Damon Wayans of 'In Living Color' fame wrote and stars in this reasonably amusing 90s action-comedy, casting himself as amiable lead Johnny Stewart. Johnny is a streetwise ne'er-do-well who's content to run scams with his younger brother Seymour (played by Wayans' real-life younger sibling Marlon (the "Scary Movie" series). Then he meets a girl: Amber (Stacey Dash, "Clueless") a drop-dead gorgeous employee at a credit card company. And he attempts to go straight in his relentless (and I do mean relentless) ambition to win her over, getting a job in the company's mailroom. But Johnny gives in to temptation and starts purloining cards and going on spending sprees, earning the attention of the corrupt security chief Keith Heading (John Diehl, "Stripes"). Now under Keiths' thumb, it's clear that Johnny is in over his head.
Wayans' script is really not that good, stumbling when it comes to its crime and thriller aspects (although director Peter Macdonald ("Rambo III") delivers decent action sequences). But its comedy content is often very funny, and very un-p.c. At times. The movie works best as a vehicle for its talented stars. Wayans shows some real charm, Dash is appealing, Harry J. Lennix ('The Blacklist') is a hoot as her stuck-up boyfriend, Marlon W. Has a lot of comic energy, and Diehl is an extremely fun, very overconfident bad guy. Joe Santos ('The Rockford Files') is solid as an investigating detective who's been trying to look out for the irresponsible Johnny for years. A couple of familiar faces have small roles: Mark Beltzman ("Billy Madison"), Larry Brandenburg ("The Shawshank Redemption"), Matt Doherty (the "Mighty Ducks" movies), Richard Hamilton ("Men in Black"), Salli Richardson-Whitfield ("Black Dynamite"), and Irma P. Hall ("A Family Thing"). Keep your eyes peeled for Bernie Mac ("Bad Santa") as a club doorman.
One undeniable, hilarious highlight: Gordon McClure as "The Reverend Pimp Daddy", an utter shambles of a defense attorney. And an actress named Almayvonne is priceless as a gal who ends up with designs on both Johnny and Seymour.
Basically, it's the cast that makes this one worth seeing.
Seven out of 10.
Wayans' script is really not that good, stumbling when it comes to its crime and thriller aspects (although director Peter Macdonald ("Rambo III") delivers decent action sequences). But its comedy content is often very funny, and very un-p.c. At times. The movie works best as a vehicle for its talented stars. Wayans shows some real charm, Dash is appealing, Harry J. Lennix ('The Blacklist') is a hoot as her stuck-up boyfriend, Marlon W. Has a lot of comic energy, and Diehl is an extremely fun, very overconfident bad guy. Joe Santos ('The Rockford Files') is solid as an investigating detective who's been trying to look out for the irresponsible Johnny for years. A couple of familiar faces have small roles: Mark Beltzman ("Billy Madison"), Larry Brandenburg ("The Shawshank Redemption"), Matt Doherty (the "Mighty Ducks" movies), Richard Hamilton ("Men in Black"), Salli Richardson-Whitfield ("Black Dynamite"), and Irma P. Hall ("A Family Thing"). Keep your eyes peeled for Bernie Mac ("Bad Santa") as a club doorman.
One undeniable, hilarious highlight: Gordon McClure as "The Reverend Pimp Daddy", an utter shambles of a defense attorney. And an actress named Almayvonne is priceless as a gal who ends up with designs on both Johnny and Seymour.
Basically, it's the cast that makes this one worth seeing.
Seven out of 10.