The Janky Promoters

Racial stereotypes and the accoutrements of hip-hop culture come in for some gentle ribbing in "Janky Promoters," a fairly innocuous though still relatively entertaining comedy written by and starring Ice Cube.

It's a tale of two second-rate music promoters (Ice Cube and Mike Epps) trying to stage a rap concert in Modesto, California, and the many personal and financial hurdles they have to jump over to pull it off. It's not a slashing satire by any stretch of the imagination, but a game cast (including an entertaining Young Jeezy who brings a great deal of charm to his portrayal of himself) and a few genuinely funny moments make up for its overall blandness.

I wasn't quite willing to pay to watch this movie, but I didn't mind watching it for free. I hadn't heard of it and the trailer wasn't very convincing. Well, after having watched it I'm glad I did. It was very funny, and that's coming from a cautious and skeptical viewer.

What I believe was Ice Cube and Mike Epps fourth collaboration ("Next Friday," "The Friday After Next," and "All About the Benjamins" were the three prior) was on par with the quality of the rest. The two of them played concert promoters Russell Redds (Cube) and Jellyroll (Epps) who were trying to make a big concert happen in the sleepy town of Modesto, CA. They somehow figured out how to get Jeezy to Modesto to perform. If you know anything about Modesto you know it is a cowpoke city that's about 75 miles south of Oakland. There's nothing there but heat and agriculture. Their claim to fame is that the movie "American Graffiti" was filmed there.

Russell and Jellyroll are in way over their heads with this endeavor and a blind man can see it. They don't have much money to work with and they are constantly devising plans to get money. It's one hilarious thing after another as they try to put Modesto on the map and keep Jeezy from bailing on them. Both Epps and Cube were funnier than I'd ever seen them together. Cube especially stepped his game up and broke from his traditional deadpan style. "The Janky Promoters" was not a Janky movie.

I totally loved this movie.. Ice Cube , Mike Epps, and Young Jeezy just flat out made me laugh all the way thru,, our story goes that there are 2 buddies who bill themselves as amateur music promoters, and well they actually get their shot at it to promote a Young Jeezy concert.. things start to fall apart.. 1000 dollars is needed to get the ball rolling and our characters are about flat broke,, they try all kind of schemes to get the money,, stealing from their girlfriends.. anything at all that they can do to get the money,, a lot of their plans misfire and they are on the verge of not being able to promote Mr Jeezy, you will have to watch and see if the boys can get their act together and make everything okay in the rap music world... ton of laughs..well worth the price of admission.

I like Ice Cube - hell, everyone likes Ice Cube. Crossing over from the rap / hip hop music genre, this likable hardcore rapper surprised everyone by stepping into a promising film career that begun in the 1990s with Boyz n the Hood. A bankable actor, writer, director, and producer, who's specialized in snappy hip movies and predictable family fare, Ice Cube continues to make us wonder just what he'll do next.

This is one film that probably read much better in the early stages of creation. The Janky Promoters is so bad that one feels sorry for the cast – themselves all pretty much MIScast, who had to suffer through Marcus Raboy's tame direction and Cube's weak screenplay. Janky might have done better with the star behind the camera and some solid actors sprinkled among the novice cast.

And someone should tell executive producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein to stop profiling when casting movies with an urban setting and an African-American story. The Janky Promoters is replete with one stereotype after another, from the big-booty slut to the one-dimensional rapper Bow Wow parody. Enough already! Thankfully, many of Ice Cube's better moments can be rented, especially my favorite, the Friday trilogy. And it's nice to know that we can still look forward to other Cube experiences, hopefully chosen more wisely.

I recently watched Janky Promoters (2009) on Tubi. The storyline follows two unsuccessful, shady promoters heavily in debt. When they get the chance to promote an up-and-coming rapper, they see it as their shot at redemption. Can they finally get it right, or will they mess up this opportunity too?

Directed by Marcus Raboy (Friday after Next), the film stars Ice Cube (Friday), Mike Epps (Friday after Next), Lahmard J. Tate (Barbershop), Jeezy (Hustlers), Aloma Wright (Mrs. Deeds), and Glenn Plummer (Strange Days).

Janky Promoters is a well-written comedy (penned by Ice Cube) featuring an impressive cast and soundtrack. The comedic content aligns perfectly with the spirit of the "Friday" series. Cube and Epps have fantastic chemistry, supported by standout performances from Tate and the legendary Pamela Grier (Coffy). Moments like the "did you get that on tape" sequence, the rental car scene, and the Pam Grier interrogation are comedic highlights.

In conclusion, Janky Promoters is a worthwhile addition to the comedy genre that's definitely worth your time. I'd give it a score of 6.5/10 and recommend seeing it at least once.