Black Knight

Call it "A South Central Homeboy in King Arthur's Court"--but call it only occasionally amusing--Black Knight stars Martin Lawrence going back in time to do his outdated it's-a-black-thang shtick for 14th century English royalty. Sucked into the past, he's mistaken for a French ambassador when he says he's from Normandie (a street in Los Angeles). Thus his strange clothes, strange behavior and strange language are explained away as he teaches the medieval locals to boogie, flash gang signs, speak street ("That's tight! Boo-yeah!") and fight like WWF wrestlers. The simple-minded plot is designed to accommodate Lawrence's repertoire of clichéd gags (which strike gold about four times), but it's pretty clear that director Gil Junger (10 Things I Hate About You) put minimal effort into the movie's hit-or-miss humor. Not a necessary purchase. (R. Blackwelder)