Unconventional times call for unconventional men and nobody does unconventional better than the man known as Undercover Brother.
With a funky sense a style, a smooth way with the ladies and an absolute hunger for justice, this man of action has lived by his own rules since the day he heard his first Parliament Funkadelic groove. Fuelled by the funk, he became the man he is today - robin hood of the 'hood, ready to step in, give the downtrodden a hand and fight the powers-that-be. With his Bruce Lee moves, Cadillac attitude and an arsenal of outrageous disguises and gadgets, he is patiently waiting for that one really heavy mission. He knows it's coming.
Imaginative as he is, not even Undercover Brother could have concocted a scheme as brazen as the one that now threatens life as we know it. A sinister underground movement has begun unleashing a terrifying top-secret weapon: an irresistibly packaged psycho-hallucenegic drug that will reduce the entire population to mindless zombies. However, a dedicate group of Good Guys, known as the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D., has been tracking their activities and is now braced for a showdown. But they know that a fight this big means they must produce their own secret weapon: the one crime fighter cool enough to infiltrate the enemy on the streets or between the sheets.
And thus Undercover Brother (Eddie Griffin) trades in his Afro, shades and platforms for khakis, hom-rims and penny loafers to pose as preppy nerd Anton Jackson at a multinational conglomerate. But while he and his sassy partner Sistah Girl (Aunjanue Ellis) try to find out What's Going On, the evil leaders' ruthless right arm, Mr. Feather (Chris Kattan), discovers their deception and dispatches the conspiracy's sexy secret weapon Penelope Snow (Denise Richards) to take care of business.
(51 votes)
2.
Blaxploitation movies deserve a good spoofing, and Undercover Brother tweaks the subgenre with a few good laughs. But what might have been an Afro-centric Austin Powers (adapted by John Ridley from his Internet film series) is instead a lackluster comedy with one basic joke: "Whitey"--personified as a faceless corporate despot known as "the Man"--has the power, but black folks have soul. With enough funk to make Shaft look passé, Eddie Griffin plays "U.B." with an oversized 'fro and a firm grasp of comedic possibilities. He's recruited by the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. (an all-black justice league) to foil the Man's plan to derail a Colin Powell-like presidential candidate (Billy Dee Williams), and U.B.'s undercover exploits keep the slim plot moving. Denise Richards and Neil Patrick Harris are gamely ridiculed as token white allies, and it's all in good fun as director Malcolm D. Lee (Spike's cousin) finds room for mild jolts of relevant social commentary. --Jeff Shannon
(48 votes)
3.
When "The Man" tries to derail a black candidate's presidential campaign, Undercover Brother and his fellow secret agents come to the rescue.
(49 votes)
4.
Malcolm D. Lee's UNDERCOVER BROTHER is a rollicking spoof that earns the distinction of being the first studio film to find its inspiration in a character created specifically for the Internet. Based on writer John Ridley's satirical series which premiered on the Urban Entertainment web site, UNDERCOVER BROTHER follows a hipper-than-hip, Afro-sporting superhero-of-sorts (the multi-talented Eddie Griffin) who stands up for oppressed people everywhere, and looks damn good doing it. But when The Man and his demonic henchman Mr. Feather (Chris Kattan) drug a wildly popular black presidential candidate (Billy Dee Williams), Undercover Brother must team up with the positive underground group the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. in order to restore peace and unity within the community. Employing his seemingly endless arsenal of clever disguises--including the ultra-nerdy Anton Jackson--Undercover Brother embarks on his dangerous mission.
Lee's live action comedy successfully preserves the energy of the original animated shorts, resulting in an hysterical romp that is stuffed with enough pop culture references for two sequels. Griffin uses the character as a platform for his boundless talents, and supporting players Kattan, Dave Chappelle, Aunjenue Ellis, Denise Richards, and Neil Patrick Harris do their part to keep the jokes erupting like a giddy volcano.
(47 votes)
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