Pootie Tang

For those of you put off by the comments below, of which a large percentage are rather negative, well don't go see it. If some of teh good revies below don't make you want to see it either, don't go see it. I'm not surprised Pootie Tang isn't a big hit, but don't expect it to fall off the face of the earth. It probably will, for about ten years, but then it'll be back.

My rationale behind this is that this movie is shades, more than just shades, it's practically a sequel, of the ridiculous Rudy Ray Moore movies of the seventies, including Dolemite and Disco Godfather. In the former, Moore played Dolemite, a successful standup comic (Created in his own standup act) who is also a pimp and crimefighter in his spare time. Pootie Tang is a character created by Louis C.K. with actor Lance Crother, who is a successful hip hop artist, who is also a ladies man and a crimefighter in his spare time. See what I'm talking about?

There are more similarities. Each film is low budget, and often quite amateurish. Both films are made by people who obviously don't have all the mechanics of filmmaking down (Dolemite's boom mike pops into shots so much it might as well have gotten a supporting cast credit, Pootie Tang features possibly THE WORST narration in the history of film). Both also have quite a bit of social satire, plus additional humor derived from the sheer stupidity of the filmmaking.

Pootie Tang is, in itself, a bad idea for a movie. Who wants to watch 80 minutes of a character who speaks in gibberish? It's a joke that's funny for 3 minutes on the Chris Rock Show, but grows very old after an hour and a half (The audience I was with was hysterical...for ten minutes. Eventually half walked out). There are some jokes that work (I liked Pootie's new hit single, and also the tense climactic standoff between Pootie and Dirty) but a lot of other material doesn't (Cameos by Andy Ricter and David Cross are totally wasted). Plus the movie doesn't know if it's a movie, a movie clip, a friend retelling something, or what. It has a bad sense of pacing and flow (Using little Batman-esque cut scenes to break stuff up) and at least a dozen head-scratch-inducing moments.

For all of these reasons, the movie will be back. Mark my words. People a decade from now will watch this movie and laugh at its lame bits, and also the smart ones. For the average viewer, it's not worth seeing. For the devoted follower of movies that are bizarre, inexplicable, and just plain silly, it might be the best out-there movie of the year.

I'm not saying that Pootie Tang will be for everyone, but for those interested, it is really a gas. Pootie Tang was originated on Chris Rock's HBO show with Crouther playing Tang as the new president elect Pootie Tang telling his campaign in lingo that almost no one could understand but it was still dead pan. Now, he has a movie.

Lance Crouther plays the title character in a short yet entertaining movie about a hero with a belt that helps him against the forces of evil, plus his gift of saying things that have no meaning whatsoever (like ebonics mixed with down syndrome, but it's funny). Chris Rock (in 3 equally hilarious roles), Robert Vaughn and Wanda Sykes also star in this movie with it's only damaging flaw being that after a while it runs out of steam. Worth a look. B+

Pootie Tang actually can be looked at as a parable, an allegory of a messianic figure. How's that for making a purse out of a sow's ear? Consider: A powerful figure roaming around doing good deeds, speaking in a puzzling language that only believers understand, attended to by his apostles, befriending prostitutes. Suffering from inner demons he retreats to the wilderness (the farm) and experiences an epiphany through the physical manifestation of his creators, going back and finally confronting and conquering the demons. (Dirty D = Dirty Devil)Along the way he even awakens the dead (the knife wielder at the club), banishes a horde of false prophets (all the fake Pooties), and can bring people to rapture through sheer silence alone. Whew. Heady stuff. Sa Da Tay!

"Pootie Tang" is the ultimate guilty pleasure film. Sometimes I ask myself, "why do I laugh at this?". I don't know why, but it funny as hell. Chris Rock is a genius. I don't know how you come up with a story about a funny talking super hero. Throughout the whole movie, this guy is saying things that doesn't make any sense, but the characters surrounding him all understand. How do you come up something like that?!? And put it into a feature film!!! One liners like "sa da tay" and "sine your pity on the runny kine", are classics. "Pootie Tang" was conceived on the HBO hit The Chris Rock Show, in this spin off movie, Pootie is trying to take all the junk food, drugs and alcohol off the street that is being distributed by Dick Lecter (Robert Vaughn). The supporting cast includes The Chris Rock Show regulars including Wanda Sykes. "Pootie Tang" seems like a send up to 70's blaxpoitation films, but at the same time, I don't know what it is. "Pootie Tang" is a mixed bag of funk music, cheesy action and comedy. It all works for "Pootie Tang" making it the most unusual film ever made.

Pootie Tang- rated PG-13 *** out of ****

This movie is so unique, it may be as difficult for some to understand as it is to figure out Pootie's language. I was captivated from the first scene right up to the end. Kudos to Lance Crouther for his truly inspired performance as the hero. His physical comedy while combatting his foes or even just interacting with everyone else was brilliant and quirky. You really find yourself focusing on him in every scene, just to see what he was going to do next. There is also the ensemble of actors that inhabit Pootie's world, all of whom did a great job. I often read critics making comparisons between the modern charactor actors and how they pale before those of the distant past - razzz - wrong! These people hammed it up with style and flair. "I'm Dirty Dee, dammit!"

Sah da tay, my brothers.