Undercover Brother

UNDERCOVER BROTHER stars Eddie Griffin as the titular character, a superfunky Robin Hood of the 'hood. This afro-topped, bell-bottomed anachronism finds himself recruited into the BROTHERHOOD for a mission of utmost importance. Their shadowy foe "The Man" has brainwashed a respected military veteran and possible presidential candidate (still-suave Billy Dee Williams in a non-embarrassing appearance -- well, except for the whole fried chicken thing) and is using him as a spokesperson for a black-focused fast-food franchise, delivering crispy mind-control poultry to drive the blackness from soul brothers and sisters everywhere.

The BROTHERHOOD ain't down with that. Led by perpetual yeller The Chief (Chi McBride in another shouting variation), Undercover Brother teams up with rotund gadget-guy Smart Brother (Gary Anthony Williams), crackpot/pothead Conspiracy Brother (Dave Chappelle) and sassy asskicker Sistah Girl (Aunjanue Ellis, daaaaamn) to infiltrate "The Man's" corporation Multinational Inc. and get to the bottom of it.

To combat Undercover Brother, "The Man" sends an irresistible secret weapon in the doe-eyes and alert breasts of frisky White She-Devil (Denise Richards, who seems perpetually surprised and/or confused that she's actually in a movie). It's up to the BROTHERHOOD to rescue Undercover Brother from her charms and together penetrate "The Man's" secret island fortress, stop his top henchman Mr. Feather (manic simian Chris Kattan) and foil "Operation Whitewash".

Behind the spirited and garish 70s pastiche of UNDERCOVER BROTHER turns out to be a moderately clever, surprisingly effective satire that managed to keep me grinning goofily and laughing aloud through its breezy play time (clocking in around 79 minutes less credits, it's about as filling as two Cheetos and a thimble of Mr. Pibb). As the disco African-American spy subverting "The Man", Griffin's got all the retro nuances down, but it's his uptight white guy impersonation that's especially funny. By the same token (ahem), as a tragically white BROTHERHOOD intern, Neil Patrick Harris easily delivers his best work since his stirring performance as a psychic Nazi in STARSHIP TROOPERS -- it's hard not to chuckle when Doogie enters a room and proclaims "Holy moley, it looks like the Source Awards in here!". Aunjanue Ellis is a seriously delectable dish of chocolate sweetness who keeps Griffin on track, and the whole cast is generally excellent with the possible exception of Kattan, who hints at comedy when fighting the temptations of black culture before regressing into his trademark "kooky flailing".

Your enjoyment of UNDERCOVER BROTHER will likely be directly proportional to an appreciation for "blaxploitation" flicks (e.g., FOXY BROWN, TRUCK TURNER, DOLEMITE, and of course, BLACK BELT JONES) and a waning interest in the Austin Powers and James Bond franchises. The jokes (including some good-natured jabs at Macy Gray, the NBA and Spike Lee) and visual gags are occasionally silly and broad, but also thankfully never reliant on feces, fat-suits and other lowest-common-denominator grotesque humor. Not every gag's a prize, but the unpretentious racial riffing and pokes at mainstream culture hit the mark more often than not.

But writer John Ridley and director Malcolm D. Lee keep things decidedly rollicking. Toss in a trunk o' funky tunage, a gloriously shameless clothes-ripping catfight scene, vivid outdated lingo, the first CGI hairpicks in a feature film (to the best of my knowledge) and perhaps the greatest rendition of "Ebony and Ivory" ever, and you got a fun time with UNDERCOVER BROTHER. I can dig it.