B.A.P.S (1997)

To me, this movie is perfection.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I loved this movie 24/7.It is about two black girls from the ghetto who are discovered to act as this millionaire's late love's grand-daughter(well Halle Berry's role was to play her). The girls then discover some others being fake as well.The comedy in this movie is really thought out, to me. The customized hairdos are what made me laugh. Out of all of the African American movies, this would be apart of the "not excellent, but good movies to enjoy." You guys are saying that Halle Berry shouldn't of played this role, but that is what being an actor/actress is about. You have to be able to act as any person. That includes being a king, and then bring some bank robber, and then being a psycho, or something like that.What about Gerald Butler? He may have not played a good Phantom of The Opera, but he was good in 300 and...I think Beowolf he played in, too. He also plays Hilary Swank's goofy late boyfriend in P.S. I Love You. It's about acting more than just one type of character. If so, That would be boring.

Martin Landau was wonderful as a dying old rich man who regained his zest for life and Halle Berry was delightful as the waitress and hairdresser hired to do it. Berry was miserable in her old life, but she and a friend have a chance to audition for a rap video. They don't get that job, but an Italian servant to the rich man sees them in line to audition and offers them a job. The rich man's uptight butler wants to throw them out, but the man's nephew assures them it's ok. The nephew explains that his uncle had a Romeo and Juliet romance with the black housekeeper and has apparently never found a woman he loved since his family got rid of her. The nephew can't find the housekeeper, but to make his uncle happy in his last days, he pretends Berry is the man's granddaughter. Landau recovers and really begins to enjoy life, primarily because Berry's friend cooks him soul food. He plays a dying man and a party animal equally well. The uptight butler loosens up and is particularly funny in two places: buying rap music for Landau, and relaying messages to Berry's boyfriend (when Berry doesn't want to talk to him) on the phone, profanity and all (though I saw the TV version and don't know quite how much profanity). Berry's friend starts a romance with the Italian servant, who claims to be a rich man who couldn't find a woman in Italy. Possible spoilers here: unfortunately, he and the nephew both have less than ideal motives for their actions. The ending was quite interesting: no sound other than music, though you can pretty much tell what was happening. And just in case you didn't figure it out, the words "The End" are replaced with "The Beginning," and there's more. The movie had several chances to be stereotypical but didn't take them. It was a real feel-good movie.

I remember this movie was in limited release when it came out in 1997. I was able to catch it when it appeared on TMN, our movie channel up here in Canada. Being a fan of Robert Townsend, I really liked his past work like "Hollywood Shuffle" and his TV show "The Parenthood", so I knew I was going to like this flick. Though the beginning of the movie is a little on the weak side, it starts picking up to a nice pace and is entertaining. Some reviewers were offended by the way African-Americans are portrayed in this movie, as ghetto talking and jiving boneheads. For me, I don't see it that way, I just see it as a comedy-straight up. I can see how people would be offended though, because most of the movies that came out before movies like "Waiting to Exhale" & "The Brothers" came out either portrayed the African-Americans as uneducated ghetto talking airheads, or gangsters, pimps, & drug dealers. Another thing I noticed from some of the reviews both on IMDB & other sources, is that the writers think that it has set back the clock for black actors etc. It was directed by an African-American, which I may add, never received his just props in Hollywood. In conclusion, if it makes you laugh, which the fine actors in this movie achieve whole heartedly, it's all good.

Just watched this on USA. Not bad. It was very lighthearted, and to see Halle with a gold tooth was a trip.Not pretentious at all - accomplished what they wanted to - Makes you smile.