I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) ***
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) arrived two years before Keenen Ivory Wayans created the wildly popular television show In Living Color (1990–1994) (I'm overdue for a revisit), which would utilize some of the same talented players in larger roles (including Keenen's many siblings).
Writer/director/star Wayans assembled an array of blaxploitation veterans for Sucka, his loving parody of the genre, including Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas, Isaac Hayes and Jim Brown. There are some humorous appearances by other future stars in bit parts as well, including David Alan Grier, and in particular Chris Rock. I hadn't seen IGGYS for at least fifteen years. It never struck me before, but Wayans was clearly influenced by the comedy stylings of writer/directors Jim Abrahams and brothers David and Jerry Zucker (Airplane! (1980), Top Secret! (1984)), as he employs many of the same types of (often repetitive) gags (IGGYS was coincidentally released the same year as The Naked Gun). Mel Brooks was likely an inspiration as well.
Not all the jokes land and some of the character portrayals haven't aged well (most of the female roles, but that sort of goes with the territory of 80s action and comedy genres, not to mention a good deal of blaxploitation itself), but Sucka is still a pretty funny film overall and fun to revisit every so often.
Writer/director/star Wayans assembled an array of blaxploitation veterans for Sucka, his loving parody of the genre, including Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas, Isaac Hayes and Jim Brown. There are some humorous appearances by other future stars in bit parts as well, including David Alan Grier, and in particular Chris Rock. I hadn't seen IGGYS for at least fifteen years. It never struck me before, but Wayans was clearly influenced by the comedy stylings of writer/directors Jim Abrahams and brothers David and Jerry Zucker (Airplane! (1980), Top Secret! (1984)), as he employs many of the same types of (often repetitive) gags (IGGYS was coincidentally released the same year as The Naked Gun). Mel Brooks was likely an inspiration as well.
Not all the jokes land and some of the character portrayals haven't aged well (most of the female roles, but that sort of goes with the territory of 80s action and comedy genres, not to mention a good deal of blaxploitation itself), but Sucka is still a pretty funny film overall and fun to revisit every so often.
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