SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY

"THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY"
(2000) (Steve Harvey, Bernie Mac) (R)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Minor	Minor	Moderate	None	None

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Moderate	None	None	None	Extreme

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Heavy	Mild	None	Mild	Minor

QUICK TAKE:: Documentary/Comedy: Four African-American comedians perform their standup comedy routines in this filmed version of their concert tour.

PLOT:: Filmed in Charlotte, North Carolina during the successful "Kings of Comedy" tour, director Spike Lee captures the standup comedy acts of Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac as they crack jokes about sex, families and the differences in how black and white people act and respond to various issues.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Those who are fans of any or all of the four featured comedians or similar filmed versions of standup performances from the likes of Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor will probably want to see it.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R: For language and sex related humor.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: All four comedians tell various jokes and humorous stories during their routines, often peppered with profanity, other explicit language, and racially observant, but not racist themes.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief summary of the content found in this filmed performance tour of standup comedians that earned an R rating. Profanity occurs throughout the entire film and consists of nearly 200 "f" words and literally hundreds of other expletives, along with plenty of graphic, colorful phrases. Some of the film's comedy involves sexual humor, and some of the routines are graphic in nature and include some exaggerated related movement and sounds.

Other humor stems from poking fun at both black and white people and the differences between the two, as well as at stutterers, effeminate kids, beating kids to put them in their place, some scatological-based material and other such bits. Some brief smoking and drinking occurs in backstage moments, but the rest of the film's remaining categories have little or nothing in the way of major objectionable content.

Nonetheless, should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to take a closer look at our detailed content listings for specific examples of what occurs in the film.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: In a moment off the stage, we see the comedians playing poker with beer in front of them.
Bernie Mac states that his sister is on drugs (which is why he got her kids).

BLOOD/GORE: D.L. Hughley does a comic and verbally graphic routine about little boys not wanting to wipe themselves after using the bathroom, of grown men occasionally and accidentally not wiping enough, and of women soaking their panties in bathroom sinks.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Some viewers may be offended when D.L. Hughley uses a stereotypical Asian accent during his routine.
Some viewers may not like Hughley joking about Jesus being black when he states that who else would turn water into wine to keep a party going.
Likewise, some might not like Steve Harvey joking that he went to church so much as a kid that he'd often tell his mother he'd rather go to Hell due to the pressure of going every day. He then adds that he started enjoying going once again after finding an old woman who enjoyed cussing there.
Those sensitive to stuttering might not like a comedy routine that Bernie Mac does about stuttering kids (which includes exaggerated stuttering and facial expressions for comic effect).
The same holds true for comments he makes about kids being old enough for corporal punishment (being hit in the throat or stomach) and that he'll open a day care center where "I'll f*ck your kids up" and that he'll "take a hammer and slap the f*ck out of them."
He also refers to a young nephew of his being a "faggot" and jokes about him walking and talking in an effeminate fashion.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: None.

GUNS/WEAPONS: None.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Due to crowd noise and laughter that often obscured the dialogue, the following should be considered a minimum.
Phrases: 'Itchy ass m*therf*cker," "F*ck y'all," "What the f*ck is this?" "F*cked up," "F*ck that," "I don't give a f*ck," "You're fresh out of f*cking luck," "What the f*ck are you looking at me for?" "What the f*ck are you doing?" "Shut the f*ck up," "F*ck you," "You ain't sh*t," "I don't believe in sh*t until sh*t happens," "Bullsh*t," "I ain't got time for this sh*t," "Horny," "Country ass," "Punk ass," "Ignorant ass," "Black ass," "Retarded ass," "Kiss my ass," "Long ass," "I don't give a damn," "Ass whupin'," "Bitch," "Silly ass," "Ignorant ass," "Dumb ass," "Big ass," "Broke ass," "Punk," "Nigger" (said by black people), "Dawg" (term for other people), "Ghetto ass," "Scary ass" and "Faggot."
The film might obviously inspire kids to try to elicit laughs from jokes and profanity, as well as the exaggerated gestures and dancing the comedians use in their acts.
Steve gives "the finger" as part of his routine and later grabs his crotch as part of another routine.
We see that someone has thrown her underwear up onto the stage during the performance.

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): None.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None.

PROFANITY: Due to crowd noise and laughter that often obscured the dialogue, the following should be considered a minimum: At least 184 "f" words (93 used with "mother," 7 used sexually), 108 "s" words, 2 slang terms for female genitals ("cootchie"), 1 slang term for male genitals ("d*ck"), 100 asses, 32 damns, 16 S.O.B.s, 4 hells, 66 uses of "G-damn," 2 uses each of "Oh my God" and 1 use each of "Jesus" and "Swear to God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY: Due to crowd noise and laughter that often obscured the dialogue, the following should be considered a minimum.
One of the comedians talks about one of them getting the most "juice" (presumably sex) and then states that he's either "juicy fruit" or "juicing the fruit."
D.L. Hughley does a brief comic routine on his grandparents "f*cking" and Viagra (or as he imitates an older woman saying "Niagra").
He then states that before you're married you can get all of the "f*cking sex" you want, but once you're married it's like being on rations. He then goes on about how he doesn't want "to f*ck with" a woman's head and that as far as he's concerned she can stay asleep during sex. He then jokes about a woman exclaiming "What are you doing back there?" and him replying he'll be finished in a minute.
He then continues about a woman saying "Hold me when we finish making love" but him complaining that it's too hot and then adding "Get off me!" He then has the woman asking why he makes her sleep on the "wet spot" and he replies because that's her side of the bed. He then jokes about having a washrag on the night stand (for cleaning up after sex).
He then goes on having an orgasm too quick, the woman replying "You ain't sh*t," and him replying that at least he's not horny any more. He then replies that he just wanted to knock that first one (orgasm) out of the way and then "tear that ass up."
He then goes on that when "you want to get some" (sex), the kids won't go to sleep, and then of them walking in and seeing their parents having sex.
Later Hughley jokes about some man in the audience and his teeth being so big that he'd give a woman a hysterectomy during oral sex.
Steve Harvey makes some comment about a T-shirt being wet from making love.
While joking about black women not wanting their hair messed up, Bernie Mac makes the exaggerated movement of a woman having sex with a man who's behind her, stating, "Don't touch my hair."
Bernie Mac complains about "f*cking" and that he can't do it like he used to. He states that his "sh*t" is quick and fast and that his wife complains she's going to get a younger man. He then adds, "Who wants to f*ck for forty-five minutes? What am I trying to prove?" He then goes on about how long it takes to have an orgasm and that "I got mine" and "You better get yours." He then makes some analogies between sex and one round of professional boxing and comments on "pumping my ass out" during sex (all while making some comical sexual sounds).
He then jokes about a woman putting her mouth on him and calling her "nasty." He adds that if he wants oral sex he has to give clues like "Come here and put your head right here for a minute" (as he gestures to his crotch). He then acts like the woman saying that he better not be expecting "me to suck your d*ck" and that he better get his momma to do it. He then adds that you have to act like they're getting it (oral sex) right, and that you have to tell them to keep going because they have to learn. He then comments on some woman in the past looking at him while performing oral sex on him and him asking if she needs reassurance that she's doing a good job.

SMOKING: In a moment off the stage, we see the comedians playing poker and two of them smoke cigars.
Cedric The Entertainer does a whole routine about people smoking and uses an unlit cigarette as a prop that's often in his mouth during that routine.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: None.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: The language and various subjects used by the comedians to elicit laughs.

VIOLENCE: As part of their separate routines, both Steve Harvey and Bernie Mac violently kick over their microphone stands.

Reviewed August 10, 2000 / Posted August 18, 2000

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