The Janky Promoters

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.

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 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.

Janky Promoters is another film starring Ice Cube and Mike Epps. Many Ice Cube and Mike Epps fans were probably looking forward this, but it is not as good as their previous meetings (Friday series, All about the Benjamins). The premise is certainly workable for Cube's return to R-rated comedy: Cube and Epps are the promoters of the title, and they prove their monumental jankiness in their attempts to put on a Young Jeezy concert in sleepy Modesto, California. Given that Cube and Epps more than likely have had their fair share of experience with real-life janky promoters, one would think that Cube's script would have some clever and biting jokes about the many such nonprofessionals who infest the business, but the sole inspired moment is in a fairly throwaway visit with Cube's not-so-upstanding mother. There were many unneeded scenes and subplots. The rest of time is fairly one-note in its obvious, rather dully executed, and unfunny comic directions: Cube and Epps cut costs by putting up Jeezy (who appears as himself) and his entourage in a cheap motel (which, predictably, employs some ghetto groupies on the make in the housekeeping staff); Cube tries to push his wannabe rapper son (Little JJ) to Jeezy; etc. Cube and Epps still have chemistry, but both seem on autopilot here, as does director Marcus Raboy, who just slogs through the motions with little energy or visual creativity. Their are some pretty good moments, like the ending. Most of the good scenes either involved the relationship dialogue with Cube and Epps, and the scenes with Jeezy. Altogether, Janky Promoters is a forgettable comedy. http://www.moviewatch.in/external.php?title=Janky+Promoters &url=aHR0cDovL21pbGxlZH JpdmUuY29tL3ZpZGVvcy9kTUtZcnNBQSA=&domain=bWlsbGVkcml2ZS5jb20= &loggedin=0

Janky Promoters starts out strong by introducing very humorous and personality filled characters, but quickly falls apart when the real plot comes forth. I'm a fan of African American comedies, especially Ice Cube's Friday franchise. I was also praising the recent remake of Death at a Funeral that was done with nearly an entire black cast not too long ago. But after seeing Janky Promoters and All About the Benjamins, I'll be sure to fully read the plot of the next Ice Cube movie I catch on Television.

"Janky" is a slang word. It's an adjective that describes something dishonest, untrustworthy, or just plain bad. I eventually had to click "Add to Dictionary" because I was so sick of that red line that appears under "mispelled" or unrecognized words on ProBoards. What a predicament. Oh well, I never give a movie a poor review because of it's title. But I'll usually ridicule it for a bit. That sounds like more fun.

The plot is slim; two concert promoters Russell and Jellyroll (Cube and Epps) land themselves in hot water when they book Young Jeezy for a concert. The problem is the twenty grand they were supposed to give to him to perform, they spent on clothing and accessories. They must recover the money, or get the worst night of their lives.

There isn't a whole lot going on of interest. The biggest letdown is definitely the cast. Ice Cube and Mike Epps have worked in a number of movies together. Epps became the second wheel in Next Friday when Smokey (Chris Tucker) refused to come back for both sequels. In the middle of Friday, Epps/Cube did a so-so unrelated film together called All About the Benjamins. It was fair, but not something I could see myself watching again. Same with this.

My point is Janky Promoters has two comedic actors that deserve way better than this. I'm shocked Janky Promoters 2 is already in the works. To my knowledge, this film was released in theaters VERY limitedly. It got minimal viewing, and was released to DVD. This, apparently, is in it's unfinished state. Cube said that it was released without his knowledge while he was planning a wider release. Whether this is finished or not, I doubt a few minor changes would've benefited it.

About the sequel? Why would you make a sequel to a film that flopped majorly and did extremely poor? It only made a little over $9000 with a $10 million dollar budget. I guess Jeezy, Cube, and Epps have a respectable net worth that one flop can't hurt too much.

Janky Promoters doesn't do it's job of being a good comedy. It's a movie with small giggles, and poor acting. With names like Ice Cube and Mike Epps stamped on the DVD cover you'd think the film would be hilarious. But just like All About the Benjamins, it's so cute and harmless it's forgettable. What a shame. This could've been a very funny, three/three and a half star film. It's like a movie that doesn't take itself seriously. Sort of like...Last Resort? Starring: Ice Cube, Mike Epps, Young Jeezy, and Darris Love. Directed by: Marcus Raboy.