flimsy plot all the way to the end. It felt as if he were missing an equally strong partner, such as Lethal Weapon's set up, but Jada sorta fills that role with her strong personality. I just wish they would have given her more screen time.

All in all, cool movie to chill out with.

There are some films that you can't decide whether the film is good or bad. On whether the film is worth the watch or you're better off doing some other more meaningful things. This film is one of it.

As I said, you might like it, you might not.

The acting a little bit over the top, but I think that's what the producer intended to do. The jokes may at times be quite crude, but maybe it's exactly the way it was suppose to be.

Worth a mention here is Jada Pinkett acting. She's quite good ! And I like her hairstyle too. Not that it has any bearing of the quality of acting though, just wanted to let you guys know.

Over all, the film is nice to watch, if you don't take it seriously.

I enjoyed this film, and it holds up fairly well with repeated viewings.

But more importantly, this film has historical importance.

First of all, this film is drawing very heavily on Hong Kong action thrillers at a time when these were just getting attention in the US.

Secondly, compare this film very carefully with the Samuel Jackson "remake" of "Shaft", released - with enormous hype - in 2000.

I don't know why Wayans didn't sue for plagiarism. Samuel Jackson's Shaft is Shame without humor.

Unfortunately, the humor is absolutely essential to this story. For one thing, it creates a "black" identity that is capable of rising above any Hollywood appropriation of it. Shame's secretary - and real romantic interest - is a strong black woman - a character type that Hollywood has finally admitted actually exists only very recently, since about 2001.

So Samuel Jackson's Shaft gets a x-million dollars promo, and still can't come up with an interesting story (although it was nice to see Richard roundtree on the screen again).

Meanwhile, let's talk about entertainment - alright, there are some bits that don't work; but enough do to keep the film moving. I had good time; what the heck.

I found this movie to be quite over the top. Sure, the mass destruction is reminiscent of the Blues Brothers. Sure, the action and hype is quite over-rated. That's what makes Keenan Ivory Wayans the talent that he is. I find that I like to watch this movie when I am down in the dumps and in need of a distraction.

Jada Pinkett (later Smith) shines in this role. I have a sneaking suspicion that she's quite a lot like this character in real life. She made this movie, and I think it launched her for future good acting roles. Girlfriend doesn't ride Will's coatails, she's established on her own in my book.

The characters in the movie needed to be taken at face value, that was all they were worth. If you took an instant dislike to any of them, you were supposed to. The plot is a no brainer, and the jokes were quite funny even if you view this movie excessively. You WILL catch yourself wandering around saying lines from the movie....a true mark of a decent film.

I recommend it for a burst of energy on an otherwise boring weeknight. Happy viewing.

Considering that Keenan Ivory Wayans is a comedian, I was impressed with the way that he handled this action-comedy which he starred in and directed. A not so far cry away from his comedic success with his "blaxploitation" spoof "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka", Keenan manages to fare well with good action sequences and stick a lot of funny s*** along the way. Jada Pinkett lives up to comedic expectations as the sexy but tough assistant to Shame as Peaches. It's a good action-comedy to rent, but put the kids to bed before you watch it. The movie has plenty of violence, adult content and plenty of raw language.