Somewhere in Hollywood, there must be some sort of unwritten law that any movie featuring a prominently black cast must revolve around at least one of these things - Family, religion, road trips, love, or a black comic actor dressed in drag and a fat suit. Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins hits upon all of these notes, except the last one thankfully. Quite frankly, given how derivative this movie is of many films quite like it, I kept on waiting for Tyler Perry's Madea character to pop up any second. Given the fact that the movie contains a talented director and supporting cast, I walked into the movie with some hope that this would be something I've been searching for some time now - a funny Martin Lawrence movie. The quest continues.

Roscoe Jenkins (Martin Lawrence) is known to the world as Dr. RJ Stevens, the host of a trashy talk show that seems to be a cross between Dr. Phil and Jerry Springer. He's got fame, an overly superficial fiance named Bianca (Joy Bryant), and a young son from a previous relationship (Damani Roberts). His fast-paced L.A. lifestyle has forced him to lose contact with his family back home in Georgia, but when the 50th anniversary of his parents (James Earl Jones and Margaret Avery) comes around, Bianca talks him into attending the family reunion party, thinking a show about his family would be good for ratings. Roscoe quickly learns that while he may be a celebrity to the rest of the world, to his family, he's still the same person he was growing up - insecure and desperate for attention. Roscoe is reunited with his extended family including older brother Otis (Michael Clarke Duncan), fast-talking cousin Reggie (Mike Epps), overweight, straight-talking sister Betty (Mo'Nique), and most importantly, cousin Clyde (Cedric the Entertainer). Since they were children, Roscoe has had an extremely competitive relationship with Clyde. The fact that Clyde arrives at the party with a girl Roscoe has secretly pined for since he was a teenager named Lucinda (Nicole Ari Parker) only rekindles the competitive spirit within Roscoe, and the family weekend turns into a battle of respect for everyone involved.

Writer-director Malcolm D. Lee (Roll Bounce, Undercover Brother) hasn't been making films for very long, but he comes from a talented family, as he is directly related to filmmaker Spike Lee. Unlike his more famous cousin, Malcolm Lee usually specializes in smaller films that are supposed to be fun. I've admired most of his past films, but with Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, he seems to be bogged down with expectations. He knows what is expected in a family reunion comedy, and makes no attempt whatsoever to break free of the norm. Softball games, obstacle course races, food fights, and lots of old family secrets being discussed and brought up are the nature of the game with the screenplay. Since the movie is set in the country, he can throw in some country cliches as well, such as having Roscoe getting sprayed in the face by a skunk. There's not a single moment we can't see ahead of the characters, not a joke we can see coming a mile away, and not a single instant to have the cast mug their faces for the camera is wasted. Things get so broad with most of the cast bulging their eyes, waving their arms, and twisting their faces with such extreme force that you start to think there was a contest on the set to see who could overact the most. It makes the later scenes, when the movie tries to go for a low key and sentimental approach with Roscoe having unfinished personal issues with his father, seem awkward and out of place.

The movie's message is supposed to be you can go home again, and that family is more important than success and material possessions. While I think its heart is in the right place, I don't know why Roscoe, or anyone for that matter, would want to get back in touch with this family. The entire supporting cast have been directed to act almost as live action cartoon characters, except for the parents, who pretty much spend most of the time in the background, except for when Roscoe's mom accidentally gets hit in the head by a stray softball during a family game. They're loud, obnoxious buffoons who are prone to getting into slapstick fights, such as the lengthy and childish wrestling match Roscoe and Clyde get into, which winds up destroying part of the family home. The movie never really seems sure as to why we're supposed to like the Jenkins. Aside from his obviously gold-digging fiance, there didn't seem to be anything terrible about his successful life. I guess we're supposed to be happy that Roscoe gets to go after Lucinda, who is obviously much better suited for him. I would be happy if it didn't take Roscoe nearly the entire length of the movie to realize this. As is standard with the Idiot Plot, the male and female leads are not allowed to realize what the audience realizes 10 minutes in until near the end.

Looking at his credits on the IMDB, I notice that Martin Lawrence has been given starring roles in movies for a little over ten years now. Looking over that list, I've seen just about all of them, and there's only one that I remember remotely fondly. That would be Life, a 1999 comedy-drama he did with Eddie Murphy. I have never found Lawrence to be very funny, or that interesting of an actor. As Roscoe Jenkins, he doesn't so much act, as he simply bugs out his eyes and flairs his nostrils whenever something happens to him. He basically exists in this movie to be abused and humiliated by the supporting cast or by small animals. Lawrence is never sympathetic enough for us to want to see him rise above the problems the movie faces him with. The only actor who leaves the movie with any sort of dignity intact is James Earl Jones, who seems to be appearing in a different movie than everyone else. The movie he's in is much more thoughtful and sweet. It's a shame he's kept in the background for a good part of the film, as whenever he's on the screen, the movie picks up ever so slightly. To my shock, this is Jones' first live action role (meaning not a voice acting role) on the big screen since 1996's A Family Thing. I don't know where he's been all this time, but it's great to see him again, and I wish it could have been under better circumstances.

With a nearly two hour running time, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins long overstays its welcome. A movie where the comedic highlight is two dogs making wild love does not need to be almost as long as your standard Oscar-bait epic. The movie's climax concerns Roscoe making a surprise visit at his parents' anniversary dinner, where he makes a heartfelt speech about love and family. Severed ties are repaired, relationships are rekindled, and the movie is over. The last part was my favorite.

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