Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)

This is a highly understated comedy film. It has to be one of the funniest comedies I have seen, taking a humorous view of life in the 'hood' it is a spoof of the dramas such as 'Boys in the hood' and you may find it to be similar to the 'Friday' series starring Ice Cube (but funnier!). The famously funny Wayans brothers star in this film as Ash Tray and Loc Dog, both trying to work their way out of the hood. But whilst doing this they come across many extraordinary characters, 'Toothpick' a hardened regular jail goer (who is confused about his sexuality), Grandma who rides in LoLo's, break-dances and fights with Ash Tray, and also a women with seven kids.Marlon Wayans really came into his own in this one. He really showed his true comedic and acting abilities in this and made sure that every moment in this movie had a laugh in every scene. This was the starting point and the staple of how bad they were going to make fun of other movies (Scary Movie and Scary Movie 2). Not much of a plot, but it's the comedy is there, and it's a must see for all comedy fans of whacky zaney parody movies. And even if you don't know what there parodying, it still holds up being funny! Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

It's hard to find a good parody these days. The likes of scary movie, and other movies in the same vein are wearing kind of thin on actual humor but big on crude sexual gags. This movie however, manages to find a pleasant balance between the two. It manages to be intelligent and at the same time completely disgusting (crackhead lovin' anyone?)I guarantee you'll be in tears the whole movie, from references to other great works of Afro-drama to self parodies so great it almost becomes paradoxical (Like a mailman that just happens to have a "MESSAGE!" every time a character has something wise to say.) I give this movie one of my highest recommendations.

I was watching an old "Honeymooners" rerun with a friend and we came to Jackie Gleason's Ralph's inevitable "To the moon, Alice!" expression of frustration with his wife, and suddenly I realized that it WAS inevitable, so why were we laughing, having heard it a dozen times before? My friend pointed out that Gleason's timing - the manner in which he held his slow-burn, the widening of his eyes, the sudden "Bang! Zoom" take off into the line - was what always made it funny. We weren't laughing at the line so much at the performance of it."Don't Be A Menace" is the most obvious collection of predictable gags and bits I have seen in a long time, but it is by far the funniest. The Wayans are rather stuck - the genres they parody here have very rigid conventions, so much so that there is usually only one or two gags one can use to mock them - e.g., when a young gangsta warns us that many young men in the 'hood don't live to see their 21st birthday, we all know what's coming next. So the Wayans handle it in a manner that delays the punchline while emphasizing its obviousness. Thus we laugh with them, appreciating the way they pull it off, and recognizing the gangsta genre limit that's getting parodied, rather than at the bit itself.Just about the whole movie operates on this level, and for this reason has become one of my favorite comedies. The Wayans capture every moment with a dead-on rhythm that blends the gags into a kind of music. Shawn plays the steady bass while Marlon does some wild riffing. Other characters and bits drop in and out like improvisation and sound effects. Keenan Wayans drops in every now and then like the voice on a scratch dub. The tempo could have been a little swifter, but the rhythm itself is excellent.Comedy like this is very tricky, and I personally didn't think the Wayans' efforts in the "Scary Movie" films were quite as successful - but here they move it right along.It's rude, it's crude, it's in-yor-face - and it's just a delight to watch.

"Menace" is not funny. It tries hard - too hard. but rarely brings a smile. There is no acting, just mugging. One of the main characters wears a stupid grimace on his face the entire movie. No doubt as the less talented Wayans brothers starred, wrote and produced the film they were entirely blind to their lack of talent.Menace consists of a series of unfunny, one joke skits. The punchline can be seen a mile off, but you have to wait until it all unfolds. No zippy one-liners or snappy dialogue here. Just one scene after another building up to the joke. The jokes themselves are juvenile. Loc Dog (the one with the perma-grimace) talks to a beautiful woman - but then she has ... bad breath and then she picks her nose and then, wait for it (remember you must always w-a-i-t) she farts! How funny is that? Ten-year old boys may find it funny as they won't have heard the jokes as many times before. Alternatively, if you like watching movies completely drunk or stoned then you will be able to follow along and may even find it amusing. The challenge will be getting drunk enough to reduce your mental state to the level of the movie without passing out.