Cellmates (2012)

Leroy Lowe, grand dragon of the Texas Ku Klux Klan confronts everything he's been taught to hate when he's sentenced to three years of hard labor on a prison work farm, where Warden Merville, dead set on rehabilitating Leroy, chooses Emilio, a Hispanic field worker imprisoned for fighting for labor rights, to be his cell-mate.The plot of this one is very forced -- there is no way a man is going to enter into prison as a head of a white supremacist group and start warming up to the idea of migrant worker's labor rights or even think about starting a relationship with a Mexican woman. So if we were to judge this film on realism, it fails miserably.Luckily, as a comedy, it need not be judged on realism. It only has to be funny. And it is. Tom Sizemore and Stacy Keach are both humorous, and it was nice to see Keach put a new spin on a role he already covered nicely in "Prison Break".

Tom Sizemore wrings every moment out of the role of a lifetime. A hateful guy, practically a Nazi, whom you can't help loving. You sympathize with him throughout this romp despite his insane beliefs. This was Mr. Sizemore's moment. 'Nuff said. I don't want him to get big-headed. The rest of the cast was right on and gave everything they had. Over the top? Sure. Cartoon-like characters, yes. Mugging stolen straight from The Three Stooges? Absolutely, but this clever film manages to take an extremely touchy subject: racism, and turn it into a screaming comedy, a comedy with pathos. Disgusting as the warden (Stacy Keach) is, you can't help but like the guy and Héctor Jiménez is a one of a kind, professional scene-stealer by trade. The pacing of Cellmates is just right. Not fast, but never a dull moment. The sweet Olga Segura adds mucho encanto and romance without saying a word on screen, and I was impressed that the script by Baget and Moscato never allowed itself to be drawn into the usual prison clichés: food fights, shanks, mean hulk-like bullies and sadistic guards, etc. This being a prison work farm, the prisoners had more freedom and we didn't have to look at all the hard-core tattooed killers and perverts shuffling around in chains. Overall, an uplifting film with sorry-ass characters you just gotta love. Don't fail to add this to your collection.

I'm a big fan of Tom Sizemore but hadn't seen him in a comedic role before. Turns out, he's hilarious. Most superb actors can be great in comedic roles (Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Morgan Freeman) and Tom Sizemore is no exception. He plays Leroy Lowe the Grand Dragon of the Texas Ku Klux Klan. It may not sound very funny from that description but the film tastefully has fun with Mexico/America relations and actually has a lot to say. Stacy Keach is very funny in the film as a warden. The film takes an unsuspected turn into love story territory which was also a pleasant surprise as Tom Sizemore came across very endearing and you could actually see the lead female character (played by Olga Segura) falling for him. Overall the movie reminded me a bit of Raising Arizona or Napoleon Dynamite. The writing is superb and I highly recommend you check out this feel good gem of a film!

Browsing through Amazon's new VOD section I found this little hidden gem. What first caught my eye was a goofy-looking Tom Sizemore on the cover. When did he get out of jail/rehab? Anyway, I also recognized the guy that played opposite of Jack Black in Nacho Libre, Hector Jimenez.Not expecting much but an hour or two of distraction from this likely mediocre movie I was delighted to have found a well-made and very funny film!Cellmates stars Tom Sizemore who plays Leroy Lowe, a KKK leader sent to prison for tax evasion. He is first put into a cell with a fellow KKK member played by Kevin Farley, who is hilarious as the simpleton, Bubba. They get along "like two peas in a pod," but a sudden change of events pairs Leroy in a cell with immigrant farm laborer Emilio (a lovable and funny Hector Jimenez) who instantly riles Leroy's racial prejudices.Leroy complains to the Warden (an impeccable Stacey Keach) but the Warden won't listen to Leroy's complaints. All he cares about are his prize-winning potatoes that are cultivated by his inmates.After much (hilarious) conflict and fighting, Leroy and Emilio learn to get along and eventually become friends as Emilio helps Leroy win the love of the Warden's maid and Leroy helps Emilio write to the U.S. Justice Department for his wrongful imprisonment.Everything from the acting to the directing and writing to the cinematography were excellent and were beyond what I was expecting from just seeing the cover. This is a genuinely funny and heartwarming movie that has intelligence, and bravely takes the taboo issues of race and immigration in the U.S. and makes them okay to acknowledge and even laugh at!