This slapdash comedy barely coughs up more than a couple of funny scenes as the story moves in predictable fits and starts before sputtering out of fuel half way through.
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06/19/09
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King's Ransom (2005)
2
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:49
Fresh:1
Rotten:48
Average Rating:2.3/10
Consensus: Filled with crass dialogue, unlikable characters, and overdone slapstick gags, King's Ransom is an utterly inept would-be comedy.
Theatrical Release:Apr 22, 2005 Wide
Box Office: $3,998,889
Synopsis: Anthony Anderson sheds his usual sidekick status, heading up the ensemble cast as Malcolm King, a boorish, egomaniacal billionaire who owns a huge, equally tasteless marketing firm in Chicago. The... [More]
Starring: Anthony Anderson, Jay Mohr, Regina Hall, Loretta Devine
Director: Jeff Byrd
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Reviews for King's Ransom
The wordplay of the title here is the only slightly clever element of this extremely lame comedy.
08/07/08
The script, by TV writer Wayne Conley, shares some elements with the old Danny DeVito comedy Ruthless People, but humor isn't one of them.
01/05/07
Top CriticClick to read the article
10/30/06
Anthony Anderson shows he can star in a movie without a kangaroo in this kidnapping plan gone crazy.
10/17/05
King's Ransom lumbers forth clumsily, choreographing its slapstick pratfalls with all the class and taste of a Courtney Love relapse.
09/26/05
The thing looks like it was written in a week, directed in two, and forgotten about by all involved in less than three.
08/01/05
King’s Ransom deserves to be bashed, burned, and have its ashes scattered over Hollywood
07/25/05
It is, quite plainly, like watching a movie that’s trying to go out of its way to be horrible.
07/23/05
I couldn't pay anyone to see this movie. Literally.
05/21/05
(Anthony) Anderson is funny, usually. Just not here.
05/06/05
Basically an improv scene sprawling to feature length.
05/04/05
Top CriticA mirthless comedy about venal people doing stupid things.
05/01/05
Mean-spirited, unpleasant comedy about characters who are both nasty and stupid and who deserve every bad thing that happens to them. In fact, they deserve more.
04/30/05
Byrd’s romp through the most contemptible stereotypes of women, gays, and ethnic minorities makes his film unfit for just about anyone, never mind royalty.
04/30/05
All these plots converge in a decidedly unfunny cacophony.
04/29/05
Needless to say, as a cringe-worthy and excruciatingly awful comedy, you shouldn't pay a dime of King's Ransom.
04/29/05
'Screenwriter' Wayne Conley's idea of side-splitting dialogue is to have characters repeatedly tell King to "kiss their black ass." Or announce that they just "pooted."
04/29/05
Marital bickering, a mistaken-identity sex romp and booty shots galore follow, but few laughs.
04/28/05
[A] crass, trashy and none-too-funny comedy.
04/27/05
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