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
the couple's young son, Durell knows that the only way to keep his fractured family in close proximity to one another is to raise the 17,000 dollars needed to pay off her growing debt. In order to get the money before his ex decides to make the big move, the desperate Durell enlists the aid of his scheming best buddy to rob their neighborhood church. But someone has beaten Durell and LeeJohn to the punch, and if they ever hope to get their hands on that quick cash, this bumbling pair will first have to spend an entire night in the presence of not just the almighty lord, but some of his most fervent followers as well. Katt Williams, Keith David, Regina Hall, and Chi Mcbride co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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.
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.
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.
The film, written and directed by urban theater circuit playwright David E. Talbert, is far from polished, but it has a rambunctious energy that's hard to resist.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
OMG! Movies need more meaning. WHO MAKES A MOVIE ABOUT STEALING FROM A CHURCH.
August 8, 2008
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!!
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