Cedric the Entertainer

  • Johnson Family Vacation (2004)

    Johnson Family Vacation (2004)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On TV, April 2021) It’s not as if Johnson Family Vacation is a particularly smart movie, but its charm is to deliver almost exactly what viewers can expect from its first few minutes. Heck, maybe even from a cast list and the plot premise, as Cedric the Entertainer plays a family dad heading a few states west to attend a family reunion, driving all the way there with his estranged wife (Vanessa Williams), three kids (the two eldest being played by Shad “Bow Wow” Moss and Solange Knowles) and an enormous vehicle with accessories he doesn’t particularly care for. If you’re thinking, “black-cast road trip family comedy, lowest-common denominator,” then I have nothing to add. An episodic comedy in which several segments end with the family running back to their car, Johnson Family Vacation doesn’t aim high, but does hit its targets. Most of the jokes are drawn along very predictable lines, but if director Christopher Erskin has one ounce of wittiness to his plan for the film, it’s in the way he plays with viewers: You know it’s coming and I know it’s coming and let’s see how long we can draw this out. The cast of a few supporting roles occasionally adds interest, whether it’s seeing Steve Harvey as a family antagonist, Shannon Elizabeth as a hitchhiker or Jason Momoa in a small role as a Native American hunk. The incredibly familiar premise will have you wondering if this is a remake of anything, but apparently not — although Cedric the Entertainer seems to be aping his performance on Chevy Chase in the Vacation series. There isn’t much to say about the perfunctory way the film is executed, completely aligned with the way broad comedies are filmed. It’s not much, but Johnson Family Vacation clearly knows what it’s contractually obliged to deliver, and only expends the minimum effort required to do that.

  • Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016)

    Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (Video on Demand, July 2016) It’s not that much of a surprise nor a contradiction if Barbershop: The Next Cut, fourth movie in the Barbershop universe, ends up tackling issues of community and gang violence. While the series’ best moments have almost always been the comic banter between the characters, its most satisfying entries (I’m not looking at you, Beauty Shop) have also highlighted the central place of the barber shop as a community hub, a forum to air out and resolve differences peacefully and a voluntary haven distinct from the outside world. To see this fourth film tackle gang violence in South Chicago and the choice between taking a stand or walking away feels appropriate. More entertainingly, the integrated barbershop is a step forward for the series, showing and profiting from the male and female perspective. Even the belated nature of this instalment, coming ten years after its predecessor, works to its advantage as things have or have not changed in the interim for both the characters and their world. Writer/star Ice Cube knows how to blend the inconsequential with the meaningful, and Barbershop: The Next Cut is as good as any pop-culture indicator of the state of the black community at the end of the Obama administration. (Guess who shows up after the credits roll?) As far as acting is concerned, there is a lot to like here: Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer and Regina Hall are up to their usual standards, while Eve, Common and Nicki Minaj both impress with natural performances. The result is an enjoyable blend of comedy, drama and social criticism, carefully calculated to balance each other. Sometimes, the most interesting commentary doesn’t come from loudspeakers, and Barbershop: The Next Cut is able to deliver some good material while looking as if it’s talking about nothing particularly important.