To be honest, I really don't care who started it, and it makes no difference that it may still be grounded in some sort of reality or that people find it funny. I now officially declare that no one can play the nerdy white dude who thinks he's a stereotypical, black, hip-hop player.
It's not that it's offensive (meaning in a racial and not artistic sense) or mean to such people if they really exist. It's that its comedic attributes -- if they ever existed at all -- are now completely tapped out and the portrayal has become the equivalent of one of those obnoxious "Saturday Night Live" skit personas that just won't go away. No more humor can ever be derived from it and therefore no one, be it in the movies, on TV or anywhere in the world in person should ever portray such a character again. Period. Finis. It's now the law.
And that's especially true after seeing such a character in "In the Mix." No, it's not the big screen version of such an "SNL" skit (although it's just as bad as many of them with the comedy falling flat and the dramatic elements being second-rate, if that). Instead, it's a dramedy of sorts that tries to combine cinematic elements of the hip-hop world (in which such a character exists) with that of the Italian mafia movie -- you know, the stuff that's seemingly inspired "gangsta" rappers.
So, not only does the film contain one of those annoying hip-hop wannabes who speaks, moves and dresses like such a stereotypical artist/person, but it's also been beaten to the above combo punch by none other than "Shark Tale," the underwater, computer animated film where Will Smith's hip-hop fish interacted with De Niro's, mafioso shark.
That said, it's once saving grace -- in terms of possible box office and later video rentals and sales -- is that is has the mega popular, hip-hop superstar, Usher (a.k.a. Usher Raymond IV). And for his fans (especially those naturally inclined to swoon over his baby face and chiseled bod), this could very well be Heaven since the film is all Usher, all the time. Whether spinning the tunes as a local deejay, appearing shirtless, making out with the ladies, or taking care of business, the 27-year-old is right up there for everyone to see.
For the rest of us whose pulses remain constant whenever in the Big U's presence, the film -- that wants to be something of an updated version of "The Bodyguard" (with the real life singer's role and the races reversed) -- may be more like Hell. Or at least purgatory, as this nearly 100-some minute film feels like forever as it goes through its predictable motions without any sense or originality, unexpectedness or forward momentum.
As directed by Ron Underwood ("The Adventures of Pluto Nash," "City Slickers") from a script by screenwriter Jacqueline Zambrano (making her big screen debut after penning all sorts of TV show episodes), the film shuffles along from one predictable plot point to the next. But, it seems to take forever in doing so, all as the viewer has already figured out how the movie unfolds and ends, walked out to the car and driven home before the next story development occurs.
And although he's the star attraction, it's not completely Usher's fault. He has appeared in other films before -- such as "Texas Rangers" and "Light it Up" -- so this isn't one of those first time out of the gate fiascos. Of course, I don't really recall him in those or any of the other films in which he previously appeared, so any comparisons of acting style or abilities is moot.
That said, he (or at least his character) almost seems dazed throughout this offering. His expressive range is pretty much limited and he's probably the least engaging protagonist you'll find in any such film of recent (that is, as long as you're not one of those hearts aflutter fans). Of course, the lame script does him no favors, but it seems doubtful that even with an award-winning team behind the camera that any sort of great performance could have been pulled out of him.
Then again, he's acting against Emmanuelle Chriqui who might match him attractive feature for attractive feature, but her character as written is a mess. A mafia princess role can be compelling if done right (see Jamie-Lynn DiScala as Meadow in HBO's "The Sopranos"), but the girl's father could have easily been a trash man or the President of the U.S., just as long as she felt burdened by what she perceived as unfair and unnecessary smothering in the name of worried, fatherly protection.
The problem for Chriqui, though, is that her character's motivation and attitudes change at the drop of a hat (or, more precisely, due to the needs of the screenplay for conflict of some sort at any given moment). Accordingly, she doesn't like Usher's character, then she does, then she doesn't and so forth, almost as if she's playing the petal-picking "He loves me, He love me not" game.
While the faux interpersonal dramatic conflict might engage prepubescent girls, for everyone else, it will do nothing but serve as yet another irritant offered up by the film. And that goes along with Kevin Hart seemingly doing the best Chris Tucker impersonation he can muster; the stereotypical but amazingly underdeveloped Italian mob characters and story elements (what is Chazz Palminteri doing in this mess); young Isis Faust being present simply to be fascinated by Usher's character's love life (at one point asking Chriqui if she and Usher have "done the nasty") and much, much more.
With wild behavioral swings from some of the characters, attractive but boring and bored looking leads, and an insipid, flat and utterly predictable and then forgettable plot, not to mention the aforementioned "I'm pretty fly for a white guy" character, "In the Mix" might not be the absolute worst thing you'll see all year, but it's not for its lack of trying. It rates as a 3 out of 10.
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