The Original Kings of Comedy
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| The Original Kings of Comedy | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Spike Lee |
| Written by | Steve Harvey D. L. Hughley Cedric the Entertainer Bernie Mac |
| Produced by | Spike Lee Walter Latham David Gale |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Malik Sayeed |
| Edited by | Barry Alexander Brown |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $13 million |
| Box office | $38.2 million[1] |
The Original Kings of Comedy is a 2000 American
Summary
 | This section possibly contains original research. (April 2021) |
Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey, the star of The Steve Harvey Show, is the master of ceremonies for the show. Unlike his sitcom character, Harvey's on-stage routines use a significant amount of profanity; as the show's M.C., Harvey is given three short sets instead of one long one.
The finale of Harvey's sets finds him poking fun at a member of the audience by stealing his coat while he is away from his seat, and remarking that the "
D.L. Hughley
Harvey's first set is followed by D. L. Hughley, the star of
Cedric the Entertainer
Cedric the Entertainer (Harvey's co-star on The Steve Harvey Show) presents himself as the most in-tune with the younger demographic, and goes through a number of topics during his routine. Primary among these is his embellishment of the differences between the "hope factor" and the "wish factor": white people "hope" that nothing goes wrong, and black people "wish" someone would start trouble so that they can retaliate. Cedric acknowledges that he is now a "grown-ass man", and can no longer call his friends by their "lil' nicknames" or engage in other such immature behavior. Cedric refuses, despite mounting evidence, to admit that he stole jokes from Katt Williams.
He discusses how angry a black president might become if a Monica Lewinsky question were posed at a news conference, and also goes into routines about smoking, black athletes' expansion into golf, tennis, and other sports, what a "ghetto-ass wedding" would be like, and black people's eventual migration to the moon. Also his love for Jamaican music and how in their music they solve a simple problem.
In a November 2022 interview on Shannon Sharpe's podcast "Club Shay Shay", Cedric revealed that during the actual live tour and filming, he was the closing act and Bernie Mac actually went second after D.L. Hughley. But after filming, the producers and editors of the tour decided it would be best to edit the footage to put Cedric as the second act and Bernie as the closing act.
Bernie Mac
Bernie Mac is the most autobiographical of the group. He
He then tells a story about his mentally challenged nephew and his bouts with his bus driver; according to Mac, when the bus would come, his nephew would attempt to ask a question, but would immediately start stuttering, frustrating the bus driver and prompting him to drive off without picking him up. This continues the next few days, and Mac's aunt confronts the bus driver, asking why he was "denying [her son's] 'edumacation.'" The bus driver begins to stutter exactly like Mac's nephew, then proclaims "he was teasin' me!". The set, and the film, are concluded with Mac's piece on the ubiquity of the swear word "
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 83% based on reviews from 103 critics. The site's critical consensus reads: "If you want lots of laughs and don't mind some profanity, The Original Kings of Comedy can deliver."[2]
Box office
The Original Kings of Comedy was produced on an estimated $3,000,000 budget. On its opening weekend, it grossed a total of $11,053,832 on only 847 screens, averaging to about $13,051 per venue and ranking as the second highest-grossing film that weekend behind only The Cell. It eventually grossed a total of $38,168,022 at the box offices.
Home media
This film was released on VHS and DVD on February 27, 2001 and distributed by Paramount Home Video. Bonus features on the DVD include the music video "#1 Stunna" by Big Tymers, Kings On The Town featurette, and bonus scenes.
Soundtrack
A soundtrack containing performances from the film and hip hop was released on August 22, 2000 by
Awards and nominations
- Outstanding Motion Picture (nominated)
2001 Chicago Film Critics Association Award
- Best Documentary (nominated)
Related films
The popularity of this movie inspired spin-offs, including The Queens of Comedy, The Original Latin Kings of Comedy, The Kims of Comedy, The Comedians of Comedy and The Killers of Comedy.
References
- ^ The Original Kings of Comedy at Box Office Mojo
- ^ "The Original Kings of Comedy (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. 18 August 2000.
External links
- The Original Kings of Comedy official site at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
- The Original Kings of Comedy at IMDb
- The Original Kings of Comedy at AllMovie
