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"Eddie And His
Bling Bling!" |
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Directed by John Eyres -
Written by Max Myers
Starring Eddie Griffin,
Anna Friel, Tallulah
Pitt-Brown
Distributed by Visual -
2006 - 90mins - Rated
PG13 |
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Richard Propes'
Review
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C |
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Troubled town. Trouble maker. |
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Eddie Griffin.
Have you cringed yet? Be honest. The name Eddie Griffin causes an
almost immediate reaction. This reaction is usually not a positive
one. Usually, it indicates that one is about to watch a stale,
lifeless and stereotypical low-budget comedy (okay, okay...Griffin
does manage to find his way into the occasional urban drama).
Eddie Griffin sort of reminds me of Stephen Baldwin. They both suffer
from the "smirk" school of acting. It has grown almost impossible for
me to take Baldwin films seriously, because that smirk is just always
there. Griffin, far too often, gives me the same exact experience.
Most of the time.
"Irish Jam" is a straight-to-video release starring Eddie Griffin as
Jimmy McDevitt, a "street" looking, bling bling wearing
African-American man from the US who writes a poem and wins an Irish
pub that has been offered as a prize as an attempt save it from the
hands of an Irishman trying to turn the village into a commercial
center.
"Irish Jam" is not a comedy classic. It's not an award-winning film,
and it's far from memorable. It is, however, a clear sign that there
may be more to Eddie Griffin that street swagger and stupid laughs.
There may actually be a charming, comic actor screaming to get out.
Maybe. I'm still undecided.
All I can say for sure is that "Irish Jam" made me smile...a lot.
While the Griffin smirk was still present, it fit nicely in a story
that required Griffin to be an outcast in a traditional Irish village.
Along with the smirk, Griffin exhibited a certain charm and ease in
the setting that made it much easier to suspend reality and go along
for this silly little ride.
Griffin is surrounded by a supporting cast that feels authentic and
who seem to work well with him. Anna Friel (Timeline), in particular,
offers a charming performance as a young widow who takes a particular
liking to Griffin. While this "interest" feels a tad forced, Friel's
performance is sincere and spirited. As her daughter, who has been
silent since her father was killed in a drunk driving accident several
years earlier, Tallulah Pitt-Brown is a classic beauty who
communicates clearly even without uttering a word throughout most of
the film.
The film, in fact, was on the verge of a B-/C+ until the abysmal
appearance of Mo'Nique as a woman desperate to marry Griffin. I find
it appalling that anyone actually felt she would add anything to this
film, and her failure here makes me dread even more than I already did
her upcoming film "Phat Girlz."
Admit it. You're cringing.
Director John Eyre has directed mostly "B" range films, though his
last film "Ripper: Letter from Hell" was moderately entertaining.
It's hard to decide who deserves credit, but Griffin shows potential
here that I wasn't sure he had. Is Eyre to credit? Part of me says
yes, but ultimately it's hard to reconcile Griffin's potential with
the film's overall convoluted structure. Is this a comedy? a drama? a
social commentary? Eyre can't seem to decide. His lack of direction
seems to have left his cast unsure of what to do with a script that
has moments of heartwarming sincerity ripped apart by added on bits
like Mo'Nique. The script is credited to Max Myers but feels like it
may have been altered from its original vision. In fact, considering
Myers' directorial history it seems a shame he didn't helm this
particular project.
"Irish Jam," unfortunately, ends up settling for mediocrity as its end
result. "Irish Jam" is an often charming, occasionally funny
and beautifully photographed film that entertains more than one would
expect but misses the mark far too often. It is ultimately betrayed by
a lack of clarity and, yes, that distracting and disruptive performance
from Mo'Nique.
A film where Eddie Griffin is charming, funny and shows flashes of
acting? Now that's the luck of the Irish! |
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© Written by Richard Propes -
Email Me! |
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How We Rated This Film
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TC Candler -
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| Richard Propes
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C |
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Jacob Hall
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TC Candler's Comment
n/a
Jacob Hall's
Comment
n/a
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