Kingdom Come

I had the privilege of viewing this movie twice and laughed just as hard the second time around. The film does well at portraying the strong bonds within an African American family despite any circumstances. I recommend this family film to all.

I stumbled across this little treasure on cable the other day (luckily for me, right at the beginning) and was treated to one of the funniest and most genuine films I've ever seen. I had never even HEARD of it before so it was a nice surprise. It has a real family feel to it; you will definitely walk away grinning and feeling good! This must be the 4th film in the past few months where I've seen Anthony Anderson crack up the place, and the rest of the cast are no slouches, either. Every character is a gem with no false notes - highly recommended!

It's about Family (anyone's Family) and it's Funny. I watch it at least once a Quarter and quote lines from it weekly. "You know what it is to watch something you love, just shrivel up and die" ... Jada was Priceless. Vivica, Whoopi, LL Cool J, Anthony Anderson, Toni Braxton, forgetting some of the "real names" but Aunt Maugarite (trying hard NOT to be her, personally ... hahaha), Royce and Floyd the Mechanic. Oh and Cedric the Entertainer. All Star Class i my book and just a Great Movie about people to keep you sane as you live your life with them and yourself, of course. Please buy a copy today. (just a personal recommendation)

This absolutely outstanding film is an total delight.

There were lots of big laugh-out-loud scenes, great humour, wit and charm.

LL Cool J absolutely walks away with the film in his amazing acting job as the son of the man that no one likes – but they have all come together to bury.

As my friends and family will tell you, I have always had a not-so-secret crush on Whoopi Goldberg. This film reinforces that crush – she is the rock in the maelstrom of insanity that surrounds the burial of her much-despised husband.

The characters are quietly complex – especially LL Cool J's character – who has demons that pursue him, including the inability to mourn the father that he disliked so much.

Most of the humour is fairly subtle and cerebral – though there is one absolutely great scene that slides into bathroom humour about the affect of Mexican food on the minister (Cedric the Entertainer) that officiates at the funeral.

This is a family story – it could be anyone's family. It is irrelevant that the family is African American: this family crosses all colour lines. They behave badly at times but they are there for each other in a way that all families should be but seldom are.

You would think that with Toni Braxton in the film any singing would be done by her – not so. There is a very nice 3 woman church choir that includes the Saturday Night Live alum, Ellen Cleghorn. The song at the funeral is sung by Jada Pinkett Smith – and she does a great job.

In checking viewer votes there were almost as many `1' votes as there were `10s'… I think that some people just didn't get it. Their loss.

Well, from the little press I saw regarding this movie when it first came out, I'll admit I wasn't running to the theater. (I wasn't even running to the video store.) However, when it came on HBO recently, my sister told me to sit down and watch it, to compare it to our family.

This movie was almost scary in how closely it mimicked our gatherings (especially funerals, but all gatherings in general). I really felt like the writers knew us, as they hit several depictions right on the head.

The Slocums are more the typical Black family than most movies will show nowadays--sure there are a few people who lose their way now and again, but family brings them back around. (What family isn't slightly dysfunctional anyway? It just makes family gatherings more amusing. Heck--my family even has the three holy-terror-boys who run around every gathering destroying everything.)

I'm not going to say that the acting was outstanding, or the script completely original because it wasn't. THE SCRIPT WAS REALISTIC, THOUGH. It wasn't original because anyone could have sat through a funeral in their family and copied things word for word. I do recommend this movie. The last minute is a little cheesy, but hey, the rest of the movie works so well that you accept it. There weren't any unnecessary curses, gratuitous violence or sex. It was just a movie about family. What is more real than that?

This is the ultimate feel-good movie because you feel like it is real. Some movies are just too contrived, but I had to smile to myself at the end of this movie. It shows how the strength of your family helps you cope and heal together.