One Of The Worst Marlon Wayans Comedies Is Taking Off On Streaming
Marlon Wayans has a comedy climbing the streaming charts right now.
This article is more than 2 years old
The Wayans are well-known for their off-color brand of humor. It began with Keenan Ivory Wayans and his In Living Color sketch comedy show and has continued since with different members of the Wayans clan. Some have hit while some have missed the mark terribly. One misfire, starring Marlon Wayans, is now climbing the HBO Max charts at second place.
White Chicks stars two of the ten Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans as Kevin and Marcus Copeland, brothers who are also FBI Agents. The Copeland brothers are on a case trying to catch a drug dealer, but they botch the buy.
In order to remain on any high-profile cases, the brothers are offered a reprieve. They must escort a pair of rich, shallow, socialite daughters, Brittany and Tiffany Wilson, safely to a fashion event in the Hamptons. The brothers are needed as there have been a string of high-profile kidnappings.
Shawn and Marlon Wayans as the sisters get in a car accident with both suffering minor facial injuries. They refuse to be seen in public with their injuries. Now fearing for their jobs, Kevin scares the girls into staying in their hotel room while he and Marcus disguise themselves as the sisters so they can attend the event.
The brothers, now disguised as the white sisters, find themselves at the fashion event where they (somehow) pass themselves off as the sisters to their three best friends, Lisa (Jennifer Carpenter), Karen (Busy Phillips), and Tori (Jessica Cauffiel).
Marcus and Kevin come face-to-face with the Wilson girls’ rivals, the Vandergeld sisters. Also, unbeknownst to Marcus and Kevin is the fact that the Wilson sisters are being monitored by the Copeland brother’s colleagues, who are posing as hotel staff.
As if things aren’t crazy enough, Marcus as Tiffany catches the eye of pro-basketball player Latrell Spencer (Terry Crews, by far the best thing in the movie) while Kevin, disguised as Brittany, finds himself attracted to reporter Denise Porter (Rochelle Aytes).
The movie turns into Shawn and Marlon Wayans characters trying to remain convincing as Tiffany and Brittany while now trying to solve a crime involving large amounts of money being funneled through charities, one that involves the Vandergeld’s father, Warren (the late John Heard).
Confusion reigns supreme when Marcus’ wife Gina arrives in the Hamptons and suspects he is having an affair. Everything comes to a head for the brothers when their cover is blown. Marcus blames Kevin for possibly losing his wife and both are kicked off the case.
The boys don’t back down and continue their pursuit of Warren Vandergeld. To make that happen, they must once again disguise themselves.
White Chicks is a family affair, much like many of the Wayans films. Keenan Ivory Wayans directed the film from a script that he, Maron Wayans, and Shawn Wayans co-wrote with Xavier Cook, Andy McElfresh, and Michael Anthony Snowden.
Shawn and Marlon Wayans had a $37 million budget for the film, obviously not using much of it for prosthetics, but actually made some money on it by bringing home $113 at the box office.
White Chicks is presented as a different take on the 1959 romantic comedy Some Like It Hot starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon where Curtis and Lemmon go on the run from mobsters by dressing in drag after they witness the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Needless to say, Some Like It Hot is a much superior movie.
But over the years, White Chicks has found some traction even though many critics have decried it for racism in the highest form. The film has found its niche and is now even considered a cult classic. Go figure.
Marlon Wayans’ film career has mainly revolved around comedy. He was part of the In Living Color cast (which launched the careers of Jim Carrey and Jamie Foxx, among others) then found himself bouncing back and forth from television to feature films. On the television side, he was seen in Waynehead, The Wayan Bros., and also had his own show called Marlon.
On the big screen, Marlon got his start with bit roles on features such as I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, Mo’ Money, Above the Rim, and Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood.
His time on the big screen increased as he (and his family) became more popular. He was in The Sixth Man, Senseless, the parody films Scary Movie and Scary Movie 2, as well as A Haunted House and A Haunted House 2. He was also in another parody, Fifty Shades of Black.
Like much of the Wayans’ material, Marlon’s is hit or miss. You can judge for yourself with White Chicks, now available to be seen on HBO Max. Let us know where you stand.
