Opening

74% World War Z Jun 21
79% Monsters University Jun 21
62% The Bling Ring Jun 21
58% Maniac Jun 21
100% A Hijacking Jun 21
68% Unfinished Song Jun 21
100% The Attack Jun 21
—— The Haunting of Helena Jun 21

Top Box Office

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50% Now You See Me $11.0M
71% Fast & Furious 6 $9.6M
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34% The Internship $7.1M
62% Epic $6.3M
87% Star Trek Into Darkness $6.3M
11% After Earth $4.1M
78% Iron Man 3 $3.0M

Coming Soon

—— How To Make Money Selling Drugs Jun 26
—— White House Down Jun 28
—— The Heat Jun 28
56% I'm So Excited! Jun 28

First Sunday (2008)

tomatometer

13

Average Rating: 3.8/10
Reviews Counted: 75
Fresh: 10 | Rotten: 65

First Sunday may have its heart in the right place, but its funny bone is dislocated.

21

Average Rating: 4.6/10
Critic Reviews: 24
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 19

First Sunday may have its heart in the right place, but its funny bone is dislocated.

audience

57

liked it
Average Rating: 3.2/5
User Ratings: 180,136

My Rating

Movie Info

Gospel-minded playwright David E. Talbert produces, writes, and directs this urban crime comedy concerning a pair of criminals who take a group of church parishioners hostage while attempting to rob the holy house, only to find their captives slowly convincing them to repent and give up their lawless lifestyles. Durell (Ice Cube) and LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan) are two best friends with a special knack for petty crime. Upset at discovering that his ex-girlfriend is planning to move out of state with

PG-13,

Drama, Comedy

David E. Talbert

May 6, 2008

$37.9M

Sony Pictures Entertainment - Official Site External Icon

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Cast

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All Critics (76) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (10) | Rotten (65) | DVD (6)

Grafting moral uplift on to a slapstick caper with mixed results, this nevertheless captures some of the giddy eccentricity of the Ealing comedies it haphazardly resembles.

March 28, 2008 Full Review Source: Time Out
Time Out
Top Critic IconTop Critic

If Tyler Perry ever wanted to turn Dog Day Afternoon into a treacly after-school special, it would probably end up looking a lot like this.

January 17, 2008 Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The movie is designed to be uplifting and inspirational, but everything about it is tired and listless. It doesn't so much make you feel the spirit as drain it out of you.

January 11, 2008 Full Review Source: Salon.com
Salon.com
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The movie's total lack of focus and its unimpressive script should render it totally unwatchable. Weirdly, that doesn't quite happen.

January 11, 2008 Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Your enjoyment of this movie may depend on the Tracy Morgan factor. Rarely has there been a comic who can switch from funny to unbearably grating with such speed.

January 11, 2008 Full Review Source: Detroit News
Detroit News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

While we can't presume to know the Lord's mind, somewhere in the footnotes to the Ten Commandments there must be a rule about not using insipid piety to excuse incompetent comedy.

January 11, 2008 Full Review Source: Globe and Mail
Globe and Mail
Top Critic IconTop Critic

First Sunday isn't an out and out bad film, but to be a good one it would need to either greatly raise the dramatic steaks, or push its comedic boundaries over the top in conception. Instead it treads water safely in the middle, and it shows.

March 22, 2011 Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net
ComingSoon.net

Perhaps moviegoers demand simplicity and cheap laughs more than ever during tough times, but this must be discouraging to aspiring African-American comedians and writers.

April 26, 2009 Full Review Source: Apollo Guide
Apollo Guide

This movie fails as a comedy, a drama, a morality play, and as a coherent motion picture. Awful stuff!

August 26, 2008 Full Review
Sin Magazine

If it was not for Morgan's goofy character or Katt Williams, I would be giving this movie a zero.

May 17, 2008 Full Review Source: BDK Reviews
BDK Reviews

Devilish satire outing felons who come in gaudy three piece suits too, a sweltering church 'hotter than Satan's toenails' and Sunday sermon sidebars that all the rest makes go down easy.

May 3, 2008 Full Review Source: NewsBlaze
NewsBlaze

The missing-church-funds subplot will be easily figured out by any four year old, but it winds up being a McGuffin anyway.

May 1, 2008 Full Review Source: MSNBC

With his movie debut, Talbert plays to his established audience, the redemption message riding roughshod over everything, even such trifling concerns as character consistency and continuity.

March 28, 2008 Full Review Source: Guardian [UK]
Guardian [UK]

Tired, unfunny comedy with Ice Cube as a bungling crook.

March 28, 2008 Full Review Source: Sun Online
Sun Online

The least funny man ever to make a career in comedy movies, Ice Cube hauls his sullen mug back in front of the cameras for the execrable First Sunday.

March 28, 2008 Full Review Source: Times [UK]
Times [UK]

Cube's maudlin, overly precious relationship with his son hits a few sour notes, but Morgan's rubbery, half-crazy Leejohn always drags the film back into its manic, cartoony groove.

March 28, 2008 Full Review Source: Total Film
Total Film

On your own day of judgement, select a better film from the listings.

March 28, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4
Film4

Loretta Devine and Olivia Cole shine out as veteran members of the flock, but even their class combined is no saving grace.

March 28, 2008 Full Review Source: BBC

Seasoned stars such as Loretta Devine and Regina Hall do their best...but it's an uphill struggle with a script even the good lord would rent asunder.

March 28, 2008 Full Review Source: Sky Movies
Sky Movies

With its unlikely but sweet-natured story, 'First Sunday' is a cut above most of the "January junk" that floods the theaters this time of year.

February 24, 2008 Full Review
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

Getting religion in the end is no excuse for a parade of bad taste.

February 22, 2008 Full Review
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

Ice Cube is now Public Enemy Number Fun, although First Sunday is only fun if you're in dire need of a modernist urban take on the strain of comedy Abbott and Costello used to practice, which, let's be honest, wasn't that funny to begin with.

February 1, 2008 Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | Comment (1)
Austin Chronicle

Talbert's unable to pin down exactly what kind of movie he wants to make, a slapstick sermon or an urban tragicomedy?

January 29, 2008 Full Review Source: I.E. Weekly
I.E. Weekly

Writer-director David E. Talbert has a fine cast...but he lets them down with a wretched, amateurish script...

January 17, 2008 Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review
Sacramento News & Review

Audience Reviews for First Sunday

OMG! Movies need more meaning. WHO MAKES A MOVIE ABOUT STEALING FROM A CHURCH.
August 8, 2008
Screeny
Corey Wood

Super Reviewer

A black morality tale... a nice twist from Cube's previous film outings. The comedy is still there, but throw in religion, guilt and the ghetto and you in for a good night.

If you like these kinds flicks.

Watch and praise the Lord that you arent as stupid as the two crims in this one!!

XD!!
July 7, 2008
kpn666
Khris N

Super Reviewer

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