Movie Review: First Sunday

First Sunday (2008) 

Directed by David E. Talbert 

Written by David E. Talbert

Starring Ice Cube, Katt Williams, Keith David, Regina Hall, Chi McBride

Release Date January 11th, 2008

Published January 11th, 2008

I guess it was bound to happen. Success always leads to lame copies of that success. Now that Tyler Perry is a huge moneymaker with his series of soft headed, soft hearted, well intentioned comedies, it had to happen that someone would rip him off. Enter the good folks behind the new Ice Cube-Tracey Morgan comedy First Sunday.

This lame comedy about bumbling thieves trying to rob a church but finding god instead has a premise that Perry likely would not have touched but a simpleminded message about community and family that he damn near has a patent on.

Durrell (Ice Cube) has been the victim of his pal LeeJohn's (Tracey Morgan) follies since they were kids. Thus, it isn't much of a surprise when LeeJohn gets them both fired from a good job, repairing televisions. Caught trying to steal a TV, the two are sent to court where a helpful judge and prosecutor give us the character snapshots we need, you know the kind a better movie need not deliver with such an obvious device. Apparently, Durrell was the smartest kid in his graduating class but has failed his potential. LeeJohn was a forster kid, repeatedly abused. Sympathetic, the judge forgoes jail in favor of 5000 hours of community service.

This makes getting a job a pretty tough proposition. Durrell needs money bad because his baby mama (the movies words, not mine, sigh) is leaving soon and taking their son to her family in Atlanta. She'll stay if he can pay the 17 grand in rent for her beauty shop. LeeJohn meanwhile crosses some Jamaican gang members and now needs money to keep himself from being killed. The solution? They decide to rob a church. Stumbling on a church meeting where the elders are deciding whether to move the church from this bad neighborhood, our erstwhile heroes now have a hostage situation on their hands while their well meaning captives bicker and pray.

First Sunday is a tuneless mess of a movie. One moment Durrell and LeeJohn are bumbling stooges and the next Ice Cube is wielding a weapon as if flashing back to his Boyz In the Hood days. The lapses of tone are one of many problems for this misguided comedy. There is also a whole lot of casual homophobia and a vapid subplot about a church deacon, Michael Beach, stealing the money from the church before Durrell and LeeJohn ever get the chance. Naturally, among the church hostages there is the proper mix of sassy attitude, beatific certitude and sage wisdom. Oh, and of course, a token love interest.

As I am trashing this movie I should mention one nice thing about it. Comedian Katt Williams, whose concert DVD American Hustle is insanely hot at the moment, takes on the Wanda Sykes role here and does her proud. For the uninitiated, directors often hire Ms. Sykes to offer humorous commentary in the form of sassy one liners that only she can hear.

Watch Evan Almighty or Monster In Law for perfect examples of the Wanda Sykes role. The movies aren't funny but her one liners often fool one into thinking they are. Williams nearly pulls the same neat trick with his perfectly timed jibes and fey cowardice. I must give him credit, he made me laugh repeatedly even as I was bored to death with the rest of the movie.

With it's faux good intentions and religious underpinnings, it's clear that First Sunday wants to ape the pious good intentions of Tyler Perry but lack the understanding and care that Perry brings to even his cheapest efforts. Perry's good intentions are why he makes movies, he truly wants to change the world and see's movies as his avenue to creating social change.

First Sunday simply wants to make money off those good intentions. It plays at being good for you, pretends at a do the right thing attitude but the greedy nature of it all is obvious from the lack of care taken in crafting the feel good messages.

Tyler Perry may not be a great filmmaker but atleast he is honest in his good intentions and with his last film, Why Did I Get Married, he even showed improvement in his artistic side. First Sunday is merely a cynical attempt to make money off the formula that Perry created. How sad.