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----- 3 -§ p | 1 IT A hc Gt AN A = 5 I TA, 2 SR Em i a RE vm hil oA I A MONA 7 CME Te per J 5 3 PORT PERRY "WEEKEND STAR" FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2000 - 25 Big Mama's got some mild laughs, but we've seen it all before From Page 9 formances of the interna- tional cast and direction of Woo, the film is an impos- sibly fine entrtainment. Big Mama's House (xx) Comedy is a very per- sonal art form; what makes you laugh may not work on me and vice versa. My favourite form of comedy is black, dark humour that is used in exploring taboo topics, yet I also love slap- stick if done well. | never much liked Groucho Marx or The Three Stooges, but howl when | see Monty Python send up the life of Christ in The Life of Brian (1979). | remember instant respect developing for Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie (1982) because the actor took a farcical role and made it incredibly moving. And | must confess to not getting Adam Sandler. Martin Lawrence strikes me as Eddie Murphy Light. Murphy dominated the mid-80s box office charts with films such as Beverly Hills Cop (1984) and Coming to America (1988), finally fading from view when audiences realized it was the same perfom- rance over and over. Eddie made a career portraying the smart-aleck black man: who shows up the white folks and in doing so, makes a mockery of his people. Is it a coincidence that great actors such as Angela Bassett, Morgan Freeman, Lawrence Fishburne and Denzel Washington rose in the business after Murphy fell? They created real people, not a gross caricature that offended people. | admire Murphy's stand up work because it is lethally funny and he attacks everyone, including black deities such as Michael Jackson and James Brown. His work in films however became redunant far too soon. Yes he made a terrific come- back in 1996 with his hys- terically funny and moving perfomrance in The Nutty Professor, winning the National Society of Film Critics Award for best actor in the process. A sequel to that film is due in a few weeks, with Murphy again tackling several roles. Martin Lawrence is a tal- ented comic, perhaps lack- ing the edge of Murphy, but talented in his own right. Why he is modeling his career after Murphy is something of a mystery to oDr. J. Cottrell «Dr. J. Hardy Dr. L. Gideon + Dr. C. Banfield ¢ Dr. L. Poranganel * Dr. H. Dewar + Dr. T. King (Orthodontist) e Dr. T. Mcintyre (Periodontist) --Today's Smile... -- The man who doesn't read books has no advantage over the man who can't read them. Dental Care For The Entire Family Evening & Saturday Appointments Available Please Call 985-8451 Visit our website: www.iluvmydentist.com FOIA PIZZA, SUBS ® SWINGS 80 Witter St, Port [Permy 985-8448 a a a Ua Ai al hati 0) me; Murphy had his time and blew it, does Lawrence wish to do the same? His new picture Big Mama's House seems to be an Eddie Murphy movie with- out Murphy as the star. Think about it. Murphy made The Nutty Professor (1996) earning rave reviews for portraying not only Sherman Klump, the obese scientist, but also Buddy Love (really the Eddie Murphy person- ae of the eighties) and most of Sherman's family, including his mother, father, and uncle. His work as the mother was posi- tively hystrical, in particu- lar the now legendary din- ner scene (Hercules, DISPOSAL Hercules...) So here we have Martin Lawrence in a film that requires him to wear layers of make up for his part as, who else, Big Mama. The perfomance rings of familiarity because we have seen Eddie Murphy do it (and better) in a previous film. Big Mama's House attempts to merge ele- ments of Tootsie (1982), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and The Nutty Professor (1996), as Lawrence portrays a hot- shot FBI detective, some- what famous as a master of disguise. His latest assignment brings him to a small south- ern town where he hopes to capture a recently SERVICES i4 pc i & a MI | BINS DISPOSAL CONTAINERS FOR THE HOMEOWNER o Perfect For Small Jobs Spring Cleaning, Renovating, Roofing For more information about our Same Day Service call... Mobile (905) 426-0637 * 985-6505 THIEN sion * Fits Anywhere Se 5 ih Lx | $1599 E: \ ¥ > ot A classic 20 pc 77}. : { J 5 aii ny eh Fae Cinnt, 20 pe 1 99 = Ask About 1] escaped convict known for his brutal bank robberies. He sets up a stakeout across the street from the home of a tough old south- ern matriarch known as Big Mama, who is about to be visited by Sherry and her young son. Sherry is the former flame of the man Malcolm hopes to capture, and when Big Mama leaves town, Malcolm swings into action impersonating the cantankerous old woman, transforming himself into the soul food cooking, baby birthing lady. The problem is he finds himself falling hard for Sherry and knows he must find a way to get his man...and the lady he loves. OK, it's a sweet-natured enough film with some mild laughs, but we have seen it before. Lawrence does fine work as Big Mama, but is using material that is mere- ly being recycled for him rather than striking out with an original approach. Director Raja Gosnell takes the pedestrian style of direction and merely lets his star do whatever he wishes which ruined the career of Eddie Murphy. Lawrence must be made aware a film is a team effort, and while he may be the star, he needs the people around him. [_ SCUGOG FINANCIAL _! NY AY (0 ON IA OF IT'S WORTH THE DRIVE TO PORT PERRY! SEY VAA NRE = DR INAVASESH HIV I <4 VB RSH wannonts 0 Annual Rates © GIC BRSP 6.300% 6.500% 6.550% 2 YEAR CASHABLE 5.250% 6.250% 6.500% 6.500% 6.500% 6.650% AFTER 120 DAYS MINIMUM $1,000. 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