Pootie Tang: Retro Review
This is what happens when you tell people you’re willing to take requests for reviews. You have to watch things like Pootie Tang. I tried to argue that it didn’t meet the criteria of geek culture, but I was argued down. Pootie is a vigilante, as the movie literally refers to him as a crime fighter. He’s clearly not a cop, is very colorful, has a moral code, blah blah blah. I still resisted as much as I could, but I have been bothered and annoyed and trolled and reminded and I’m just going to go ahead and get this out of the way so it stops. I REALLY REALLY hope this doesn’t happen again.
I hadn’t seen this movie in many years and I remember enjoying it fourteen years ago. However, I am keenly aware of my personal growth and the changes of taste therein since then. That being said, I found myself laughing my a** off for almost the entire duration of the movie. It’s pure ridiculousness at its best. Pretty much nothing about the movie makes sense, but that seems to pretty much be the point. There are a lot of people who can’t handle the silliness. My own father just couldn’t bring himself to enjoy this movie while my brothers and I constantly quoted and laughed about it way back when.
Pretty much everyone involved in this movie is a star to some degree or at least had a certain peak at one point or another. Chris Rock, J.B. Smoove, Wanda Sykes, Reg E. Cathy, Dave Attell, Robert Vaughn, David Cross, Andy Richter and Jennifer Coolidge. Hell, friggin’ Kristen Bell is in it for a couple of minutes. I have to wonder how many of them look back at themselves and laugh about this movie. Interestingly enough, it seems the least famous person in the movie is Lance Crouther, who plays the titular Pootie Tang. Maybe that’s saying something, but that’s neither here nor there.
I had completely forgotten the fact that this movie was written and directed by Louis C. K. himself. At this point in time, Louis C. K. is my absolute favorite comedian. He is hilarious and thinks on a level that most entertainers seem to be unconcerned about right now. He has a way with comedy that truly makes you question your place in the American machine and the quality of life that can be bought by your actions and surroundings. I think I had missed this before, but this movie actually has a lot to say about commercialism, consumerism and the wealth that comes with doing the right thing.
When it comes to its message, the movie is a bit unfocused. The subtext is easily lost in the randomness and absurdity of the script. It’s really silly and borderline offensive in some areas and the editing is horrendous. There are several points in the movie where some lines are clearly dubbed over with unsynchronized lips. Even some obviously bad takes made it to the final cut. I think that was by design though, seeing as how the director is a man who makes his living showing us the flaws in so many things. I can definitely see this as a product of a younger and far less fearless Louis C. K. and a Chris Rock that seemed to just be happy to have less responsibility here.
All things considered, the soundtrack was fantastic! A lot of great artists of the time made songs just for the movie and its characters. The late Mr. Magic’s “Low Down and Dirty” is a particular favorite for me. The music fits every scene perfectly which is something that isn’t seen often anymore. Everyone just wants an original score Oscar. I have to wonder how much Louis C. K. had to do with audio decisions. I can believe he made it happen, after all, he is definitely one of the few white(ish) celebrities that seems to truly understand the black struggle. I’m amazed at how thought provoking this particular viewing was for me.
Jonathan Thomas Jones is a speculative fiction author and founder of geekhavenreviews.com. He has been passionate about all things geek for his entire life. See more about him at jonathanthomasjones.com and follow him on twitter @jtgloryjones.
