Retro Review: The Jamie Foxx Show (1996)

Duration: 1996 - 2001 (The WB) 

No of seasons: 5

Release date: (U.S) 28 August 1996

DVD release by Warner Home Video and Warner Archive 

Produced by Bent Outta Shape Productions, Foxxhole Productions, Warner Bros. Television

Cast: Jamie Foxx, Garcelle Beauvais, Christopher B. Duncan, Ellia English, Garrett Morris 

Jamie King is a hopeful actor hailing from Terrell, Texas and the son of a singer, who has arrived in Los Angeles to pursue a career as an entertainer and to make it big in Hollywood. In a fish-out-of-water scenario and in his quest to fulfil his lifelong dream and to support himself, he works in his aunt and uncle's hotel, the financially-strapped 'King's Tower' owned by Helen and Junior King, whilst honing his musical talents. 

Amongst his coworkers during the series were Francesca 'Fancy' Monroe; a desk clerk who is elegant, beautiful, smart and prefers to keep things strictly professional and of whom doesn't want to date any of her employees, and Braxton P. Hartnabrig: a stuff-shirted, brooding, bourgeois- type, who acts as the King's Tower's accountant, & draws comparisons with Carlton Banks of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in terms of wit and sarcasm. Braxton acts as the comic relief with his encounter with Jamie and the pair traded verbal jabs with each other. Jamie's romantic endeavours towards Fancy became an overriding subplot over the course of the series as he tries to win over her attention.  

The show's messages focus on the importance of hard work and family, but it also has an uplifting and playful tone, thanks to Foxx's energy and sense of humour; whilst some have argued The Jamie Foxx Show constructs a situation that ought to allow the star to let loose (probably akin to Mork and Mindy for Robin Williams) only for him to be restrained.

Starring future Hollywood movie actor, Jamie Foxx, The Jamie Foxx Show - co-produced by Bentley Kyle Evans who was a showrunner on Fox's Martin, starring comedian, Martin Lawrence -, is Foxx's self-titled series, coming off the back of the cancelled, In Living Color, wherein he made his TV debut; & became the WB's highest-rated series of the 1996-97 season ahead of fellow WB shows, The Steve Harvey Show and Brotherly Love. The Jamie Foxx Show filled the gap for African-American sitcoms that was left after The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air came to an end in 1996 and Will Smith was embarking on a Hollywood film career and Martin went off the air in 1997 after a 5-season run. 

Although it wasn't a major success on the ratings side of things that was comparable to that of NBC's big-hitters, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Friends and Frasier, given it aired on The WB, which was a relatively new network at the time, The Jamie Foxx Show did help launch Foxx's career as he transitioned from the small screen to the big screen as a major movie star. Come 2001, the sitcom reached 100 episodes in total. It also featured appearances from guest stars such as then NBA- player, Gary Payton, rapper and actor, Ice Cube, singers Mary J. Blige and Gladys Knight & Diff'rent Strokes' Gary Coleman who played Arnold Willis.

Whereas many will choose to dismiss this sitcom and Jamie Foxx's antics, he manages to sell it and through his charisma and not-too-wacky demeanour, makes it more entertaining and appealing to endure, whilst the rest of the cast are as solid or good as Foxx. Usually, most or some sitcoms have one or two strong players within their ranks, but here, I'd say everyone is pretty much even. Whilst this is Jamie Foxx's show, Garcelle Beauvais is equally sound (and in all honesty her roles right after The Jamie Foxx Show, do not come anywhere close as good as she was and is here), and she compliments Foxx really well as his female counterpart and love interest. I'd add my two cents by saying the first two seasons focused a lot more on the punchline and being silly and humourous and the last two seasons tended to be serious as they tried to consolidate the Jamie and Fancy relationship and retooling the storyline, with Jamie quitting his job at the hotel and in becoming a singer. Thanks to Beauvais, I like the counterbalance that she provides that offsets Foxx's goofiness & shenanigans by being the grounded, emotional core in their on/off relationship as Fancy, and in which his goofiness as Jamie King, isn't too over-the-top, brash and wacky. 

I like the humour, the characters are likeable (in addition Garcelle Beauvais, Christopher B. Duncan, Elia English are all great) and I enjoyed the series more as it went on, whilst the final season, despite it not being as strong with the added new characters, of whom offered little to the series, nor were hilarious, it was still well done; with the Jamie and Fancy relationship managed far better than say the Caroline and Richard relationship during that penultimate season of Caroline in the City. In-between Fancy and Jamie getting and being together, they see and date other people, but as we notice with these things and other sitcoms, these relationships don't last very long. Jamie Foxx and Garcelle Beauvais made for a tempting and pleasing onscreen sitcom couple. 

As so-called second-tier situation comedies are concerned, The Jamie Foxx Show was and is one of the more entertaining and hipper offerings around, particularly from the 1990s. It's fun, fresh and on several rewatches, still holds its own.

Waiching

Season ratings:

Season 1 (out of 10): 8

Season 2: 8

Season 3: 8

Season 4: 8.5

Season 5: 8

Final score (out of 10):  8

Retro Review: Confessions of a Shopoholic (2009) #badmovies

Confessions of a Shopoholic

2009

Romantic Comedy

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, directed by the man who gave you Muriel's Wedding and co-penned by Tim Firth (Kinky Boots, Calendar Girls and erm, G-Force), as Rom-coms go, this is another disappointing offering with a lacklustre cast that has no chemistry, whatsoever. The plot is similar to those films where a young upstart is hired for a fashion magazine and has to impress their boss and is The Devil Wears Prada meets Legally Blonde meets Ugly Betty. Confessions of a Shopaholic is based on a series of books, & like most Rom-coms, it commits a sin of being incredibly bland, with not one actor who could bring that IT factor the film needed. The casting features John Lithgow, Joan Cusack, John Goodman, whilst Isla Fisher lacks a romantic bone in her body to pass off as a so-called loser-in-love, who has a crush on her boss played by Brit, Hugh Dancy. The motion picture soundtrack featuring Lady Gaga, Kat DeLuna and The Pussycat Dolls is also to some people's taste, yet I would listen to that than watch this again. 

 

Is It Worth Watching?

Only if you love your rom-coms 

Overall:

Mini Movie Review: Breaking In (2018) #badmovies

Breaking In
2018

Thriller

 

 

 

A Panic Room type- scenario cannot disguise the fact that this poorly developed thriller feels so utterly random and underwhelming, it's disappointing to see how watered down everything feels as a low budget DTV, Lifetime movie-of-the-week cheapie, and that a premise would have worked even better had the suspense and characters felt more believable. As it wasn't, it all fell and felt flat. Gabrielle Union tries to make it work, but the material is so feeble and her character doesn't get to beat the bad guys up properly. The villains aren't intimidating or threatening enough; truly they are the worst I have seen in any film for quite some time, the writer does nothing with the formula that doesn't engage with the audience and with that, it feels barren and a bore and the characters' motives aren't that clear and the violence is anaemic. I stuck with the story, assuming it would get better, but my hopes were dashed when every idea Breaking In touches, goes nowhere. It doesn't even attempt to go so over-the-top and wacky to be a guilty pleasure and to roll with it. It tries hard in being smart when it wants to be when it comes off as needless, and dull. The best part is the generous -yet short run-time. 

Breaking In can't break new ground. A pity. 

Is It Worth Watching?

Only if there is nothing else

Overall: 

Retro Review: A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996)

A Thin Line Between Love and Hate

1996

Cast: Martin Lawrence, Lynn Whitfield, Regina King, Bobby Brown, Della Reese 

Genre: Black Comedy-Romance 

U.S Box Office Gross: over $30 million 

Plot: A womanizer's ways catches up with him when he pursues Brandi

'Hate The Playa' Not The Game, A Play On Fatal Attraction'

Club manager and (serial) womaniser Darnell spots an attractive woman, Brandi, who is also wealthy, after ignoring the advice of his wise mother and those of his childhood friend, Mia who just returned to the neighbourhood. It isn't long, however, until he and Brandi end up sleeping with each other. When Darnell turns his attentions to other women, Brandi doesn't take it that well, nor is she by no means, impressed when he decides to dump her ass; alas, in reprisal she tries to make his life a misery &  turning into Glenn Close of Fatal Attraction. 

Subtlety isn't one of Lawrence's strong points, especially in this dark comedy picture that disguises itself as a romantic comedy of sorts; Darnell isn't even romantic or empathetic enough to root for, rather he is egotistical who thinks he is God's gift, some horrible & crude language taints the film and whilst it tries to be similar to Boomerang, contrary to that movie, 'A Thin Line...' comes nowhere close in terms of offering something that is of tact, wit and style. 

When the script calls for a Romeo of whom we can root for, what we get instead is a womaniser who, through Martin's persistent mugging, is rather shameless & repellent, who lacks empathy and likability and whose actions are called into question. 

As the film progresses, whilst it feels like it doesn't know what it wants to be and settles for a particular direction & sticks with it, the story actually becomes more enticing and I got into it more as for what it was about a guy getting his comeuppance for being a jerk to women & in a chronology of several of his (failed) relationships, A Thin Line turns into a Fatal Attraction -style story. As far as Martin Lawrence -led films go (& one he co-wrote, co-produced as well), this is the second favourite I have seen of his in contrast to the Big Momma movies and his low-budget comedies with Bad Boys first, despite the mistreatment of the female characters and his less than meaningful direction.  

A comedy-ish crime thriller which grossed $30million in U.S theaters, this is a bit of a mixed bag, but for me by no means is it as horrendous and unwatchable as others have said and made out; I didn't care for Bobby Brown's character (or Bobby Brown at all), I didn't like Darnell, Lynn Whitfield was all right in her role, I liked Della Reese's character, whereas I felt Regina King's part could have been a little meatier. A Thin Line Between Love & Hate is not that particularly amusing so to speak that it had me laughing, yet it was somewhat intriguing to see a take on toxic masculinity that was upfront and honest, rather than one that was sugarcoated and watered down. & with that, I liked that aspect. 

Does that mean the movie was great though? Erm no, and it never truly emphasised anything of particular worth we should know or of which we already know; even when it comes to exploring the concept of 'love', of the opposite sex and of how the two genders differ when it comes to attitudes to sex, relationships, love, but I got into the story more as it went on. As for style, it is zero in that department. I still wouldn't mind watching this again, especially if I am bored. 

The key for was in me enjoying A Thin Line more than I should have; irrespective of the poorly developed characters, irrespective of one of the least desirable and sympathetic lead characters in a film played by Martin Lawrence, Darnell, who irked me throughout (at no stage throughout did he seem to change for better, nor were there signs that indicated that he became a better person), that bar Brandi, had the story not improved later on in the film - which it did, the film would be lost in its way, completely. Also, the idea of having Martin Lawrence as the male eye candy & loser-in-love in a romantic comedy-type film, or as a romantic-type lead wouldn't be so bad, - had he had or displayed any emotional or sentimental traits as such. When he used and hurt those women he had so-called loved and treated, it is implied that we only see it from Darnell's perspective and how it affects him and not them, when we also see it from Brandi's side as well, as she feels manipulated and unworthy of his affections.

Final Verdict:

Anyhow, so long as you don't approach it as realism and given the ending isn't as shabby as one anticipates, I could say this is all right, but me personally that is as far as it goes. 

Overall: