Fakin' Da Funk

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Audience Score

User Ratings: 238
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Movie Info

A theme of racial harmony underlies this comedy-drama. The couple Joe (Ernie Hudson) and Annabelle Lee (Pam Grier) learn the baby they are adopting is not black but Chinese. As Julian Lee (Dante Basco), reaches teen-hood, his father dies and the adopted boy moves with his mom to Atlanta. Here he hopes to make friends with the local teens, who are somewhat perplexed by the Asian-American's hip-hop slang and high scores when he grabs the basketball. Julian intervenes when his younger brother Perry (Rashaan Nall) falls in with local gangsta Frog (Tone Loc) and his group. Meanwhile, in a parallel plot, similar problems surface for clueless foreign-exchange student May-Ling (Margaret Cho). She's baffled to find herself living with a black family, a situation leading to inventive cross-cultural comedy. The film's soundtrack combines hip-hop, funk, and Asian instrumentals. Shown at the 1997 Hamptons Film Festival.

Cast

Ernie Hudson
as Joe Lee
Pam Grier
as Anneabelle Lee
Margaret Cho
as May-Ling
Dante Basco
as Julian Lee
Duane Martin
as Brandon
John Witherspoon
as Bill
Tone Loc
as Frog
Rashaan Nall
as Perry Lee
Tatyana Ali
Bo Jackson
Tichina Arnold
Chris Spencer
Kelly Hu
Rudy Ray Moore
Reynaldo Rey
Nell Carter
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Critic Reviews for Fakin' Da Funk

All Critics (2) | Top Critics (1) | Fresh (2)

  • Chey shows a keen ear for black English, a well-honed comic imagination, and an upbeat humanism; Zoltan David's camera work is outstanding, especially the bravura Steadicam opening shot.

    Jan 1, 2000 | Full Review…

    Ted Shen

    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic

  • While it's no great work of cinema, this movie about serious racial issues is a lot funnier than you might expect.

    Feb 14, 2001 | Rating: 62/100 | Full Review…

    Janet Branagan

    Apollo Guide
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Audience Reviews for Fakin' Da Funk

  • Jul 22, 2010
    Adorable movie. At times cheesy, a little corny, but sweet and without missing the point. Dante Basco is clearly "down with the brown" in this 90s "erase the color lines" film about a Chinese boy adopted by black parents who eventually move from Atlanta to South Central. Hilarity, of course, ensues. A second story involves a Chinese exchange student (played by the comic Margaret Cho) gets sent to the "wrong hood" and is taken in by a black family as well, played by John Witherspoon (Boondocks), Nell Carter, and Tichina Arnold (Everybody Hates Chris). I enjoyed it. I'm a fan of these kinds of flicks, especially the comedy. It was also a trip seeing various known black actors in their youths, like Duane Martin and Reynaldo Rey. If you're bored and looking for a cute, funny popcorn movie to bide your time, check it out.
    Remi L Super Reviewer
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