White Chicks (2004) – movie review

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Movie Review by Neils Hesse

Starring: Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Jaime King, Frankie Faison, Lochlyn Munro

Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans

Two over zealous yet underachieving FBI agents are given one last chance to redeem themselves, after a serious of botched operations that have embarrassed their boss. Their task is simply to escort two young daughters of a rich businessman who are possible targets for a kidnapping. On the way from the airport though a small accident messes up the girls’ looks so they insist that they will not attend the big event they have come to town to attend. This poses a major problem for the agents, as they need to show their chief they have done the job by getting the girls to turn up for this big charity event, which has been turned into a major FBI operation aimed at capturing the kidnapper in the act of attempting to kidnap the girls.

Kevin (Shawn Wayans) comes up with the idea of getting a friend of his to make him and his partner (Marlon Wayans) look like the girls with fake breasts, moulded masks and seeing as the girls are white, paint to make their skin white. The guys must now convince the girls’ trio of friends that they are the real deal, avoid the advances of a very big, overbearing admirer (excellently played by Terry Crews), find out who is actually behind the planned kidnapping, keep a suspicious wife at bay and get with the girl of his dreams.

This movie gives what it says on the can, Keenan Ivory Wayans does not try to pretend that his fifth feature film as a director is more than just a mix of laughs and some light action, and from this point of view he succeeds. Marlon and Shawn Wayans have their own brand of comedy and for some it is an acquired taste but that said they work well as a duo and particularly the scenes where they have their ‘white chicks’ disguises on they have plenty of fun with the stereotypical dumb blonde image.

The overbearing admirer of Marlon Wayans’ white chick played by Terry Crews steals the show as he truly sends up the muscle bound hard black star athlete image, by singing along to girlie songs, and pointing out just how big his tongue is at the dinner table before doing a very heavily Spanish fly (drugs that encourage sexual feelings) induced muscle bound dance on the dance floor that sees him waking up with a man.

Leave your serious movie crunching plot scrutinizing mind at the cinema entrance and just go along for the ride and you should enjoy it for what it is – a straightforward duck out of water/ buddy comedy with a slice of light action.

3 out of 6 stars