"TRIPPIN'"
(1999) (Deon Richmond, Maia Campbell) (R)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Mild	Minor	Heavy	*Minor	Extreme
Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Mild	None	None	Heavy	Extreme
Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Heavy	Minor	Minor	Mild	*Extreme

---

QUICK TAKE:

Comedy: A high school senior, who spends more time daydreaming about having it all instead of applying for college, tries to impress and date a fellow student.

PLOT:

Greg "G" Reed (DEON RICHMOND) is a high school senior who spends most of his time daydreaming about being successful, rich, and popular with the ladies. While his imagined existence is perfect, his real life is far from it. With the senior prom quickly approaching, he has neither a date nor any money for it and his parents (HAROLD SYLVESTER & ALOMA WRIGHT) won't give him any until he mails off his college applications.

While a wise and sympathetic teacher, Mr. Shapic (MICHAEL WARREN), tries to talk some sense into G and enlighten him about the future, the shortsighted senior doesn't really listen and instead spends time with his two buddies who clearly aren't the best influence on him.

June (DONALD ADEOSUN FAISON) is a small-time thug with a penchant for selling hot goods to his classmates when not telling every girl he's with that he'll take her to the prom. Fish (GUY TORRY), always with his video camera in tow, talks a big game, but is less successful with the ladies than G.

When G spots Cinny Hawkins (MAIA CAMPBELL) the smartest and prettiest student in school, however, he decides he'll do whatever it takes to impress her, but she wants nothing to do with him. Nonetheless, when he lies to her about his future plans, she's interested and they soon become friends.

As G continues his veiled courtship of Cinny, he must not only contend with her discovering his ruse, but also with her sassy cousin, Anetta (COUNTESS VAUGHN), as well as a local gangster, Kenyatta (STONEY JACKSON) and his two thugs who are putting pressure on June to join their sales force.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?

Although the film is aimed at the black teen market, it's not very likely that many kids of any race will want to see this film.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R

For sexuality and language.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:

DEON RICHMOND plays a high school senior who daydreams about scantily clad women instead of filling out his college applications or thinking about the future. Although he initially lies to Cinny about his college plans (just to get her to like him), he eventually confesses everything and becomes more involved in his future.

MAIA CAMPBELL plays the school's smartest student who reluctantly befriends G when he acts like he's as ambitious and future-minded as she is.

DONALD ADEOSUN FAISON plays G's friend, a ladies man who promises every young woman he's with that he'll take them to the prom. He's also involved in selling "hot" (stolen) goods to his classmates.

GUY TORRY plays their video camera toting friend who talks a big game, but is otherwise as unlucky as G with the ladies.

MICHAEL WARREN plays a sympathetic teacher who's concerned about G's future and tries to enlighten him about his possibilities.

STONEY JACKSON plays a local gangster who threatens June when he doesn't agree to sell goods (including drugs) for him.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

---

OUR TAKE: 2 out of 10

In at least the fifth film released so far this year that ends at the high school prom, "Trippin'" is a fleetingly amusing, low budget film that starts with some potential, but quickly deteriorates into a stereotypically lackluster hip-hop film that relies more on T&A than anything generated above the neck.

Filled with enough shapely and overly buxom young women to make "sexploitation" king Russ "Supervixens" Meyer proud -- and this film's casting director(s) bug-eyed -- the only decent hook the film has going for it is a series of daydreams in which the protagonist, G, fantasizes about a "better" life that's usually filled with those scantily clad young ladies.

An elongated, but not particularly any more amusing-for-the-length variation of similar moments found in TV's "Ally McBeal" (as well as last year's "Living Out Loud," "Post Coitum" and briefly seen in the recent "Goodbye Lover"), such scenes may entertain the film's target audience, but few others.

Beyond the many pretty and shapely young women, there's also a "Terminator" inspired daydream (where the character is named "SchwarzeNigger") that's not only flat, but many years too late to be a successful spoof. Unfortunately, they're the only highlights -- and we use that term generously -- that the film has to offer.

Beyond that, there are some running gags about a grumpy grandpa, played by Bill Henderson, who's mildly amusing for constantly wanting foods that are bad for him (although he gets little screen time after two early scenes) and two sex-crazed buddies commonly found in nearly any other urban comedy. In addition, there's a gangster subplot that's not only cliched, but also offers absolutely nothing to the proceedings other than to take up time. Finally, of course, there's the concluding prom sequence that includes the obligatory latest dance craze.

While we realize that the film is intentionally trying to be goofy -- with the opening daydream sequence taking care of that by setting the proper mood -- it should also strive to be funny instead of stupid, and original instead of stereotypical. The film fails to make either distinction, but that shouldn't come as much of a surprise after reading that first-time screenwriter Gary Hardwick wrote the script in a scant two weeks.

Even our preview audience -- mostly consisting of young men, the film's obvious target -- barely chuckled in the film's second half when what little of the film's originality and humor had completely dried up and were replaced with mostly unremarkable and inane material, such as a gangster's continued mispronunciation of everyday words.

Even the closing "whatever happened to" on-screen credits -- regarding the individual characters' future exploits -- are incredibly lame (with one character becoming a "gynecologist to the stars" and our protagonist being labeled for finally having sex with Cinny).

The performances are mostly predictable for a film of this caliber. In the lead role, Deon Richmond (who played the next-door neighbor "Bud" on TV's "The Cosby Show") shows some comedic potential and has a few decent moments, but the film's rapid descent into sub-mediocrity quickly derails any chance he has of delivering a good or memorable performance.

Far better is Maia Campbell (who's appeared in various TV productions) as his love interest. Although she plays the stereotypically written intelligent and attractive young woman, Campbell does a decent job portraying her and is far above the quality of this production.

Supporting performances by Donald Adeosun Faison ("Can't Hardly Wait") and Guy Torry ("Life") deliver what's to be expected from a comedy like this, but are otherwise unremarkable, while Michael Warren (TV's "Hill Street Blues") can't do much with his standard-issue, all- knowing and wise high school teacher character.

Overall, the film is yet another inauspicious teen sex comedy where repeated views of women's bodies are more important than plot or character development. While that may play well with the film's target audience, the film's title will undoubtably more accurately describe its quick stumble and fall from the box office charts rather than its current street slang connotations. As such, we give "Trippin'" a 2 out of 10.

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

Here's a quick look at the content found in this R-rated comedy. The film, and in particular, G's daydreams, is filled with many buxom women in skimpy outfits that show lots of cleavage and plenty of other bare skin. In one daydream sequence, a woman exposes her large bare breasts to G, while in a "real" scene we see a man pouring the makings of a sundae onto a woman's bare back and then licking them off (we also see most of her bare butt in her thong bottom). Other sexually related talk also occurs.

Profanity is extreme with 25+ "f" words, and many other words and plenty of colorful phrases also occur. Several instances of daydream violence are present where many people are killed in a bloodless, fantasy type fashion that's trying for laughs. Some "real" threats are also made to characters and some brief physical violence also occurs.

Several characters have bad attitudes (again for attempted comedy), including one who's a gangster who's briefly seen trying to get one student to sell drugs for him, while that student sells hot items to his classmates and promises to take every girl he's with to the prom, but reneges on all of those promises.

While this film is apt to disappear from the theaters rather quickly, should someone in your home wish to see it, you may want to take a closer look at the listed content if you're concerned about its appropriateness for them.

---

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE

In one of G's daydreams, the camera pans by several liquor dispensers.

Some people drink at a party where Fish spikes the punch.

A message on the school's outdoor message board reads, "Who got da liquor?"

Kenyatta tries to get June to sell drugs for him and tries to hand him what looks like a bag of cocaine (but June refuses).

BLOOD/GORE

We see either blood or barbeque sauce on Kenyatta's head during a daydream sequence where G slams a rib bone into the mobster's forehead.

During a war-related daydream, G has his arm blown off and we see it still holding onto a cable/rope (but it's not gory or bloody beyond simply being a severed arm).

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE

Some may see G spending his time daydreaming instead of preparing for college as having some of both. He also lies to Cinny about being accepted to UCLA to try to impress and win her over.

June sells what's reportedly stolen goods to other students at their school and promises to take many girls to the prom, but then reneges on all of those promises.

Kenyatta is a local gangster who threatens June and his pals when the former won't sell drugs for him.

Some may not like the film somewhat making fun of a thug who wears leg braces.

Fish tells a blabbermouth that G had sex with Cinny.

FRIGHTENING SCENES

While it's possible some viewers may find scenes listed under "Violence" as tense, none of them are intentionally designed to play that way (instead they're going for laughs).

GUNS/WEAPONS

Machine guns/Handgun/Grenade launcher/Knife: Seen in various daydreams G has. See "Violence" for details.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR

Phrases: "Shut the f*ck up," "Don't be f*cking with my sh*t," "F*ck ups," "Who gives a sh*t," "Cut the sh*t," "Screwed" and "Screwing" (sexual), "Nigger" and "Bitch(es)" (both said many times), "Punk," "What the hell?" "Screwy," "You greedy bitch," "You ugly bitch," "Ugly ass," "Half-assing," "Sorry ass," "Punk ass," "Skank ass heifer," "Nuts" (testicles), "Stupid" and "Shut up."

In one of G's daydreams, he humps his bed and does some pelvic thrusting into the air.

In another daydream, G has a small sculpture of a butt that he makes people kiss when asking favors of him.

Fish spikes the punch at a party.

Kenyatta's license plate reads "My Shyt."

JUMP SCENES

None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)

None.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)

Several rap songs play during the film, and while we couldn't understand some lyrics, we did hear what sounded like 1 "f" word, as well as "ass," "hell" and "nigger."

PROFANITY

At least 26 "f" words (6 used with "mother"), 18 "s" words, 1 possible slang term for male genitals ("d*ck"), 36 asses, 21 damns, 14 hells and 2 uses of "Oh my God," and 1 use each of "G- damn," "Oh Lord" and "Oh God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY

In one of G's daydreams, several women show lots of cleavage in their outfits. In another we see several buxom women in bikinis as well as another woman wearing a very short, tightfitting skirt that shows just the bottom of her bare butt.

In another daydream, G's father, proud of his accomplished son, says, "Makes me want to have sex with his momma again." He then adds that his son's goal is to "get a whole lot of sex" and gives his son what appears to be a huge box of condoms with the word "hefty" written on it. He then says that he doesn't want his son to have to wait for any "booty."

We then see another buxom woman come out of a sauna in a skimpy bikini showing tons of cleavage. G then asks what she has to offer him and she undoes her bikini top, exposing her large breasts into which G puts his face. We then see that this was another daydream and that G is now licking and kissing the yolks of two sunny-side up eggs on a plate (meant to represent those earlier breasts).

As the school bus comes to a stop, June's face runs into a shapely girl's butt.

G tells June that the CD players he's selling are stolen, "just like the vibrators" he was selling the week before.

Upset that June is no longer taking her to the prom, a girl says, "After you got with me?" (Had sex).

We see that Fish is videotaping a shapely girl's bust and butt as the camera goes up and down her body.

G has another fantasy where he tells Cinny that it's "time." When she asks for what, he says "for me and you girl."

A message on the school's outdoor message board reads, "Copulation is salvation."

A character tries to insult another by saying "I screwed your momma."

Kenyatta walks in with several women who show lots of cleavage.

Cinny shows some cleavage.

G has another daydream where he climbs onto his dorm room bed with several buxom (cleavage revealing) women in high cut shorts or bikini bottoms that show part of their bare butts. As one of them starts to go down his body, he stops her, saying that he's got some business to take care of.

Later, G says that he's "busy getting busy."

We see several scantily clad sorority spring pledges in one of G's daydreams. One of them wears some sort of sheer negligee through which we can partially see her bare butt. Another wears a very skimpy bikini. As a comment is made about a "home run" in the ninth inning, G does some pelvic thrusting. Cinny then seductively lies down and G gets on top of her and says "I'll rock your world." As we then hear some sexual sounds, the daydream ends.

Seeing a couple making out at a party, Fish tells them "to get a room."

We see June making out with a girl on a bed at a party where we see most of her bare butt in her thong-like bottom. He then drips/pours chocolate sauce onto her bare back along with whipped cream and then seductively licks it off her (as we see the sides of her bare breasts) and then lays a banana in her butt crack.

Having met a young woman at a party, Fish asks G to slip him a condom and G hands him one still in its wrapper, but it's his old, battered one that he's evidently been carrying with him for years. When Fish asks for a newer/better one, G says that he may be needing it (referring to Cinny).

When G asks Fish about his future plans, he says that he's going to be big, rich and is going to have a different girl every night (while doing some pelvic thrusting into the air).

Cinny tells G that it's all over the school "that you were screwing me like so ho'."

In yet another daydream, G sees himself as an older man with a woman who comes in stating that he got her pregnant.

Cinny shows a lot of cleavage at the prom as does June's date.

A woman comments on getting "freaky" with June (presumably meant sexually).

At the prom some students dance with the guys rubbing and thrusting their crotches against the girls' butts.

In the film's closing "whatever happened to" credits, it says that G finally had -- and continues to have -- sex with Cinny.

SMOKING

In one of G's daydreams a woman gives him a cigar.

A guy has a cigarette behind his ear at a party.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES

G's parents get after him about filling out his college applications.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT

The film's mixed message. While Cinny and Mr. Shapic try to present the virtues of setting goals for the future, the film tantalizes and tries to entertain with students goofing off and daydreaming about scantily clad or partially naked and very buxom women.

Why more films featuring African American casts are like this one instead of decent and well- made comedies and dramas.

VIOLENCE

Despite the "extreme" rating, most of the violence that warrants that rating comes from daydream/fantasy segments where the violence isn't supposed to be taken seriously and is meant to be funny.

G's mother flicks his ear as light punishment (to make him pay attention).

A football player knocks G and Fish apart and then confronts June and knocks him backwards (for making a move on the football player's girlfriend).

In a "Terminator" inspired daydream (and obviously intended for laughs and not reality), G walks into a restaurant as the android and Kenyatta's men riddle him with machine gun fire, but to no avail. One of the thugs then tries to hit G and he grabs the man by the neck, breaking it and killing him. The other thug tries to kick him, but G tears off one of that man's leg braces and hits him with it. Kenyatta then pulls his handgun on G, but the android takes a rib bone and jams it into the mobster's forehead, killing him. A guy then hits G over the back with a chair, causing the android to grab him and throw him onto a hot stove where the man presumably dies.

After Fish insults a student, she slugs him in the face.

A football player knocks down a bedroom door looking for his girlfriend.

In another daydream, soldiers shoot at G who returns the gunfire and mows them down (with no blood or gore). A last soldier then fires a grenade/rocket launcher that hits G and blows his arm off (leaving it attached to a cable, but with no gore).

Kenyatta's thugs hold guns on G and Fish, and Kenyatta then briefly holds a knife to G's throat. We then see that they've got June attached to a hook and cable in a factory and that they've taped his mouth.

At the prom, a football player picks up June off the floor by the neck, but G kicks him in the crotch from behind, doubling him over in pain.

We hear sounds of many disgruntled female students beating up June and later see him looking quite disheveled.

A football player head-butts, knees and then punches a guy who moments earlier came up and pushed G.

Reviewed May 3, 1999 / Posted May 12, 1999

Other new and recent reviews include:

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

All Rights Reserved,
©1996-2022 Screen It, Inc.