All About the Benjamins (2002)

Best movie ever!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

This movie doesn't have much to offer. It isn't funny at any point, the characters are paper thin, and largely doesn't have a point.Ice Cube and Mike Epps don't really do much as a comedy duo in this movie, it seems that they worked well in the Friday 2 and 3 but just kind of phoned it in for this one. This would be probably be a 3 star rating from me if I didn't like Ice Cube and Mike Epps. Hell, maybe I'd give this a 5 or a 6 if there was anything funny present in the film other than just the presence of the main duo. (Note: if you take a look at some of my ratings, you'll notice that I like a lot of stuff and give a pass to a LOT of stuff that you would probably think is way worse had you not seen this)

Though it may appear as a Friday style film, All About the Benjamins is far from the comedy franchise as possible. Instead of being a slacker, buddy comedy, it's an action cop film similar to 48 Hours or Beverly Hills Cop. It isn't necessarily bad, but it takes a path I didn't expect. How could you blame me for mistaking it was a straight forward comedy? It's in a four pack that includes all Ice Cube movies, and it stars Mike Epps as well. The same characters that portrayed Craig and Dey Dey are in a movie that is included in a Friday four pack. Can't be that far off.Sadly, it takes the path and cliché of every cop movie out there. There's explosions, swearing, two friends, etc. It gets old very fast. There's not much new or fresh utilized here. If there is a low six star movie rating, this is the one. It's not a five star film, but it's not a seven or eight star film. It's kind of tilting on the edge.Bucum (Cube) is a bounty hunter who's goal is to get money to open his own investigation firm. Reggie (Epps) is a con artist that somehow escaped Bucum's clutches three times. After winning big on the lottery, but losing the ticket in the back of a van with diamonds thieves, Bucum and Reggie have no choice but to work together to get the thieves and retrieve the lottery ticket so Reggie can claim his riches.It reminds me of a film I watched not too long ago called Lottery Ticket that also stars Cube, about a young man trying to survive a weekend with a $370 million lottery ticket the whole neighborhood is aware of. The only difference is the ticket never leaves the man's possession. In this one they need to get it back.The film has frequent chases and action moments, but I find them unappealing and just a little much. I would have liked less of the over exaggerated, played out action sequences and more of the witty dialog. Ice Cube and Mike Epps made a great duo in Next Friday and Friday After Next, and had numerous dialog scenes in the film that were utterly hilarious and clever. This film relies too much on action movie clichés, and a drawn out plot. You know they'll retrieve the ticket, and most likely fight towards the end. The suspense is none.You may say it's my fault for comparing the film too much to Friday, but I'm not analyzing the film based on my first impression. I'm grading on behalf of the film's plot, characters action scenes, and suspense. The film had everyone of those in decent context. But so decent they were forgettable.Starring: Ice Cube, Mike Epps, Eva Mendes, Tommy Flanagan, Carmen Chaplin, Valarie Rae Miller, Roger Guenveur Smith, and Anthony Michael Hall. Directed by: Kevin Bray.

Ice Cube has definitely flipped the script. He's done it all from acting, writing, producing and directing. "All About The Benjamins" isn't a great movie by any means, but it validates tomorrow's newest duo - Cube and Epps. When Mike Epps teamed with the Cube on "Next Friday", I thought it was gimmicky. "All About The Benjamins" cements it. They truly are a throw back to the great comedic duos from Laurel and Hardy to Gibson and Glover. There's alot of plot holes, implausible action scenes, but the chemistry between the two stars is undeniable. If I have to critique one thing, Cube needs to refine his screenwriting skills a tad. He knows how to tell a good story, but doesn't know how to write one. With Cube, the only way he can go is up.

Frankly I am getting really sick of all these predictable bad boy movies. The shot this critic takes a Flanagan's accent appeared to be all he could find to whine about, but it's ok to whine about a Scottish accent,..,... but oh Lawdy dont bad mouth Ebonics. I first spotted Flanagan in Sunset Strip and have followed is progress...Brave heart...Gladiator... Attila to name a few, gave us a small glimpse of his real intensity, I think this guy could be the next Hollywood bad boy. The same old bad guys are getting as predictable as the films they appear in, Yea we all love Al Pacino but audition this Flanagan in a modern version Scare face and he might just shock you. His accent getting on your nerves? Perfect....he did his job with his real voice, not some faked lily white English accent. Once again, this guys intensity was gained by surviving some pretty tough streets and if cast in the right spot, his accent, which is not staged, will not only get on your nerves but his role will chill you to the bone.... I have seen some outtakes, and with his glasses off delivering some pretty tough talk right into the camerea this guy could shake up even the toughest of hombres...disturbing more like it. Those film going PC folk will be lying in beds when he gets cast in the role he should be in crying…'Make him stop…Make him stop!' ....just keep your eye on him....and certainly dont turn your back!...Now if I could only spel.