The Original Kings of Comedy (2000)

A concert film featuring four major African American stand up comedians.

Director:

Spike Lee

Writers:

Cedric the Entertainer, Steve Harvey

Stars:

Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer

3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Steve Harvey	...	Himself
D.L. Hughley	...	Himself
Cedric the Entertainer	...	Himself
Bernie Mac	...	Himself

Storyline

February 26 and 27, 2000, the Original Kings of Comedy play Charlotte, NC. The themes are Blacks and Whites, men and women, old-school and hip-hop. Steve Harvey emcees, celebrates '70s music and lyrics of love, and pokes at folks in the front row. D.L. Hughley mines racial differences and talks about his marriage. Cedric the Entertainer riffs on a Black president and on being grown up. Bernie Mac, who says he expresses what's in the back of our minds, closes with reflections on being 42 (new aspects to his sex life and his attitude toward children). Spike Lee's camera takes us backstage and off-stage with the Kings and into the crowd where everyone's laughing.

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Plot Keywords:

backstage | emcee | stand up comedian | comedian | concert film | 

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Taglines:

Heavyweights of comedy

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Genres:

Comedy | Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and sex related humor

Details

Official Sites:

Paramount Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 August 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kings of Comedy

Filming Locations:

Charlotte Coliseum - 100 Paul Buck Boulevard, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,053,832, 20 August 2000, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$38,182,790

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$38,251,106

Company Credits

Production Co:

40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks,Latham Entertainment,MTV Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Spike Lee shot the film on digital video over two nights.

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Quotes

Bernie Mac: I had a white guy tell me... he said, "Bern, why do black folks use the word 'mother-fucker?'" Let me break it down, what the word "mother-fucker" actually means. "Mother-fucker" is a word that black folks have been using for years. It's about expression. Don't be ashamed of the word "mother-fucker." Because "mother-fucker" is a noun: It describes a person, place or thing.

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Connections

References Thelma & Louise (1991)

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Soundtracks

Peanut Butter, No Jam
Written by Cedric the Entertainer and Chris Flores.
Performed by Cedric the Entertainer and Chris Flores.
Courtesy of Moodswing Records and Deep Red Entertainment.

User Reviews

great fun!

This was a great stand-up movie, and it's wonderful that stand-up is coming back in this form. I have been exposed to stand-up ever since I was a little kid, and I have seen the evolution of stand go from 90 min concert movies like this one, down to 1 hour specials, and even down to 30 min specials as well. And The Kings bring back a variety show for us in the movie format, and the result is a masterpiece.

For those of you who only saw racism in the jokes, then you really weren't paying attention to what was being said, and knowing the attention span of the average American, that's not hard to believe. Did anyone notice that the WHITE people in the audience were laughing just as hard as the black? I think that it's because most of us white folks can take a joke, and understand that the comic is really playing around, without doing a "my god, that's a racist remark" defense that many people here seem to be doing. What these men were doing with comparing black and white is NO DIFFERENT than when Jeff Foxworthy compares and contrasts rednecks and sophisticated people.

Now, the fact that the comics were using stereotypes...hmmm. How do I say this? Folks, I have collected comedians for years, and my collection spans from CD's, DVD and VHS tapes. I have comedians that few people have heard of. My collection spans over both genders, different nationalities and ethnic groups, and I must say that every comedian needs to joke about something that the audience can and will understand, and stereotypes are the key thing to do just that, because everyone understands stereotypes. And besides, some comedians will even take a common stereotype and make it their act...Tim Allen used the stereotype of the man's man; Roseanne Barr used the disgruntled housewife, and Jeff Foxworthy used the redneck angle. Now, a comedian can go without stereotypes, but he/she runs the risk of losing the audience. And besides, it's not the stereotype that makes the joke, it's the exaggeration behind the joke.

And as far as the comedians in the movie here, they really strive for a good show. Steve Harvey did great jokes, and even did things, that while not really funny, were great entertainment, like when he was playing samples of different songs for the audience. Hughley was funny as well, especially when he was interacting with the audience. The other two comics I have never sen before, but I have no complaints, as they round out the show nicely. Each comic owned the stage when they were on it, and they would be hard to top. And folks, I like Chris Rock, but he wasn't as funny as these guys are, simply because he tries waaay too hard, and these guys are just here having fun.

A great performance by some great comics, and I would recommend this to anyone. A+++++