Show yR I M i n v pg N A H W Wa iI i I a II i A Natured Good 00 a ure Dud u k t- t f iL fir 4 rl fl S It Itt t F e i IS N o I 1 CI O u t 4 Jy Jonathan Silverman Meagan Good and Storm P in Lions Gates Gate's The Cookout J. J Y k Kevin Thomas Los Las Angeles Times The Cookout is is half- half baked It starts out on a promising satirical note as likable likable lik likable lik- lik able Todd Anderson Anders portrayed portrayed portrayed por por- by Storm P becomes the New Jersey Nets' Nets No 1 draft pick and signs a 30 million contract He assures his nonsense no-nonsense mother Lady Em Jenifer rr hes he's not going to Lewis that ghis change but prompted by his is gold-digging gold S girlfriend irl SJ Brittany Meagan Good he spending on an epic goes that includes a mansion spree and 10 with seven bedrooms baths in a gated comm community Unfortunately some sharp riche vulgarity at nouveau jabs dissolve excess swiftly ty and shamble of strained into a comic contrivances Based on a story by Queen Latifah who does herself no favors casting herself as the gated community's community's community's tys ty's officious security guard The Cookout had several writers and would seem yet another case of too many cooks spoiling the broth inthis inthis in inthis this case barbecue Lady Em is appalled by Todds Todd's spendthrift ways but realizes that the new place is the perfect setting for her cherished annual cookout a celebration of what she calls the Three F's Fun Food and Family Lady Em is a good to earth woman and when it comes to family she welcomes the down-country down cousins the flashy cousin cousin with a passel of kids but no husband a pair of enormously obese brothers the sharp- sharp dressing would-be would attorney uncle Tim Meadows with some cockamamie racist theories theories theories theo theo- ries Lady Ems Em's foolishly competitive sister Rita Owens who is Latifah's mother and many others Showing up uninvited is jealous jealous jealous jeal jeal- ous zany Bling Bling Ja Rule a basketball court acquaintance of Todds Todd's back in Newark and his goofy pal Roberto Vanderpool The lively backyard cookout cookout cookout cook cook- out is cause for consternation to next-door next neighbors the pompous Judge Halsted Crowley Danny Glover and his wife Farrah Fawcett who are appalled at the prospect of people they consider consider consider con con- sider low-class low blacks moving into the fancy neighborhood Only Jenifer Lewis gets to play a three-dimensional three character and her warmth and authority are all that hold the film together time First-time director director director tor Lance Rivera is in over his head in trying to keep a handle handle handle han han- dle on rambling and diffuse material The Cookout is natured good-natured but its it's a dud |