UNDERCOVER BROTHER (Malcolm D. Lee, 2002) R

Reviewed: June 2, 2002

The question many discerning filmgoers are currently asking themselves is: "Will I laugh at Undercover Brother without being a blaxploitation movie buff?" I am happy to report the answer is a resounding "Yes." I can vouch for this answer because I, myself am most definitely not a blaxploitation fan; in fact, I've seen very few films of the genre. But I don't think of Undercover Brother so much a parody of blaxploitation, as an intelligent, absurdist race relations satire in the Austin Powers spy vein. Indeed, one of the co-writers of Undercover Brother, Michael McClullers, co-wrote all three Austin flicks (though uncredited on the first) and his notable stamp is strongly felt throughout the pic.

Based on John Ridley's internet series, Undercover Brother stars Eddie Griffin as the titular hero, who's 70s dress, medallion and big Afro immediately misdate him in our twenty-first century world. After a Robin Hood mission erasing mortgage records (so a bank won't foreclose on some African-Americans' homes), Undercover Brother is recruited by The B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D., a secret organization striving for racial equality, dedicated to improving the status of black culture (which they feel is in serious decline). At The B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D., UB hooks up with The Chief, Conspiracy Brother, Sistah Girl and Smart Brother, in a combined effort to foil The Man's (read: The White Man's) diabolical plans to dominate black culture and stop what him and his underlings feel is the burgeoning infestation of the African-American way of life.

Undercover Brother's success is predicated on how fearless it is. The movie takes great pleasure in trying to offend both whites and blacks... and joyfully lampoons/sends up every racial cliché and stereotype you can think of (I won't elaborate -- I don't wanna spoil any of the gags). And perhaps best of all... there's no fucking gross out humor.

What Undercover Brother does have however, is a lot of great acting. Eddie Griffin does hilarious, often marvelous work as UB -- but it's his brilliant turn as Anton Jackson (UB's "white-o-fied" alter identity) that made me laugh the most. What I particularly appreciated about the character of Undercover Brother is he's not too full of himself. Yeah, he digs his own style and he's confident and cool, but Griffin never oversells these points. Whereas Austin Powers can come off as an obnoxiously arrogant, clueless prick, I genuinely like UB.

A lot of supporting characters are nicely fleshed out, a rare feat for most any movie these days, let alone a (seemingly lowbrow) comedy. Gary Anthony Williams is glorious as Smart Brother. Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser!) is frickin' fantastic as B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D.'s white intern, Lance. As my friend said, they clearly found the whitest actor they possibly could for the role and Harris makes the absolute most of this fact. Lance starts out as a smaller, peripheral character and gradually grows in importance-- proof the screenwriters are smart as hell and know exactly what they're doing. Chi McBride and Dave Chappelle are quite good as The Chief and Conspiracy Brother. Gorgeous Denise Richards plays perfectly to her strengths as White She Devil. And I can't believe I'm writing this, but even Chris Kattan is solid as The Man's assistant, Mr. Feather.

The visual effects in Undercover Brother are strikingly low-rent (I guess the flaws are particularly glaring since Undercover's following up the one-two Spidey-Clones CGI knockout combo), but director Malcolm Lee's visuals are clean and fluid enough to compensate.

Unfortunately (and amazingly, since it's sub ninety minutes long) Undercover Brother did begin to outstay its welcome somewhere during the third act. The screenwriters milk their simple premise for every last drop it's worth... and their well runs dry a little sooner than they think. But I do look forward to a sequel with a hopefully more elaborate setup.

Ultimately all that matters about a comedy is how hard it made you laugh. It can have the best method acting in the world... it can be as deep as Shakespeare's best dramas, but if the humor isn't there, it has failed miserably. Undercover Brother made me laugh.

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