In the tradition of Martin Lawrence and Chris Tucker, once again we have a black man making a buffoon of himself for cheap, weak laughs. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you scored a gig like Charlie’s Angels. There is not a whole lot of roles out there for black actors, so I understand that if you want to make it in Hollywood, you can’t afford to be too selective. I understand that, honestly.
But damn! Did you look at the script before you signed on the cast? Or were you too blinded by dollar signs to read the shit they’d have you doing? It should have been patently obvious after reading your first three lines that you were going to be assigned the role of loud, unsophisticated, cowardly, brainless, quick to scream, easily amazed, “I come from the hood”, Brutha Man Bosley. It’s the same stereotype that entertainment execs love using as The Black Sidekick Model, because for some strange reason, they think its actually funny.
Why didn’t you tell them that it’s not funny? Being a comedian, surely you have an appreciation for the art of making people laugh; can’t you see that The Black Sidekick Model has become stale and should have been put in the scrap heap a long time ago? Maybe I’m giving you too much credit by expecting you to actually care about the roles you play. But I’m sick of seeing the same minstrel show routine every time I see a comedy with a black man in a predominately white cast. Going the route you’re taking, you will never gain the kind of respect that makes people legendary. People should laugh at your humor, not at how foolish you look.
Okay, so maybe I’m making a mountain out of molehill. I’m really not a hypersensitive person, honestly. It’s just that the lack of originiality is epidemic these days, and I’m taking my frustations out on you, Mr. Mac. Maybe I just don’t “get” your humor, and maybe I’m wrong in believing that your character in Charlie’s Angels is a terrible stereotype. Maybe in the grand scheme of things, this is a pointless rant.
Sure, Bernie could tell them the script sucks, and to change this and rewrite that, but then they would tell him to fuck off and get someone else to play the role. He is doing the right thing, not rocking the boat, shutting the fuck up, and collecting a nice paycheck.
Maybe Bernie’s like Martin Lawerance and actually thinks that crap is funny. I can’t see how Charlie’s Angels (or even a blackfaced, shuffling, fried chicken eating, tap dancing, watermelon rind chewing, lazy hick with an incomprehensible southern drawl) could be more cringeworthy than The Martin Lawerance Show.
But I think Chris Tucker is funny. Even in The Fifth Element. Please don’t headroll me me face.
The Black Sidekick Model is usually only seen in crime-fighting movies involving a white hero, like a no-nonsense Bruce Willis type. Since Bad Boys does not have a white hero, there’s no need to employ the shucking 'n jiving black sidekick as a device to further underscore the coolness of the lead character. So no, this rant would not be applied to that movie.
by World Eater
Yeah, 'cause God forbid someone try to stand up for something other than a paycheck.
Hey, World Eater, there’s a difference between doing the right thing and doing the easiest thing. I know its a huge concept to wrap your head around, but at least try.
I’m sorry. This excuse just doesn’t fly. It’s not like Bernie Mac is some no-name actor looking for a check to pay his rent. It can’t be all about the money when you get to the top.
The thing about the Black Sidekick Stereotype is that it is funny the first few times it’s done. Christ Tucker was a mess in “The Fifth Element”, but he was a funny mess. And even though I didn’t see “Rush Hour” and its sequels, I’m sure he was a crack-up then too. But it gets hella tiring after awhile.
I thought the movie with Queen Latifah and Steve Martin had it’s funny parts, but I was disappointed to see my girl steep so low to get a few duckets. It’s not like Queen Latifah isn’t hot right now. So why in the hell did she feel the need to perpetuate every gosh darn stereotype out there about black women? Is the cosmetic gig not working out? Wasn’t she in the successful Chicago? Why was she so desparate? But no one should be surprised. Even Halle Berry played that “humorous” stereotype role in that god-awful movie BAPS. Someone should have “bapped” her over the head for that royal embarrassment.
It gets old, that’s all.
[sub]Biggirl, I can’t even lie. I love me some Martin (not the man, but the show).[/sub]
What, the right thing was to stamp his foot and demand a script rewrite or he wouldn’t accept the role? They would have replaced him with Cedric the entertainer or some other loser so fast his head would have spun.
I think that’s you with the face’s the point. If they want a “token black guy” so much, they can use any “loser” they want. Why would Bernie Mac want to be a “loser”?
Are you saying, WorldEater, that you would be willing to do anything–even if it ruined your reputation as an actor and comedian–just for a single paycheck?
When asked why he made so many crappy movies toward the end of his life Lawrence Olivier said that he had no other legacy for his children than his money so he was going to make as much of it as he could before he died. (can’t find the cite offhand) Perhaps Bernie, as an experienced performer who understands the fleetingness of fame, is out to make what he can while he’s still hot. Can’t blame him; the man has to make a living.
Well, Mack does have his own show. It’s been on the air longer than a year, which is pretty damn good for a show with an all black cast. I would expect that he has some clout. Maybe not as much as a Demi Moore type, but something that may work as currency behind-the-scenes. I think the right thing for him to do would have been to use that weight to control the representation of his character a little bit better, instead of just saying “yassuh boss, whatevah you say.” And no, I’m not saying that’s what he did. But judging from his performance, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what he did.
Get a grip, the man made a stupid movie as did his co-stars Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz, and Drew Berrymore. I’m sorry he let you down for not being as much a credit to his race as you’d like him to be. There could have been many reasons why he agreed to the project.
[ul]
[li]Sometimes a movie with a decent script can end up being poor for a variety of reasons. [/li][li]He thought it would be good for his career to be involved in a successful big budget movie even if it was stupid.[/li][li]Or maybe he just thought it was a funny movie so why turn down the bucks?[/li][/ul]
funny this is brought up, cuz A&E just did a Biography on him. and you know you’re SOMEBODY when A&E does a biography on you. I was happy to see that they showed his life BEFORE Kings of Comedy and the Bernie Mac show and how he struggled for years to get to where he’s at today.
I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I thought the brotha had come up with his role in a mainstream movie playing the infamous Bosley, but it sounds like all he’s doing is taking the paycheque. Hopefully, he did it to get his name out internationally with the Charlie’s Angels franchise…maybe he’s looking to do some work in Japan or England or something. Hopefully, he’ll take better roles after this one.
p.s
is it just me or do them girls make you want to shoot them whenever they do interviews with all that goo goo ga ga shit they’re always doing???!!!