This is a loud, stupid, cliché-riddled mess.
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008)
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Reviews Counted:78
Fresh:19
Rotten:59
Average Rating:4.4/10
Consensus: Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins has moments of comic inspiration -- and long stretches of overdone slapstick.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for crude and sexual content, language and some drug references.
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Feb 8, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $42,168,445
Synopsis: Actor-comedian Martin Lawrence (BAD BOYS, BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE) aims for the heartstrings and funny bones in WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS, a raucous helping of family soul food. Lawrence plays R.J.... Actor-comedian Martin Lawrence (BAD BOYS, BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE) aims for the heartstrings and funny bones in WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS, a raucous helping of family soul food. Lawrence plays R.J. Stevens (in truth, Roscoe Steven Jenkins), a Hollywood self-help sensation whose fame has netted him a reality television star fiancée (Joy Bryant) while simultaneously alienating his young son. Having been away from his family for nine years, prodigal son R.J. returns to Georgia to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of his parents (James Earl Jones and Margaret Avery). Upon his arrival, R.J. is given a rude awakening by his none-too-impressed siblings (Mike Epps, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Mo'Nique). R.J. must also contend with his ultra-competitive cousin Clyde (Cedric the Entertainer), the family's presumptive "golden boy" and a long-time rival who stole the affections of R.J.'s childhood sweetheart, Lucinda (Nicole Ari Parker). As the celebration weekend rolls on, R.J.'s craving for his father's respect and an inflated sense of self threaten family harmony and his opportunity to reconnect with Lucinda, and--worst of all--his relationship with his own son. Lawrence makes Roscoe a genuinely sympathetic foil to the comedic antics of Mo'Nique and Epps, both of whom are given room to riff by director Malcom D. Lee (UNDERCOVER BROTHER, ROLL BOUNCE). Frequently bawdy but thoroughly entertaining, WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS is also a warmhearted reminder that you are where you come from, and that when searching for yourself no one can put you straight better than a loving family. [More]
Starring: Martin Lawrence, Margaret Avery, Joy Bryant, Louis C.K.
Starring: Martin Lawrence, Margaret Avery, Joy Bryant, Louis C.K., Michael Clarke Duncan, Mike Epps, Mo'Nique, Nicole Ari Parker, Cedric the Entertainer, James Earl Jones
Director: Malcolm D. Lee
Director: Malcolm D. Lee
Screenwriter: Malcolm D. Lee
Producer: Scott Stuber, Mary Parent, Charles Castaldi
Composer: David Newman
Studio: Universal Pictures
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Reviews for Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
for anyone wondering where the well-made, expertly-acted comedy went to, Roscoe Jenkins is a "welcome" return for the cinematic form.
A large, talented cast is mostly wasted in Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, one of those movies Hollywood cranks out to celebrate the down-home charms of small town life by exposing the vapidity of showbiz and celebrity.
Easily Lawrence's best starring role. But keep in mind that's only compared to his other movies.
It's true, writer/director Malcolm D. Lee does pound home a few life lessons, but it mostly comes at the expense of animal attacks, farts, and all-around comedic laziness.
I prefer my Martin Lawrence humiliated, emasculated, and speechless...a slightly ludicrous, slightly bloated, but overwhelmingly good-natured comedy of the broadest kind.
... recycles so much material it's a wonder the film stock didn't turn green during filming.
It's not bad (but if you wait and spend a couple of bucks to rent the DVD, it'll probably seem even better).
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins imagines slapstick farce as feel-good dramedy, which is to say, it's an unhappy (and largely unfunny) marriage of two movie types that don't really go together.
It's impressive, actually, that Lawrence lets this film's supporting players steal so much of his show -- as movie stars go, he must be a pretty secure guy.
If you thought National Lampoon's Vacation films were at least okay, then Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins is a decent enough way to spend two hours.
Modestly budgeted and massively dumb, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins belongs to the sassy sistas and blinged-out playas school of comedy (maybe it's a preschool, come to think of it).
All this said, there's a not bad movie inside of Welcome Home, visible in the quiet center provided by Margaret Avery.
The film gets mired in pointless, drawn-out jokes about bodily functions and sex between pets.
Truth be told, everyone and everything about Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins is pretty unlikable.
A talented comedian, Lawrence has leaned all too easily on formula for his successful films. Imagine if he would test his flair against original and fresh premises, instead of the tried and trite.
Nothing, not even the voice of Darth Vadar himself, can save this family comedy from a too-silly script.
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins is a happy surprise of a movie, a heartfelt comedy that probably shouldn't work, but does. (Would it have hurt to add a comma to the title?)
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