Starring Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Tracey Cherelle Jones, Vivian Smallwood, Chris Spencer, Keenen Ivory Wayans
Written By: Phil Beauman, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans
Directed By: Paris Barclay
Studio: Disney/ Buena Vista
Buy on Amazon.com

The Miramax Collectors Series Unrated “Don’t Be A Menace to South Central While Drinking your Juice in the Hood” with all new bonus material is now available. Winner of four Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Cinematography & Best Actor; the film that defined a generation is now available to bring home today. Actually, I don’t think this movie ever won a thing, but it is hilarious. I can watch it over and over again, laughing out loud each time. I am trying desperately not to fill this review with quotes from the movie. If you haven’t seen the movie, you’re not going to find reading lines from it that funny. Well, maybe just one to peak your interest. This is the response when the main protagonist inquires about the health of his friend’s elderly grandmother. “Oh, my ol’ stinky ass is just fine. I got some arthritis in my trigger finger, but I can still stick and move. That beating the po-lice gave me didn’t slow me down a bit.” All right, one quote, I couldn’t help it.

This was Shawn and Marlon Wayans breakout movie. No longer were they Keenan and Damon’s little brothers. They had already began to establish themselves with “The Wayans Bros” on the WB, but this really put them over the top in 1996. It was a parody, albeit a few years too late, of a lot of the early 90’s African-American movies that were set in South-Central Los Angeles (i.e. Boyz N the Hood, Menace II Society, South Central, and many others.) It follows the story of “Ash Tray” (Shawn Wayans) and his return to the hood he grew up in, his friends, and his adventures in love with Dashiki (Swahili for “Doggy-Style”) All right, one more quote. “Now kids, what do you say to a man that mommy just met?” Kids: “Are you my daddy?”

If I had a nickel for every time I watched this movie and CB4 (Message!! I’ll review that too!) my freshman year of college… I’d have a lot of nickels. It makes fun of stereotypes of all races; it shows that all stereotypes can be funny. The sight gags in this movie are phenomenal, as well as the one-liners. The little things in this movie really put it over the top. They make fun of teenage parenthood by making Ash Tray’s father younger than he is, they make fun of police brutality by having Bernie Mac perfectly portray a black cop who hates black people and he’s not afraid to let them know. He goes into a whole speech, “I hate your black skin. I hate black pants. I hate black pepper. I hate black keys on a piano.” He elaborates more, than wraps it up with, “Most of all, I hate that black-ass Wesley Snipes.”

The new extras on this release are funny, but forgettable. It is a deleted scene, “The Interrogation,” and two segments put together for the collectors edition. Like most deleted scenes, you have to appreciate them for what they’re worth. These are scenes that didn’t make it the first time… or in this case, the first two times, so don’t expect them to blow your mind.

I’m a bit of a simpleton when it comes to my favorite comedies. I like short, sweet jokes. If you like Naked Gun, Airplane, and Scary Movie (just the first one), then you should be all over this movie. If you felt that Mel Gibson was too old to play Hamlet, but powerfully convincing nonetheless… you might want to leave this movie alone.

I can’t write a review without including a quote from my favorite scene of the movie. Ash Tray’s best friend, Loc Dog, is applying for a job and the interviewer is going over the application, “Well I see your hobbies include drinkin’, smoking weed, and all kinds of ill shit?” Yeah, that was a heavily quoted line in college. Bottom line: If dick and fart jokes are your thing, you won’t be disappointed.

Features:
Deleted Scene “The Interrogation”
The Wayans Brothers Behind the Scenes
Hood Movie Gumbo

Audio:
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo CC

Video:
Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic)

Subtitles:
Spanish, French

Favorite Scenes:
Rating: NR
Running Time: 89 minutes
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating: