Malibu's Most Wanted

Last updated
Malibu's Most Wanted
Malibus most wanted film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Whitesell
Written byFax Bahr
Adam Small
Jamie Kennedy
Nick Swardson
Produced byFax Bahr
Mike Karz
Adam Small
StarringJamie Kennedy
Taye Diggs
Anthony Anderson
Blair Underwood
Regina Hall
Damien Dante Wayans
Ryan O'Neal
Snoop Dogg
Cinematography Mark Irwin
Edited by Cara Silverman
Music by John Van Tongeren
with Damon Elliott
John Debney (themes)
Production
companies
Bahr/Small Productions (uncredited)
Karz Entertainment
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • April 18, 2003 (2003-04-18)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million
Box office$34 million [1]

Malibu's Most Wanted is a 2003 American comedy film written by and starring Jamie Kennedy and co-starring Taye Diggs, Anthony Anderson, Blair Underwood, Regina Hall, Damien Dante Wayans, Ryan O'Neal, and Snoop Dogg. The film is written by the creators of MADtv , Fax Bahr and Adam Small, who also serve as producers. The character of "B-Rad", a spoof of Eminem's character "B-Rabbit" in the film 8 Mile , originally appeared in Jamie Kennedy's hidden-camera show The Jamie Kennedy Experiment , but started in his stand-up routine when he was starting out.

Contents

Here, "B-Rad" is Brad, the son of Senator Bill Gluckman who is running for governor of California and fears his son is a distraction on the campaign trail, with Brad's aspirations of becoming a rapper and his glamorization of gang life. To that end, Gluckman's campaign manager hires two actors to stage an abduction to bring Brad to an inner city neighborhood where he will learn to behave himself.

Plot

Bill Gluckman is a wealthy Jewish senator from Malibu, California who is running for the office of the governor of California. His son Brad is a wannabe "Eminem", preferring to go by the nickname "B-Rad" despite leading a rich, sheltered life. As a result, members of Mr. Gluckman's political campaign become concerned that Brad's idiotic, outlandish behavior will ruin his father's chances at being elected.

The campaign team members hire two actors, Sean and PJ, who don't know any more about inner-city life than B-Rad, to act as gang members. They kidnap him, and take him to South Los Angeles, where PJ's cousin Shondra lives, and they hope B-Rad will be "scared white" after witnessing what inner city life is really like. The trio engages in mildly dangerous activities such as petty theft in order to convince B-Rad that he should return home.

The three involuntarily become mixed up between rival gangs, unfortunately crossing paths with the leader of one of the gangs, Tec, after bumping into him at a club, and who also happens to be Shondra's ex. In the meantime, B-Rad develops feelings for Shondra, who at first is unimpressed and annoyed, but slowly begins to enjoy B-Rad's company, and eventually admire him for who he truly is.

B-Rad comes to find out that the entire excursion to head to South Central was a ruse in order for him to be scared out of his mannerisms, and soon takes matters into his own hands, turning the tables on his would-be captors. His recklessness leads to the trio becoming actually kidnapped by Tec and his crew, unbeknownst to B-Rad, who just assumes this is part of the act. Tec soon becomes impressed at intimidation tactics portrayed by B-Rad as a result of playing Grand Theft Auto . Unfortunately, during a house party, B-Rad almost gets shot by Tec for a misunderstanding with Shondra. He accidentally shot himself in the foot, yet it barely grazed him due to his poor aim.

When Bill Gluckman realizes that his son is in actual danger, he rushes over, and uses his trademark negotiating skills in order to ease the situation. In doing so, he realizes that he should just accept B-Rad for who he is, and decides that he will support his son unconditionally. The two reconcile, and when the family returns to Malibu, the film closes with Bill and B-Rad celebrating a Gluckman win in the governors' race.

Cast

Cameos

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 31% of 93 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.70/10.The website's consensus reads: "Malibu's Most Wanted gets a few laughs, but nowhere near enough to sustain its running time." [2]

Cultural themes

The overarching themes that are discussed in Malibu's Most Wanted are both the exploitation of one culture by another, as well as the pressure to act within the norms of a given culture. Not only are these themes explored explicitly by the actions of B-Rad, but also by Sean and PJ. There is an expectation of how black people are portrayed in Hollywood that is explored in depth in the manner in which Sean and PJ practice acting "gangsta" in order to prove their blackness. In an interview conducted by Brian Balchack from Movieweb.com, Taye Diggs notes that "the interesting thing, being an African-American actor, is that we're constantly challenged with the duality of acting stereotypically “black,” and just acting. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck don't have to read for a role and ask themselves, ‘Okay, do they want me to say this word like this, or can I just be myself?' I know tons of black actors that didn't grow up in the ‘hood, and don't have their “gangster lingo” down, who take it to another level when they go in for a gangster role. I think that that's very interesting." [3]

Home media

Malibu's Most Wanted was released on VHS and DVD on September 9, 2003. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Kennedy</span> American actor and comedian

James Harvey Kennedy is an American actor and comedian.

The Jamie Kennedy Experiment is a half-hour-long American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series that debuted in 2002 and was broadcast on The WB. The host and star of the show is Jamie Kennedy, a comedian who presented a reality TV format which combined hidden camera with sketch comedy. The show was a production of Bahr-Small Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and Big Ticket Television and ran from January 13, 2002 until April 29, 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taye Diggs</span> American actor (born 1971)

Scott Leo "Taye" Diggs is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the Broadway musicals Rent and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the TV series Private Practice (2007–2013), Murder in the First (2014–2016), and All American (2018–2023), and the films How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), Brown Sugar, Chicago, Malibu's Most Wanted (2003), Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2011), and The Best Man (1999) and its sequel, The Best Man Holiday (2013).

<i>At Close Range</i> 1986 film by James Foley

At Close Range is a 1986 American neo-noir crime drama film directed by James Foley from a screenplay written by Nicholas Kazan, based on the real life rural Pennsylvania crime family led by Bruce Johnston Sr. which operated during the 1960s and '70s. It stars Sean Penn and Christopher Walken, with Mary Stuart Masterson, Crispin Glover, Tracey Walter, Christopher Penn, Eileen Ryan, David Strathairn and Kiefer Sutherland in supporting roles.

<i>The Best Man</i> (1999 film) 1999 American film

The Best Man is a 1999 American comedy drama film written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee in his directorial debut. It was produced by 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, with Lee's cousin, Spike Lee, serving as producer. The film stars an ensemble cast led by Taye Diggs and Nia Long, with the debut of Regina Hall.

Aaron Lohr is an American actor.

<i>The Wood</i> 1999 film by Rick Famuyiwa

The Wood is a 1999 American coming-of-age comedy drama film directed by Rick Famuyiwa and starring Omar Epps, Richard T. Jones and Taye Diggs. It was written by Famuyiwa and Todd Boyd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kill You (Eminem song)</span> 2000 single by Eminem

"Kill You" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his third album The Marshall Mathers LP (2000). It was released as a promotional single from the album in 2001, and was featured on the deluxe edition of his 2005 greatest hits album, Curtain Call: The Hits. The song peaked at #2 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart.

<i>Day Break</i> Television program

Day Break is an American crime drama television series for which one 13-episode season was produced. The series starred Taye Diggs as Detective Brett Hopper, who is framed for the murder of Assistant District Attorney Alberto Garza. Due to a time loop, Hopper lives the same day over and over. The series revolves around his attempt to solve the mystery of the murder and find out who is behind the conspiracy to frame him.

Daniel Quinn Karaty is an American TV personality, actor, producer, dancer and choreographer. He has performed with and/or created routines for pop superstars such as Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue and *NSYNC. Karaty is also well known as a judge and choreographer on several versions of the global dance competition program So You Think You Can Dance, including the American, Australian, Canadian versions and as a permanent member of the judge's panel for the Dutch-Belgian version since its first season. In addition, Karaty starred in "Soof," The Netherlands' highest-grossing film in 2013. He appears as a judge or mentor on X Factor, Everybody Dance Now,My Name Is Michael, Holland's Got Talent, So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation, Belgium's Got Talent and The Ultimate Dance Battle, the last of which he created and on which he serves as executive producer. Previously, Karaty served in the capacity of a performance stager and choreographer on America's Got Talent.

Blowin' Up is a comedic reality show on MTV. The show starred Jamie Kennedy, an actor who follows his dream of becoming a successful rapper. The show was written by Kennedy after the success of the movie Malibu's Most Wanted, in which he starred. Along for the ride is his close friend Stu Stone, who keeps Jamie in check to stick to their rap career.

Damien Dante Wayans is an American actor, screenwriter, producer and director. He is a member of the Wayans family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Famuyiwa</span> American film and television director (born 1973)

Rick Famuyiwa is an American filmmaker and television director. He is best known for the films The Wood (1999), Brown Sugar (2002), and Dope (2015), as well for his work on the television series The Mandalorian, for which he directed five episodes and served as an executive producer for the third season. His films have been nominated for or won multiple awards, including in 2008, when he received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture for the film Talk To Me (2007).

<i>Relapse</i> (Eminem album) 2009 studio album by Eminem

Relapse is the sixth studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on May 19, 2009, by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. The album marks Eminem's return after a six-year hiatus due to writer's block and an addiction to prescription sleeping medication. The album features the most production work by Dr. Dre on any given Eminem album, with Dre producing all but one song, which was produced by Eminem. Mark Batson collaborated with Dre on several songs, while Eminem, Dawaun Parker, and Trevor Lawrence Jr. collaborated with Dre on one song each.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Felli Fel</span> American DJ (born 1970)

James Andrew Reigart, better known by his stage name DJ Felli Fel, is an American club and radio DJ for Los Angeles's Power 106, as well as a record producer and hype man. He is also a member of The Americanos and The Heavy Hitters DJs.

<i>Malibus Most Wanted</i> (soundtrack) 2003 soundtrack album by Various artists

Music from the Motion Picture Malibu's Most Wanted is the official soundtrack to John Whitesell's 2003 comedy film Malibu's Most Wanted. It was released April 15, 2003 by Universal Records.

<i>The Best Man Holiday</i> 2013 American comedy-drama film

The Best Man Holiday is a 2013 American comedy-drama film written, co-produced and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. A sequel to Lee's The Best Man (1999), it stars Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, Harold Perrineau, Monica Calhoun and Melissa De Sousa, all reprising their roles from the previous film. Along with Lee, the film was produced by Sean Daniel.

<i>Murder in the First</i> (TV series) TV series

Murder in the First is an American crime drama television series that originally aired on TNT. The series was created by Steven Bochco and Eric Lodal, and stars Taye Diggs and Kathleen Robertson. Set in San Francisco, the show follows a single case across an entire season. The series aired for three seasons from June 9, 2014 to September 4, 2016. This series was the last produced by Bochco before his death in 2018.

"No Favors" is a song by American rapper Big Sean featuring American rapper Eminem for his fourth studio album I Decided (2017). The song was written by Big Sean, Francis Nguyen-Tran, Mark Sebastian, Starrah, The Lovin' Spoonful, Eminem, WondaGurl and John Sebastian and was produced by WondaGurl, Big Sean, and FrancisGotHeat. This song contains samples from "Summer in the City", performed by Quincy Jones featuring Valerie Simpson and was written by Mark Sebastian, Steve Boone and John Sebastian. The song debuted at number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 12, 2021.

References

  1. ↑ "Malibu's Most Wanted (2003)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2012-02-29. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
  2. ↑ "Malibu's Most Wanted". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  3. ↑ "Jamie Kennedy, Taye Diggs, & Anthony Anderson on MALIBU'S MOST WANTED!". movieweb.com . 11 April 2003. Archived from the original on 24 September 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  4. ↑ "Malibu's Most Wanted DVD Release Date". Archived from the original on 2013-04-05. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.