|
The Honeymooners |
Irish filmed feature ‘The Honeymooners’, starring Cedric The Entertainer and Mike Epps, has received a cold reception from US critics and audiences earning just over €5million at the US box office this weekend.
|
‘The Honeymooners’ is an updated movie version of the classic Jackie Gleason television series of the same name. With scenes shot in Ireland during the summer of 2004, the film is directed by John Schultz and produced by David T. Friendly who also produced the 2004 Pierce Brosnan Irish feature ‘Laws of Attraction’.
The original 1950’s TV series has been reworked for the big screen. Now with an all black cast, Cedric The Entertainer plays a cranky bus driver who clashes with his wife Alice over a series of get-rich-quick schemes. Most critics agree the movie has little in common with the much loved television series.
“The epitome of screen comedy (to say nothing of racial panic) at the end of its tether, this appalling multiculti upgrade of the ’50s sitcom is about as funny as a bus accident,” says LA Weekly’s Scott Foundas. “A couple of bursts of inspired physical comedy notwithstanding, the normally unflappable Cedric (who also executive-produced) goes through the film plastered with a how’d-I-get-myself-into-this look on his face — as does the audience” he continues.
Change may be good for the characters, but not necessarily for the audience," writes A.O. Scott in the New York Times.
“Borrowing the name but little else from a famous comedy brand, ‘The Honeymooners’ starring Cedric the Entertainer is a lackluster affair, devoid of laughs and just about anything else one might construe as entertainment,” says Kirk Honeycutt of the Hollywood Reporter.
The plot lines and script (penned by Danny Jacobson, Don Rhymer, David Sheffield and Julie Durk) also come under attack.
“It's not as bad as the average Hollywood movie, it's stupendously worse”, says the Boston Globe. The US Daily News reads; “There is no reason for it to exist other than cashing in on a brand name. There are new ideas here. Scratch that: There are no ideas here, period,” giving it a rating of one and a half stars.
However, there were some positive responses from heavyweight publications such as Variety and The Chicago Sun Times. The former says: "The Honeymooners" is just funny enough to mollify purists and amuse the uninitiated… the lightweight comedy earns far more chuckles than guffaws, but no pained groans at all.” While Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times says the film is “A surprise and a delight, a movie that escapes the fate of weary TV retreads and creates characters that remember the originals, yes, but also stand on their own." The Seattle Times writes: "Cedric the Entertainer comes close to sharing Gleason's gift for, well, entertaining. He's the biggest reason this version of The Honeymooners is such an amusing surprise."
‘The Honeymooners’ opened on 1,912 US screens last weekend earning €5.8million, taking 7th place in the box office charts. The film is scheduled for release in Ireland through UIP on the 2nd of September 2005.
