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:

stand up | backstage | emcee | stand up comedian | comedian | 

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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

Cedric the Entertainer: Never in history did you hear about 17 or 18 of us gettin' killed nowhere altoghether. 'Cuz we run. We run when somebody else runs. We don't ask no questions why we runnin', we just get our ass up and start damn running.

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: 2013 Tournament of Champions Quarterfinal Game 1 (2013)

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Soundtracks

Looking for the Perfect Beat
Written by Afrika Bambaataa (as Bambaalaa Aasim), Robert Allen, Arthur Baker, John Miller, John Robie, and Ellis Williams.
Performed by Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Forces.
Courtesy of Tommy Boy Music.

User Reviews

Not "Kings", that's for sure.

I am a big fan of Def Comedy Jam and BET Comicview, both of which were/are almost always laugh-out-loud funny, and I was expecting "The Original Kings of Comedy" to be just as hilarious. Well, that wasn't the case. If you rent this movie, do yourself a favor and just fast-forward to the last act, Bernie Mac. He was definitely the best comedian of the bunch that night, since his act was based on actual comedy and getting LAUGHS, and not on playing old school songs (like Steve Harvey) and getting APPLAUSE. If I wanted to hear music, I would have turned on a radio. Anyway, Mac's comedy was a little cruel (repeatedly referring to his six year old nephew as "the f*ggot"), and your laughter may be accompanied by squirming during some parts. Overall, it's a pretty average film, and I'd give it 5 out of 10.