Not that there's anything terribly wrong with director Doug McHenry's vision of this dysfunctional group, it's just that there's nothing terribly right about it, either.
Kingdom Come (2001)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:63
Fresh:18
Rotten:45
Average Rating:4.3/10
Consensus: While it has its moments, Kingdom Come is marred by a script that's low on laughs and uneven in tone.
Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for thematic elements, language and sensuality
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Apr 11, 2001 Wide
Box Office: $22,574,258
Synopsis: Whoopi Goldberg stars in KINGDOM COME as matriarch Raynelle Slocumb, whose mean-spirited husband, Ray Bud, unexpectedly falls down dead at the breakfast table in this touching and irreverent comedy... Whoopi Goldberg stars in KINGDOM COME as matriarch Raynelle Slocumb, whose mean-spirited husband, Ray Bud, unexpectedly falls down dead at the breakfast table in this touching and irreverent comedy based on the play DEARLY DEPARTED by David Dean Bottrell and Jessie Jones. Ray Bud's untimely death forces the dysfunctional Slocumb clan together for a long weekend where family tensions, grievances, and long-suffering silences are aired as they prepare the funeral of their patriarch. An all-star African American cast features L.L. Cool J as Ray Bud Jr., who is put in charge of the funeral despite his struggles to come to terms with unresolved feelings for his father while battling alcoholism and an unhappy marriage with his wife, Lucille (Vivica A. Fox). Bud Jr.'s brother, Junior (Anthony Anderson), is a small-time scheme-spinner who descends on the Slocumb family home in rural Lulu, California with his shrewish wife, Charisse (Jada Pinkett Smith), and their three monstrous children. Bud's sister, Marguerite (Loretta Devine), is a deeply religious bible-thumper whose son, Royce (Darius McCrary)--affectionately called Satan--dreams of starting a family of his own so he can live on welfare. And finally, wealthy cousin, Juanita (Toni Braxton), who competes with Charisse for Junior's affection as the whole family comes together for a wildly vibrant ride orchestrated by a slightly gaseous Reverend (Cedric The Entertainer). Set to a rollicking gospel soundtrack by Kirk Franklin, featuring a title song with Jill Scott, this entertaining combination of humor and family dynamics features a first-rate ensemble cast brimming over with vitality in this self-parody of African American family life. [More]
Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Toni Braxton, LL Cool J, Jada Pinkett Smith
Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Toni Braxton, LL Cool J, Jada Pinkett Smith, Anthony Anderson, Cedric the Entertainer, Loretta Devine, Darius McCrary, Vivica Fox
Director: Doug McHenry
Director: Doug McHenry
Screenwriter: David Dean Bottrell, Jessie Jones
Producer: John Morrissey, Edward Bates
Composer: Tyler Bates
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
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Reviews for Kingdom Come
The script and plot become far too predictable -- to the point that the audience knows exactly where it's going to go and reluctantly follows it.
Sometimes there's nothing to be done about death except laugh at it, which is exactly what the comedy Kingdom Come does, with most of the right laughs in most of the right places and some unexpected ones thrown in.
Despite some lofty intentions, McHenry (who last directed the melodramatic Jason's Lyric) more or less keeps it sitcom superficial.
If you're looking for a story that doesn't manipulate you every step of the way, you'll have to wait until you know what.
It's all too easy to see through the movie to its plot gears, and all too evident where the grinding of those gears is taking us.
Awful because it's full of archaic stereotypes, glaringly bad performances and enough Parent 'Hood-ish sitcom yuks to give Spike Lee an arm-length list of reasons to make Bamboozled 2 in response.
As performed by a wonderful all-star cast, this hybrid low comedy and heart-tugging soap opera proves richly entertaining.
A grab-bag of loosely connected scenes and lives than a film with a firm sense of direction.
Kingdom Come won't cause anyone to die laughing, but you should find the theme of reconciliation and redemption to be a sweet and reassuring one.
It is difficult to find anything interesting about the onscreen bickering and distress concerning repeatedly harped-upon issues.
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