Foolish (1999)

Comedian Eddie Griffin looks like a skinny, rabbit-toothed Tupac Shakur. He's a tightly wired rapscallion who seems to have an electric current of rage running through him, and in FOOLISH, there's a good bit near the end in which his character, an aspiring comic named Foolish Waise, performs his stand-up act, riffing on such topics as slavery, booty, the fearful follies of white people, and the time he spent in a mental ward after trying to get himself bounced out of the Army. Griffin isn't above lifting a few jokes from other sources (or is that just a hip-hop comic's version of sampling?), but he has his own raspy, cajoling street style. The movie, unfortunately, is alive only when he's on stage.

Written and executive-produced by the rap impresario Master P, ''Foolish'' is a groggy and rudderless affair that can't even get its showbiz cliches straight. One minute, our hero is a hard-driving player who boldly preserves his integrity by rejecting a movie studio's offer to portray a drag queen. The next, he's a wine-guzzling sorehead who pointlessly squares off against his older brother -- played by Master P, whose acting technique consists of sullenly flashing his gold caps.

You Might Also Like

• Movie Review Foolish (1999) | Owen Gleiberman
• Movie Review Redline (Apr 13, 2007) | Gregory Kirschling
• Movie Review My Baby's Daddy (Jan 09, 2004) | Scott Brown
• News Summary Winona Ryder is arrested for shoplifting (Jul 20, 2001) | Gary Susman
• Reel World Kate Hudson considers Scrabble pic | Rebecca Ascher-Walsh
• Summer Movie Spotlight Mike Myers: Man of mystery | Josh Rottenberg