Is the motherfucking "Original" motherfucking "Kings of Comedy" motherfucking funny? You bet you motherfucking ass it is!

Jesus. I nearly busted my motherfucking gut. I thought I was going to motherfucking die. It's motherfucking hilarious.

"The Original Kings of Comedy" is a film of a stand-up comedy showcase in North Carolina featuring several African-American entertainers. All of these gentlemen have become well-known predominantly through sitcoms on the newer television networks, in particular the WB and UPN. The four wags in question are Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac. These four jokesters each spend close to a half an hour of screen time doing their routines and evoking several side-splitting guffaws.

Okay - first things first. Only Hughley is truly hilarious. He just continually cracked me up. His segment alone makes the film well worthwhile. Harvey has some truly funny moments but gets bogged down mid film in some piece about "old school" music that goes on far too long. The film continues to drag through Cedric segment which could easily be cut from the film. And finally, there's Bernie Mac, who is so difficult to understand, that one practically needs an English to Ebonics dictionary to comprehend him. Still, if you can catch his words through his gruff voice, his slurred speech and his misuse of the English language, he actually says some truly funny things.

I don't feel particular improper discussing the race of the four comic because the difference between "whites" and "blacks" is the basis of most of these comedians' material anyway. They are never offensive or mean-spirited towards whites nor do I feel particularly mean spirited towards the film. I honestly truly laughed my butt off throughout most of the film. But race is important here. I highly recommend that a would-be viewer see the film with a predominantly black audience. It will be a much more enjoyable experience. All audiences will love this film but black audiences are going to go through the roof. There is plenty to enjoy here!

Yes, there is the obvious difference between white and black "comedy" here. None of these gentlemen are the next Eddie Murphy or Richard Pryor. Their crossover appeal is truly a bit limited. Perhaps it is because this film seems made for black audiences and aimed at them as a demographic. I'm not saying there isn't a lot for white people to laugh at. Nor am I saying that Pryor and Murphy "pandered" to white audiences. I'm just saying that the film is more geared toward a black audience. This is more Def Jam than Sienfeld, let's say. Race shouldn't matter - and it doesn't - but it is important to mention when discussing the film.

The comedians do lots of bits about music here. Songs pop up throughout the film. Why black comedians sing and dance and such is a mystery to me. It is part of the cultural difference between white and black comics and audiences. Yet, again and again, the bottom line is this: You will laugh your ass off, no matter who you are.

Producer/Director Spike Lee may have released the first digital video feature by an acclaimed director with the film. I'm almost sure that this was shot on DV. There are several cameras in the arena where the comedy takes place, in Charlotte, NC. There's even a remote controlled camera on tracks at the foot of the stage that appears in other shots in the film and almost becomes a supporting player. Lee has more stuff going on with the camera work here than Leni Riefenstahl did with "Olympiad." There's a plethora of audience reaction shots, different angles on the comedians, and a lot of behind the scenes footage as well. As with "Malcolm X," Lee would be better served to get to the point and cut out a lot of the film; It's almost 2 hour running time is far too elongated for most viewers. And, DV or not, the film looks pretty crappy blown up to 35mm. It looks like a really cheap DV production blown up to 35.

Still, have you ever laughed so damn hard that the feeling is reminiscent of coming down off acid? You body and mind actually are totally drained. Your head is ringing and you feel like you've ben laughing for hours? That's how I felt walking out of "The Original Kings of Comedy." Misleading title, DV production, and elongated segments be damned. I was drained.

"I laughed my motherfucking ass off." - Lodger, filethirteen.com

Paramount can feel free to put that quote in their ad copy.

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