The Cookout

The Cookout (2004) is a movie that I recently watched on HBOMAX. The storyline follows a family whose son has been drafted into the NBA. Shortly after being drafted he meets a new girlfriend and they quickly move towards marriage. When they blow most of the son's money the family tries to step in and knock him to his senses at a family BBQ. What could go wrong? This movie was directed by Lance Rivera (A Perfect Holiday) and stars Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon), Quran Pender (Brown Sugar), Jenifer Lewis (The Princess and the Frog), Tim Meadows (Mean Girls), Ja Rule (The Fast and the Furious), Farrah Fawcett (Logan's Run) and Meagan Good (Think Like a Man). This movie has a tremendous cast that is criminally poorly utilized. The writing is disappointing - the storyline, dialogue and comedic content are all cheesy and cliche. Danny Glover had a few funny moments and Meagan Good was gorgeous, but there wasn't enough worthwhile moments to enjoy this film. The soundtrack was solid. Overall, this was a tragically poorly put together picture. I would score this film a 3/10 and recommend skipping it.

All ethnic groups have to suffer under various stereotypes, especially in "entertainment". After all, lampooning is a long-lived trope. That doesn't mean you can't take that stereotype and do something good, meaningful, entertaining, funny or informed with it. This movie most emphatically does none of those things. And the sad part is that there are good actors working here,like one of Farrah Fawcett's last roles, or Danny Glover or. Tim Meadows. Or Jennifer Lewis. Instead, this is a bad mishmosh of racist stereotypes, overacted-by-underactor humorless "jokes" and negative sexist characterizations. Just so you know, this was to be a "star vehicle" for "Storm P". I know you've heard of him. Right? Right? Yeah, neither had I and just as well. Oh, to give the movie "street cred" it also has Ja Rule. Yay, right? All I can say is that as insulting as some (not all) '70s blaxploitation flicks were, this isn't even the underarm hair thereof.

I have to agree with most of the previous comments, here, that this movie will most likely be pretty offensive to most black viewers. It's loaded with stereotypes and predictable humor. That aside, I did get a chuckle out of a few of the characters. Tim Meadows' conspiracy whacko character was twisted and amusing. Meadows has a talent for subtle humor with over-the-top characters. This sounds like a contradiction, but it isn't. Danny Glover gets a few laughs in as the heavily "ball & chained" neighbor. It helps that his ball in chain happens to be Farrah Fawcett, I suppose. Both Mr. Meadows and Mr. Glover's characters were somewhat stereotypical and unoriginal, but both actors made them work, because they're pros. I found Jennifer Lewis' character to be intensely annoying. She was supposed to come off as "strong" and as the pillar of the family, but if I had a parent like her, I'd go to huge lengths to avoid her. Just watching her in a movie made me uncomfortable. I'm surprised that Todd's prospective client didn't head for the hills, immediately. This movie has more flaws then virtues, and it will certainly offend anybody concerned with improving the image of African Americans, but it does have it's brief moments. Wait for it on cable and watch it for free, when there's nothing else on.

This movie was recommended by a friend of the family, who happened to think this movie was outright hilarious, mainly because of Queen Latifah. I thought the same. I would recommend this movie to anyone who can handle African American jokes (surely that are not meant to be offensive) and loves comedy! I would NOT recommend this to anyone who takes life too seriously, or who has no sense of humor. My favorite part is when Todd's cousin is at the gate telling The Cop (Queen Latifah) off!! Haha, that was definitely a memorable moment. Some other slapstick moments are when the chefs are preparing the cookout meal and when Meagan Good is elated about getting this mansion. This will be worth the while, so please do watch it!

I once read that if you want to watch a movie and just to be entertained, then take your brain out and relax. I thought this movie would fit into this category. When I first saw the trailers, and bits and pieces of the movie I thought it was worth watching. So I did. To be honest I was disappointed. With all of the big names like Danny Glover, Farrah Fawcett, Jenifer Lewis, Queen Latifah, and Frankie Faison to name a few, I had thought this would be great. At best I felt the movie was slow and the lines delivered as if they were being read. As for the morality of the movie, one could argue it set the tone for being responsible about money. But I also saw a contradiction in moral and racial issues. The first issue is the smoking of marijuana. To see a "judge", Danny Glover smoking it, what does this say about the real world? The movie played on the fears of predominately white segregated, walled communities. At least that part was true. The third item was in regards to the black male and white female role in an interracial marriage. Why in the end was everyone happy to see Danny Glover (Judge Crowley) dominate his white wife, Farrah Fawcett (Mrs. Crowley), yet Frankie Faison (JoJo Anderson) is submissive to his wife Jenifer Lewis (Lady Em)? Does this mean that all black men in an interracial marriage should be "Master and Commander?" Does this state that black men marry outside of their race because the black woman is too strong and dominant? Does this mean that all white females become submissive when dominated by a black man? I don't think so as I am in an interracial marriage and took offense to those messages. With the above aside, I took my brain out and tried to just be entertained. I laughed through a few parts, and the rest of the plot I could see through. Would I see it again? Maybe. I had expected more with all of the big names and maybe this is the problem.

The movie had a good message about being responsible and down to earth even after hitting pay dirt. But, the message was nearly drowned in the cheesy delivery. As a result, this ethnic comedy comes off somewhat spoofish because of the mugging and overacting (which obviously was on purpose). I think of The Cookout (2004) as (one of the characters in the movie so aptly put it) a "Black Beverly Hillbillies," like the TV series The Beverly Hillbillies (1962) that was definitely satirical. Although it is true that the stereotypes were carried to the extreme, which explains why some viewers are offended by the material, the same could be said of other spoofs, which purposely border on the ridiculous. The Cookout (2004) is okay to rent, if you take if for what it is. You know, this would have been a good TV movie.

"The Cookout" might not be the best movie you can see, or the most sensitive to black people. Still, it is enjoyable. It stars rapper Storm P (aka Quran Pender) as Todd Anderson, a young, newly-drafted NBA star. He's just gotten a house in a New Jersey gated community, and his whole family is celebrating with a cookout. The humor here is over-the-top, as are several characters. Queen Latifah's security guard, for example. Other characters do manage to make laughs. Like Tim Meadows as Leroy, the conspiracy-obsessed paralegal, and Ja Rule and Roberto Vanderpool as Bling Bling and Weezer, the dimwitted hustlers. "The Cookout" may not be so nutritious, but it's fine for empty calories.