Comic skits are short for a reason: sharp humor is difficult to sustain. Yet In Living Color cast members Shawn and Marlon Wayans decided to parody the ‘hood movie genre with a full-length feature film. It's an ambitious project that hits as much as it misses. On returning to the ‘hood, Ashtray (Shawn Wayans) hooks up with his homies and embarks on an urban adventure filled with assault weapons, beepers, and cell phones. Most impressive are the visual gags--background homeboys wear their pants around their ankles, a ‘hood granny drives the mother of all low-riders, and the hairdos get wilder and more ridiculous as the film progresses. It's no Airplane, but it definitely has its moments. Optional. (L. Russo)[DVD Review—Sept. 20, 2005—Miramax, 89 min., not rated, $19.95—Making its second appearance on DVD, 1996's Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood: Unrated—Collector's Series sports a nice transfer with Dolby Digital surround sound. DVD extras include two featurettes: one behind-the-scenes featurette (4 min.) and another called “Hood Movie Gumbo” (5 min.), which share similar clips and interviews and look like promotional pieces from the film's release; a deleted scene entitled “The Interrogation” (2 min.); and trailers. Bottom line: if you have the original release—which was optional to begin with—there's not much reason to add this feeble “collector's series” edition.]
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
(Miramax, 89 min., R, avail. Oct. 22) Vol. 11, Issue 5
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
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