Malibu's Most Wanted

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000500dvldtc.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Reel Movie Critic.com</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Reel Movie Critic.com"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id1921.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Open Range"><U>Open Range</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1920.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Guys"><U>The Guys</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1918.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Confidence"><U>Confidence</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1914.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Japon"><U>Japon</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1912.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="West Side Story"><U>West Side Story</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1911.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="House of 1000 Corpses"><U>House of 1000 Corpses</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1897.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Peoples Voice Movie Preview May 2003"><U>People's Voice Movie Preview May 2003</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1910.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Brenda Sexton Announced as Managing Dire"><U>Brenda Sexton Announced as Managing Director of the Illinois Film Office</U></A>   |   <B>Malibu's Most Wanted</B>   |   <A HREF="id1917.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Mighty Wind"><U>A Mighty Wind</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1922.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fellini: Im a Born Liar"><U>Fellini: I'm a Born Liar</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1923.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Simone"><U>Simone</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1924.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Creating Victor Vargas: A Conversation "><U>Creating Victor Vargas:  A Conversation with Peter Sollett, Victor Rasuk and Judy Marte</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1926.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Divine Intervention"><U>Divine Intervention</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="041d2c00dvldtc.png"> <div> <B>Home Page for</B></div> <div> <B>      </B><A HREF="http://newbookdiscounts.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://newbookdiscounts.com/"><U><B>Books</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>           </B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id364.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B>Travel</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>                </B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/"><U><B>Movies</B></U></A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>                   </B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id361.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B>Great Web Sites</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>Similar Genres</B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/id1190.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/id1190.ht"><U><B>Comedy</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/id959.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/id959.htm"><U><B>African-American</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> Malibu's Most Wanted</div> <div> <IMG SRC="30ee53f0.jpg" border=0 width="485" height="319" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="575"><div> <B>Malibu's Most Wanted </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Wingdings 2" ><B>êê</B></FONT><B>1/2 (PG-13)</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Reviewed By David Spielman</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="549" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 24 WIDTH="545"><div> <I>Malibu: New Home of the Gangsta Rapper</I></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="580" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Brad `'B-Rad'' Gluckman</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Tec: Damien Dante Wayans</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> PJ: Anthony Anderson</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Mrs. Gluckman (Bill's wife): Bo Derek</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Sean: Taye Diggs</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Tom Gibbons: Blaire Underwood</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Shondra: Regina Hall</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Ronnie Rizat: Snoop Dogg</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Bill Gluckman: Ryan O'Neal</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="304" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>30 Second Bottom Line</B>: Brad "B-Rad" Gluckman is a young, privileged man in his early twenties who hinders his father's bid for California governor by living the lavish gangster lifestyle.  With Malibu as his "hood", B-Rad has never actually gotten the experience of what the ghetto is really like.  One day his dad's campaign manager hires two actors to kidnap B-Rad and show him what being a gangsta is really about.  In the end, everyone may learn that B-Rad isn't really pretending to be someone he's not, as he proves to his dad and everyone else just how "real" he is. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Story Line:</B> Brad "B-Rad" Gluckman explains to the audience in the opening lines of the movie the essence of his gangsta lifestyle.  His "crib" is a huge mansion, his "ghetto" is the local Malibu mall, his hood is the one and only Malibu, California, and his "posse" consists of several other wealthy Malibu inhabitants.  B-Rad's Dad, Bill Gluckman (Ryan O'Neal), is the leading candidate for governor of California.  Tom Gibbons (Blaire Underwood), as Gluckman's campaign manager, observes that B-Rad's wannabe gangster lifestyle doesn't mesh too well with a close Gubernatorial race, the clock racing towards election date. </div> <bR> <div> Gibbons hires two out of work actors to play gangstas and kidnap B-Rad.  Julliard trained Sean (Taye Diggs), and PJ (Anthony Anderson), a regular at the Pasadena Playhouse accept their mission: to give B-Rad a tour of what the Compton, California hood is really like.  They must also keep B-Rad from embarrassing his father and scare the "black" out of him.  The funny thing is, neither Sean nor PJ have actually been to the hood either.</div> <bR> <div> Once B-Rad is kidnapped, things begin to go wrong with the plan.  Soon enough, B-Rad is proving himself to be no one-man joke, and to actually be "real".  Things get even more complicated when PJ's cousin, Shondra (Regina Hall), to whom B-Rad has taken a liking, and her ex-boyfriend, gang member Tec, (Damien Dante Wayans), enter the picture.  In the end, will B-Rad prove to the playa-haters that he's genuine and win the affection of Shondra, or will he fail and prove that he's no gangster after all?</div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell Me More About It</B>: <I>Malibu's Most Wanted</I> is surprisingly more effective than the basic premise might seem to offer.  A white Jewish boy aspiring to be a rapper while living in the lavish Los Angeles suburbs thinks he knows the struggles and hardships of the ghettos of America.  You can just imagine the pitch the screenwriter made to the production company.  Yet the movie manages to make what might seem like a funny television sketch into an hour and a half movie, and for the majority of the time, it is a successful comedy.  Part of the success comes from the charisma of the actors, Jamie Kennedy in particular as B-Rad, and also the numerous comical situations that B-Rad is placed in.  The subject matter of the film is sensitive.  Any film dealing with a theme of race is, but the silly execution of the topic serves as a comfort zone to those that might find this an uncomfortable topic. </div> <bR> <div> Consider the fact that 70% of all the rap music sold is purchased by white teenagers, mostly those who live in the suburbs.  This movie is not just a silly comedy.  It's also somewhat of a satire of American culture at the present.  One of the main reasons the film doesn't succeed as well as it should is because it never really takes the risks that it could in order to make the most of satirizing suburbia.  Instead, it sticks with the comedy formula and uses gags and routines that make the audience laugh, but not think.  At that level, the movie succeeds.  It is funny and doesn't require much thinking.  At another level, it could have been more than just an of-the-moment comedy.  Nevertheless, the movie does have its moments. </div> <bR> <div> Jamie Kennedy is a gifted comedian.  He has been in the film industry quite some time, until now remaining on the sidelines.  His face is probably recognizable as the character of Randy in both of the first two highly successful <I>Scream</I> movies, where he provided comic relief as the video clerk.  In this movie, well…he is the movie.  Essentially, Kennedy mastered the role of B-Rad and gives an extremely funny performance as the wanna-be white gangster, who may, in fact, not wannabe one.  By the 100<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" >th</FONT> time he says, "Don't be hatin." you may become frustrated with his character.  Despite these bits of repetitiveness, Kennedy is great. </div> <bR> <div> Other memorable performances in the film come from Anthony Anderson and Taye Diggs as PJ and Sean, the gangsters that kidnap B-Rad and take him on a tour of South Central Los Angeles.  One second Taye Diggs is in a sweater-vest telling Gluckman's campaign manager that he is a graduate of Julliard, and then the next he is wearing a tank top and bandana, car-jacking B-Rad. Sean and PJ are such un-stereotypical gangstas, it is belly-rattling funny.  Could Gluckman's campaign manager have hired real thugs to car-jack B-Rad?  Of course, but then much of the humor in the film would have been lost.  Much of the humor comes from the segment of the film after B-Rad finds out that everything was a set-up, and that PJ and Sean were hired actors.  Look for one scene in particular mocking the climax of <I><B>Training Day</B></I><B>.</B> </div> <bR> <div> In an entertainment industry where the highest selling rap artist in the country, Eminem, is a white man who has also made a dramatic movie with some of the same subject matter, <I><B>8 Mile</B></I><B>,</B> the premise of this movie may not have quite the same punch.  Despite its mishaps, or should I say non-risks, this movie is basically what people want from a comedy.  Something short, funny, and which doesn't require much brainpower.  Unfortunately, we are living in a world where that usually makes for the highest grossing movie of the week.  Fortunately, this movie of the week isn't all that bad.  For a film which lasts longer that it should (despite its less than ninety minute running length), it will not disappoint many of those who see it.  For those looking for a sharper satire, you may have to look elsewhere.  For the moment, <I>Malibu</I> will have to do. </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="591" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> Rating PG-13 (sex-related humor, violence; language)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> <A HREF="mailto:djdave14@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:djdave14@aol.com"><U>DavidSpielman © 2003</U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="587" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>Mini Filmography </B></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> Jamie Kennedy: <I>Scream</I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Blaire Underwood: <I>Set it Off</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> Taye Diggs: <I><B>Brown Sugar</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Bo Derek: <I>Tommy Boy</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Anthony Anderson: <I><B>Cradle 2 the Grave</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Snoop Dogg: <I><B>Bones</B></I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> Regina Hall: <I><B>Scary Movie</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Ryan O'Neal: <I>Chances Are</I></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>