The Cookout

2004

The Cookout (2004)

TOMATOMETER

5%
6%

Critic Consensus: Good-natured but prepared with an absence of craft, The Cookout is an unappetizing collection of warmed-over jokes.

AUDIENCE SCORE

37%

Want to See

Not Interested

Add Rating
My Rating    

The Cookout Photos

View All Photos (21)

Movie Info

When Todd Anderson (Storm P) signs a 30-million-dollar contract with the New Jersey Nets after being named the number one NBA draft pick of the year, his mother (Jenifer Lewis) vows to prevent her son from forgetting his roots. Not used to balancing his new life with his old, Todd mistakenly invites family and friends from his old neighborhood to his multi-million-dollar house for a cookout on the same day of an important endorsement interview. Though his extravagant family cookouts were welcome at his old digs, Todd's stuffy new neighbors -- particularly the conservative Republican Judge Halsted Crowley (Danny Glover) -- are less than thrilled with the arrival of Todd's massive family. Complicating the situation further is the eccentric neighborhood security guard (Queen Latifah), who takes on the heady assignment of ensuring that none of the private community's rules are broken, as well as two thugs who, determined to get an autographed pair of sneakers, hold up the cookout at gunpoint. Directed by Lance Rivera, The Cookout also features performances from Ja Rule, Eve, Farrah Fawcett, and Jonathan Silverman.

Watch it now

Cast

Storm P
as Todd Anderson
Ja Rule
as Bling Bling
Tim Meadows
as Leroy Lady
Jenifer Lewis
as Lady Em
Meagan Good
as Brittany
Jonathan Silverman
as Wes
Farrah Fawcett
as Mrs. Crowley
Roberto Vanderpool
as Wheezer
Frankie Faison
as Jojo Anderson
Vincent Pastore
as Poo Salesman/Marquis
Kevin Phillips
as Jamal Washington
Marcia Reed
as Ms. Peters
Ruperto Vanderpool
as Wheezer
Gerry Bamman
as Butler
Carl Wright
as Grandpa
Marv Albert
as Marv Albert
Reg E. Cathey
as Frank Washington
Elton Brand
as Elton Brand
Rita Owens
as Nettie Washington
Baron Davis
as Baron Davis
Jerod Mixon
as Willie
Mark Cuban
as Mark Cuban
Jamal Mixon
as Nelson
Eve
as Becky
Danny Glover
as Judge Crowley
Queen Latifah
as Security Officer
Godfrey
as Jasper
Alex Avant
as Police Officer
Jesse May
as Olivier
Marc Plastrik
as Police Chief
Russ Russo
as B-Ball Player
Denee Busby
as Little Dee
Maria Soccor
as Young Nettie
Shawn Andrew
as Jerome
Lance Spellerberg
as Sven
Peggy Cosgrave
as Mrs. Atwater
William Stone Mahoney
as Commissioner
Walter L. Simpson III
as A.J.
Wilhelm Lewis
as Wayne
Antonio Walker
as Young Thug
Deep Katdare
as Clerk
Thomas James O'Leary
as Reporter #1
Wendy Williams
as Reporter #2
Sandra Mills Scott
as Nurse
Channelle Nazaire
as Grade School Becky
Otis Best
as Grade School Todd
Alice Wright
as Grade School Bling Bling
Rodney Henry Jr.
as Grade School Wheezer
Divine Compere
as Young Cousin
Hasani Houston
as Light Skinned Boy
Julian Douglas
as Two Year Old Baby
Mehki Clayton-Smith
as Two Year Old Baby
DJ Enuff
as Himself
Roxy Noffz
as Cookie Girl
View All

News & Interviews for The Cookout

View All The Cookout News

Critic Reviews for The Cookout

All Critics (42) | Top Critics (16)

Seemingly assembled from ideas on the cutting-room floor of a cancelled sitcom.

Jan 5, 2007 | Full Review…
AV Club
Top Critic

This is one dull party.

Jan 5, 2007 | Full Review…
Chicago Reader
Top Critic

Rivera and a host of screenwriters were apparently as cowed by Lady Em as Todd; she sucks up much of the screen time, and admirable though her family values may be, they're not exactly rip-roaring funny.

Sep 9, 2004 | Full Review…
L.A. Weekly
Top Critic

Todd's payday apparently sends comedy backward in time, and we're in the 1970s, ethno-sitcom style.

Sep 9, 2004 | Rating: D | Full Review…
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic

A painfully unfunny, would-be comedy.

Sep 8, 2004
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic

The pointlessness of The Cookout exudes a modicum of charm, but the simple-minded mess still lacks the wit and moral weight of an episode of Family Matters.

Sep 7, 2004 | Full Review…
Village Voice
Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (42)

Audience Reviews for The Cookout

The laughs were lukewarm

Remi Logan
Remi Logan

Super Reviewer

View All Audience Reviews

The Cookout Quotes

There are no approved quotes yet for this movie.

News & Features

More News & Features