Two opposing cultures clash in this not very funny movie starring Lisa Kudrow and Damon Wayans.
--Randy
Marci X
Directors: Richard Benjamin
Producers: Scott Rudin
Writers: Paul Rudnick
Features: n/a
Characters:
Marci Feld...Lisa Kudrow
Dr. S...Damon Wayans
Ben Feld...Richard Benjamin
Senator Mary Ellen Spinkle...Christine Baranski
Lauren Farb...Jane Krakowski
Yolando Quinones...Paula Garces
Genre: Comedy
Review:
Marci X is three years late. Everyone is talking about the National Enquirer posterboy Ashton Kutcher and his movie, "My Boss's Daughter." This movie was made two years ago and was so bad the studio shelved it until the studio honchos could think of something to do with it. Since August is the month of throwaway movies that are unceremoniously dumped on the public, Kutcher's movie was thrown out, sink or swim. The studio is praying that his recent nortoriety can translate to popularity and box office salvation. With "Marci X," I don't know quite what to make of the decision to release this movie now. It does have Kutcher's movie beat as this movie is supposed to be a year longer on the shelf. Why release it now? Maybe it's a do or die situation. The television show "Friends" is definitely on its' last year and Lisa Kudrow is never likely to be as 'current' as she is again. Damon Wayans though not 'hot' is not cold with the recent success of his "Scary Movie" franchise. Rap music is still hot, but as in every trend, next year may not. So, with prayer beads in hand Paramount Studios has released "Marci X."
This movie starts out as a white, Jewish 'princess' named Marci Feld(Lisa Kudrow) is holding an awards presentation for her businessman dad, Ben Feld played by Richard Benjamin("Goodby, Columbus") who functions as the director as well. Marci has incorporated the event as a fund raiser for one of the many charities she passes her time with such as Marci Care and Marci House. Unexpectedly the awards ceremony screen breaks to a live newscast of Senator Mary Ellen Spinkle(Christine Baranski) leading a demonstration against Felony Records which is a subsidiary of one of the many corporations that Ben Feld owns. Ben Feld's name is condemned on television for owning this label whose major act is Dr. S(Damon Wayans), a foul-mouthed, foul-smelling, black rapper who is known for songs like "Shoot The Teacher." Ben Feld collapses with a heart attack and wakes up in the hospital grounded from any type of communication device that could bring on a relapse. Lamenting to Marci that he has no son to handle the situation only gets Marci sparked up. She decides to meet with Dr. S and get him to give a public apology so that the heat will be off her dad's holdings.
The plot is stupid. Basically poor, rich, sheltered girl meets street wise, street raised, black, bad guy. Reese Witherspoon was able to make a stupid plot like this work in the first "Legally Blonde" movie. It failed in the second as you can't go to the well that often. It fails here too as Lisa Kudrow does not have the necessary cuteness to go along with her naivety. Instead she deadpans her innocence without charm and becomes a joke and boring. She has three white as milk Jewish girlfriends that give the appearance of a back-up chorus group as they are always near her and appear ready to break out into a "She-Bop" or "Doo Run Run." Jane Krakowski of "Ally McBeal" fame is the only recognizable actress in the group, playing girlfriend Lauren Farb.
Damon Wayans plays his role as a badass rapper over the top, but then again with all the excesses of the rap scene maybe he is actually dead on. As rap does not take much musical range, Wayan with his whiney voice, can do a credible job as a rapper. Dr. S's hair is a little large, but the rest of his overladen clothes squeak by. Maybe because he has mainly been known for comedy he cannot pull off the big, bad rapper mystique. His face is too well known for comedy and makes it difficult for him to play his role with any crediblity so that the audience thinks that Marci is in any kind of danger, sexual or otherwise. Later in the movie as a romance fires up between the two, Wayan's face is acceptable as now he is perceived as wimped out by his peers. When his boyz ask what he did last night he sheepishly details that he and Marci rented some DVD's like "Sleepless In Seattle." His face is a perfect picture of embarrassment.
If this movie excells in anything it is in meaness of spirit. "Marci X" is out to offend whether it comes off funny or not. In most cases it does not. Still, it's nice to see a movie that doesn't worry over whose toes it steps on. The main group it takes a slap at are Jews. There has long been a stereotype that Jews hate the brotherz. Where this comes from I do not know. In Austin, Texas about a year ago the Austin Jewish Community Center had a problem. The Center had a booking agent that signed an up and coming young rapper named 50 Cent to perform a concert. The Center sold out. The booking agent did what he was supposed to do, make money. But was the Jewish Community Center happy? No! For some odd reason that was never given to the newspapers, the Jewish Community Center did not want 50 Cent to play there. They did everything they could, but they could not break the contract. 50 Cent played to a mostly black audience and no problems were reported. After the concert the Jewish Community Center amended its' bylaws so that there will never be another concert of any kind held there. See, the Jewish stereotype of only being interested in money proved false.
The movie has Marci X and Dr. S fall in love and Marci's three girlfriends hook up with three of Dr. S's homies. Marci's dad is unaware of all this and when he finds out he is still so dazed from his hospital stay that there is not a noticeable reaction. The movie has fun with gay jokes. There is a young boy group called Boyz R Us that sing in sync with a gay flair. They wear a huge amount of pink and hang on to each other just a little too long. Dr. S takes them and revs them out of the closet and soon they are singing very 'boy' orientated lyrics. Since the movie was shot three years ago, the group the movie is parodying has broken up, but says that they will get back together for a tour in the near future. Fun is poked at Eminem in a gay way, too. Even Senator Spinkle's nine year old son comes out at the end of the movie to be the tour manager for Boyz R Us. There is a oneliner said in a crowd scene making fun of Martha Stewart's troubles. That remark had to be voiced in recently to make this movie appear today as three years ago Martha Stewart was still flying high. There is a parody of JLo in this movie named Yolando(Paula Garces) or YoLo. She is the girl Dr. S dumps for Marci.
Despite a lack of tact, this movie is just not funny. The only thing "Marci X" is good for is to offend people, so if you know some people you want to piss off invite them to the movies or wait for the DVD to come out and invite them to your house.
----Randy