On a very different note,
The commercials and previews had most critics shaking their heads, anticipating another disposable sketch-comedy disaster. Most, however, have been pleasantly surprised, and some are even raving about the film. Several have claimed it is funnier than any of the Austin Powers movies, and audiences gave it a welcome warm enough to have movie columnists talking about a sequel. But religious media critics are preoccupied with criticisms of the language, skimpy costumes, and base humor—things it would be very difficult to avoid in any effective lampoon of a genre fraught with such things.
Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) finds that the film has some virtues: "Whether poking fun at the white man's attempts to incorporate black culture into his own or skewering many of the black man's images of himself, the film has crossover appeal for audiences of all races. Within this good-natured but sometimes risqué film lies a considerable amount of honesty in the way it ridicules stereotypes. Too often, our perception of an entire culture or race is based on a lack of experiential knowledge." Elliott compliments Griffin and his co-stars. And he notes that the plenteous sexual innuendoes are "equivalent to the films which serve as source material for its spoofs," just as the split-screen effects, slow-motion action, and funky soundtrack lampoon the originals.
The USCCB critic says, "While the colorful costumes and props are a hoot, the threadbare script settles for lowest-common-denominator humor that lacks wit but has comic-book violence to spare."
Phil Boatwright says the film "has some funny moments, but often falters with too many
But the newspapers are dancing to that funky music. Rene Rodriguez (Miami Herald) says, "It takes some very smart people to make a dumb comedy as outrageously funny as
Mark Caro (