I'm not sure why the following is seemingly used far more often with women than men, but there's the old saying that you can take [Insert Person's Name] out of [Insert Their Hometown], but you can't take the [Use Town Name Again} out of [That Person]. Whatever the gender bias, it simply implies that no matter how hard they try, people can't escape some or all of the trappings of the environment in which they grew up.
That's the figurative and literal message of the comedy "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins" where the title character, known as RJ to his "peeps," fans and associates, begrudgingly leaves his fancy, high-flying, big city lifestyle to return home for his parents' golden wedding anniversary.
The fact that he hasn't been there for nine years or let his parents see their grandson in the same period is telling enough, and clearly lets the viewer know he's in for some old school, comedic comeuppance. That begins, but surely doesn't end with juice being spilled on his white pants in flight, resulting in an impromptu wardrobe change from expensive threads to tight-fitting, plaid, golfer's pants, all the better for his pending humiliation.
And writer/director Malcolm D. Lee ("The Best Man," "Undercover Brother") certainly stacks the odds -- not to mention immediate and extended family members -- against him, all in hopes of generating some big laughs. The results are a mixed bag, however, with more comedy bits missing than hitting, although viewer expectations and comedic tastes (the lower the better in both cases) will certain have an effect on one's appreciation of the material.
Much of that will depend on how one feels about Martin Lawrence as the film's trampled upon lead. Some seem to like his style of comedy, but others -- including yours truly -- think he's limited in his abilities and often just recycles comedy bits from his past efforts, rather than offering anything new.
Another issue is that things and characters don't always feel realistic. Although realism isn't always a necessity, especially when it comes to humor, elements shouldn't feel forced or shoehorned into the proceedings, which is certainly the case here. Take, for instance, the protagonist's fiancée (Joy Bryant) who, while certainly pretty and successful enough to attract him, is too much of a harpy. I get that her character is constructed that way to allow his to see the error of his ways, but all of that feels contrived and artificial.
A film that did it so much better was "Doc Hollywood." While there wasn't a similar, pre-existing girlfriend character to showcase the bad choices of Michael J. Fox's up and coming surgeon, the fish out of water plot (later lifted for Pixar's "Cars") and its bevy of eccentric characters certainly did the trick. Some of them may have been a little goofy, but they worked in the context of the setting and offering.
That does hold true for some of them here, including those played by Michael Clarke Duncan and Mike Epps. Those featuring Mo'nique as a randy sister and Cedric the Entertainer as the competitive, unofficially adopted brother, on the other hand, feel forced. The latter's character gets the lion's share of material, but the film works best when that rivalry is shown in flashback to the two as kids (and makes you wish more, if not all of the pic took place back then).
Nicole Ari Parker is present as the grown-up manifestation of the title character's grade school crush (and who serves, just like Julie Warner in "Doc Hollywood," as the protagonist's wake-up call), and James Earl Jones plays the somewhat emotionally distant father who does the same, although with obviously different results.
The fact that Roscoe suddenly sees those lifestyle and behavioral errors near the end of the film when things quickly, but certainly not unpredictably turn overly sentimental, only serves to further drive home the film's artificial aura. Perhaps with some minor (or, more likely major) tweaking of the script, things might have played out in a more believable and thus engaging fashion.
As it stands, "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins" does offer some laughs, but how much and/or whether you find them funny will depend on your comedic tastes and standards. If anything, the film proves that you can take Martin Lawrence and put him in any comedy, but you can't take his limited comedic stylings, mannerisms and more out of him. The pic rates as a 3.5 out of 10.
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