The realization of the incredible
success of the movies of Tyler Perry has led filmmakers and
movie-studios alike to pursue a host of projects targeted at
Christian, African-American audiences. This demographic—one that
seemingly rarely ever shows up to the Movies on most
weekends—now has the reputation of supporting works that are
specifically made for them. Perry’s Diary
of a Mad Black Woman, Madea’s Family Reunion, and Why
Did I Get Married? were
all successes because of smart, restricted marketing, as were
the similarly-advertised This
Christmas and Stomp
the Yard. This success not only proves the power of smart
promotion, but also the wondrous capacity of the medium of film
to connect with virtually anyone so long as it is speaking
directly to them. Perry and his contemporary’s careers should be
lauded, if only for the simple fact that they have inspired a
group of non-moviegoers to patronize American cinemas in large
numbers.
David E. Talbert’s First
Sunday is the
latest film to capitalize on the success of Perry, but it feels
cheap and exploitative where Perry is genuine and creative.
Perry employs black, Christian characters to communicate themes
that allow viewers of the same background to relate and better
understand their own roots. Talbert, on the other hand, seems
only to be doing this in order to sell his picture to a group of
people that have shown a notable thirst for works like it. He
sets First Sunday in
a Baltimore ghetto not to vocalize any real commentary about
what it means to be black in America, but to gain the trivial
sympathies of an understanding audience. Sure, there are some
themes regarding the Church’s importance in African-American
Life and the lack of communal-inspiration to rebuild urban-areas
in America to be found in First
Sunday, but these have all been tackled before in better
films. This motion-picture is thoroughly inept.
Part of the problem with First
Sunday is that
its attempts at humor are far too shallow to support any
substantial themes. After all, this is a
movie that is about two guys who seek to rob a church. They are
Durell (Ice Cube) and LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan), and they make said
plan out of a desperate need for quick-cash. After being
convicted of felonies, the two cannot find anyone who is willing
to employ them, so LeeJohn sets up a shady gig where they are
required to deliver ten $1,200 wheelchairs for a thug. Matters
go awry, and the two end up losing the merchandise before they
reach the provided destination, putting them in deep debt.
Meanwhile, Durell’s baby’s momma Omunique (Regina Hall) is being
forced to close down her salon because she can’t come up with
$17,000 of annual-rent. This is a problem for Durell because it
means Omunique and their son, Durell Jr. (C.J. Sanders), will
have to move in with her family in Atlanta. Unless he can come
up with the $17,000 himself, Durell likely won’t see Durell Jr.
for years.
The church that Durell and LeeJohn
choose to rob contains a safe full of donations, making it the
perfect place for them to nab a lot of money in a small amount
of time. Of course, things hardly go according to plan. On the
night that they chose to rob the joint, the pair unexpectedly
finds about a dozen people inside: the members of the church
board and the practicing church choir. This causes Durell and
LeeJohn to, against their better judgment, take hostages and
whip out guns. And that’s only the beginning; many more problems
arise, many of which concern not the two robbers, but the
church’s leaders themselves.
The bulk of First
Sunday follows
Durell and LeeJohn as they hold the church up, making the film a
rather one-note experience. As the two mindlessly engage in
slapstick-comedy and expose themselves to heavy-handed
morality-lessons about their wrongdoings, the movie feels as
though it is merely killing time. It becomes
increasingly-obvious to the viewer that Talbert’s choice to
spend so much of the duration in the church did not stem from
creativity, but from the desire to keep the budget on the movie
low. In fact, the entire experience seems like a greedy
experiment on studio Sony Pictures’ behalf, trying to figure out
how much box-office they could take in with a work of as little
substance as possible. Talbert doesn’t seem to be concerned with
anything but efficiency, taking a predictable story and simply
making sure that it is executed competently (inspiration isn’t a
big issue here). Additionally, in order to ensure that First
Sunday was
sellable, the financers splurged on securing big-stars Ice Cube
and Tracy Morgan for the lead roles. Not surprisingly, the
pair’s notable charisma is the only thing that is entirely
welcome in this mindless dud of a film.
First
Sunday will
likely do every bit as well as Sony hopes; it has been
ingeniously marketed in just the same way as Perry’s efforts.
Still, I find myself greatly dismayed by the unfortunate fact
that the film is exposing a demographic that rarely goes to the
Movies to such mediocre work. One thing’s for sure: if I only
saw five pictures a year, I’d be pissed
off if this were
one of them.
-Danny Baldwin, Bucket Reviews
Review Published on: 1.12.2008
Screened on: 1.11.2008
at the Edwards San Marcos 18 in San Marcos, CA.