‘The Cookout’ lacks substance

Sat., Sept. 4, 2004

Roger Moore The Orlando Sentinel

Don’t go to “The Cookout” looking for “Soul Food.” Queen Latifah’s naked grab for that magic “Barber Shop” black comedy audience lacks flavor, laughs and insight.

It’s a comedy that wants to say something about family in all its odd shapes and sizes, and cookouts as fellowship. But it’s about as spicy as oatmeal.

Quran Pender is an NBA bonus baby, a number one draft pick talked into moving out of mom’s house and living large in Jersey. Meagan Good is Brittany, the gold digger who drags him away from Lady Em, his mom (Jenifer Lewis).

He’s moving on up, finally got a piece of the pie — all that jazz. And there’s a big paycheck in his near future.

But his agent (Jonathan Silverman) has set up the endorsement meeting on the same day as a cookout he’s throwing for the family in his new, gated community. Uptight white people, meet your new black neighbors — and their chitterlings.

That’s the joke. Readers who remember “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” “Good Times” and the like are excused at this point.

Queen Latifah produced this and earned a story credit, and takes a mostly-unfunny supporting role as a nutty rent-a-cop at the gate of the gated community.

Assorted D-listers show up as relatives. And Danny Glover and Farrah Fawcett play a buttoned-down married couple next door who have to learn to loosen up.

This is “Next Friday” without the guts to show its pot-happy characters smoking a joint (we only see smoke), the same flatulence and poo-poo jokes, and distressingly little cooking and family bonding.

Novice director Lance Rivera is best known as a business associate of the late rapper Biggie Smalls. He can’t find anything worth focusing on here. The jokes are played out and the cast (Ja Rule gets top billing, as a “funny” thug) is made up of acting novices and cast-offs from failed sitcoms. They fail to amuse.

Real cookouts are more fun, even when you only have them because your power is off and you have to empty the fridge.

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