Undercover Brother

A comedy spoofing the blaxploitation films of the 70s as well as the James Bond films.

PLOT:

The film begins with a back story of how black culture’s popularity within the American public in the 1970s began to decline in the 1980s, when style and originality began to lose zeal in public eye due to the persistent efforts of “The Man.” In the film, the personification of “The Man” (Robert Trumbull) undermines the African-American community as well as the cultures of other minorities, with a SPECTRE-like organization at his disposal. As freelancing protector of the black community, Undercover Brother (Eddie Griffin) fights this organization’s efforts to subdue the spread of black culture.

In addition to the endeavors of Undercover Brother, an organization known as the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. battles “The Man” to ensure the continuance of black culture. Sistah Girl (Aunjanue Ellis), a female agent of the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D., infiltrates a company owned by “The Man” in order to obtain valuable data and relay it back to her superiors. At the same time, Undercover Brother breaks into the building. Before she can upload all of the data back to the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. for analysis, Undercover Brother decommissions a computer unit, impeding and ending Sistah Girl’s infiltration. Undercover Brother is then discovered and pursued by the company’s security team. As he runs through the building, he races past Sistah Girl, who uses a gadget concealed in a briefcase to extend a taut wire to trip the pursuers. After hearing Sistah Girl describe this incident in her explanation of why she had failed the mission, the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D.’s Chief (Chi McBride), is left in bewilderment.

The Man is infuriated that Gen. Warren Boutwell (Billy Dee Williams), a black Vietnam veteran, is considering running for president. He calls his lackey Mr. Feather (Chris Kattan), who informs him of a mind control drug, which could be used to make Boutwell decline to run for president. Instead, Boutwell is compelled to open a fried chicken franchise, effectively eliminating the threat he poses. The B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. is quick to determine that this sudden change of heart is the work of “The Man”. The chief, recalling Sistah Girl’s encounter with Undercover Brother, decides that their group will need that lone agent’s help.

Sistah Girl goes to Undercover Brother’s apartment and takes him to the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. headquarters. He is introduced to Conspiracy Brother (Dave Chappelle), Smart Brother (Gary Anthony Williams), The Chief, and Lance (Neil Patrick Harris), who is the only white man in the organization, somehow hired as an intern due to affirmative action. The B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. convinces Undercover Brother to go undercover in white culture as a new employee at a cigarette company owned by The Man.

Through surveillance, Mr. Feather discovers Undercover Brother’s identity as an infiltrator and deploys his secret weapon: White She-Devil (Denise Richards), a.k.a “black man’s Kryptonite”. She, posing as another new employee, and Undercover Brother meet and start dating. She begins to make him do stereotypical ‘white’ things, such as eating “white food”, buying corduroy clothes, performing karaoke and adopting a silly set of euphemisms.

The Man continues to use his mind control drug, distributed in the General’s fried chicken, to undermine black culture, including John Singleton remaking Driving Miss Daisy, Jay-Z covering a Lawrence Welk album, and the creation of a sequel to How Stella Got Her Groove Back (entitled How Stella Got Her White Man Back).

Concerned with Undercover Brother’s unusual behavior, Sistah Girl attacks White She-Devil and convinces Undercover Brother to return to the fight. They are pursued and cornered by White She-Devil and her henchmen. White She-Devil is about to shoot them both, but cuts down the henchmen instead. She has become smitten with Undercover Brother and cannot bring herself to do him harm.

They all return to the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. Smart Brother takes White She-Devil to find out what she knows. While he does, Lance comes in and says that he just saw Roots and wants to abolish all bigotry, much to the chagrin of Conspiracy Brother (who senses a conspiracy). They invite him into the group. The Chief invites White She-Devil in as well. After a speech from Undercover Brother about equality, Conspiracy Brother decides to stay. The group heads to a major awards gala after they find out that James Brown is The Man’s next target. Lance accompanies Brown as a bodyguard, but Mr. Feather gains control of their limousine and kidnaps him. Soon after, the group finds an antidote for the mind control drug. They go to The Man’s base, following the signal of a transmitter placed on Brown.

They go undercover as a Jamaican cleaning service to procure Brown and “The Candidate” (a controlled black man that the organization will use to land a crushing blow to black culture). Mr. Feather is ready to administer the drug to Brown and present him as a trophy to The Man, who is on his way to the base. Brown starts to sing (his hit “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud”), forcing Mr. Feather to acknowledge his hidden blackness. Brown takes off his costume to reveal Undercover Brother. The base’s security breached, Mr. Feather sends his henchmen after the infiltrators, who discover the Candidate. The Candidate, none other than Boutwell, is called by Mr. Feather who tells him to kill Undercover Brother while he makes his escape.

The henchmen arrive in the command center and fight Sistah Girl and White She-Devil, eventually falling. Afterwards, Conspiracy Brother notices a button that reads “Atomic Core”, which he pronounces core as “coree”. Curious, he presses the button that will cause the building to meltdown in 5 minutes. The group then goes to assist Undercover Brother. Boutwell is about to kill him when they give him the antidote. They move to evacuate him out of the building. While leaving, they encounter three enormous guards, who are killed in a gruesome manner by Lance, whom they had provoked by calling him a ‘Sissy’. The team reaches the beach at the same moment as the Chief, who arrives with a hovercraft.

Undercover Brother runs to the roof to stop Mr. Feather. They get into a kung-fu fight and fight to the song Beat It. Mr. Feather uses knives concealed in his sleeves to cut off Undercover Brother’s afro, kindling Undercover Brother’s anger, which he uses to defeat Feather with a finishing move. As he sees The Man’s helicopter (turning around upon view of the pandemonium at the base), Feather jumps on the helicopter to escape. Over the ocean, Undercover Brother throws his afro picks at Feather, causing him to lose his grip on his helicopter, as a shark jumps from the water and eats him.

He and Sistah Girl kiss and, after another speech about equality, they board the hovercraft and leave the island.

REVIEW:

Depending on how you feel about racial humor, this film is going to be hilarious or offensive. I’m not easily offended by such things, and I’m a fan of Eddie Griffin, so I found this movie a laugh riot.

I would have liked to have seen more of a development of his undercover time, though. It seemed as if that was a bit rushed and almost montage-like once they got it going and rushed in order to get to final, climatic battle scenes.

The funky music really sets the mood for UB’s love for the 70s, as well as the blaxploitation feel of the movie.

Denise Richards is almost as hot in this role as she is in Wild Things!

Dave Chapelle is hilarious as always, especially when he goes on his conspiracy theories.

Rumor has it that a sequel is in the works and will start filming soon. I can’t wait!

5 out of 5 stars