‘Roscoe Jenkins’ is a messy
film worth forgetting

At the Movies
By Senitra Horbrook

The main character in Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins may have everything going for him, but the film itself seems to be missing the something that makes it worth a trip to the theater. There are a few funny jokes, thanks to the cast of comedians, but overall, the movie is largely forgettable.
Writer/director Malcolm D. Lee (cousin of Spike, whose credits include Roll Bounce, Undercover Brother and The Best Man) downplays the message of family and acceptance in favor of outlandish antics (like two dogs in the heat of the moment and two grown men fighting on the kitchen floor).
In his first lead role since 2006’s Big Momma’s House 2, Martin Lawrence plays self-help guru RJ Stevens. RJ (whose real name is Roscoe Jenkins) seems to have it all — he’s considered the male Oprah with a philosophy known as "Team of Me," which seemed to involve just putting yourself first. He is engaged to Bianca (Joy Bryant), a gorgeous former Survivor contestant, and is also living a fabulous life in California far away from his family in the South.
After spending nine years away from home, he is pressured into going back for his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. RJ left the family for good reasons, in his mind. His parents (played by James Earl Jones and Margaret Avery) always made him feel like second-best compared to cousin Clyde (Cedric the Entertainer), who moved in after losing his parents. RJ’s sister Betty (Mo’Nique) and brother Otis (Michael Clarke Duncan) also spent plenty of years making fun of him and beating him up. Another cousin, Reggie (Mike Epps), was always trying to swindle some money.
Upon returning home, RJ is confronted with all the demons of his past and reminded of how much he has changed. His family also finds new reasons to make fun of him — Bianca likes to live a healthy lifestyle, meaning veganism and daily yoga for RJ.
There is not one specific moment the movie goes from good to bad (or vice versa); it stays on the same familiar comedy track throughout. This kind of movie has been done lots of times, and it probably will continue to be done. A family reunion, fight between relatives and a love triangle (RJ’s still got the hots for a former classmate, played by Nicole Ari Parker) apparently equals both lots of laughs and lots of dollars at the box office.
Speaking of lots of laughs, Mo’Nique took the cake for me. Her character, Betty, tells pretentious Bianca how it’s unsanitary to bring a dog in the kitchen, only a second later to put her bare foot on top of the kitchen table and start scraping it. Betty also has a "crush" on cousin Cedric and has to be constantly reminded that he’s family.
If it wasn’t for the comedic chops of much of the cast, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins would have fared much worse in this review. Good comedians-turned-actors can elevate the words on the page to laughs on the screen and add their own humorous touches.
Not every movie released has to be serious or worthy of an Academy Award, but at the very least I’d like to be able to look back a week or two later and remember more than just the funny parts in the previews.
That’s not the case with Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins; therefore, I’d recommend welcoming Roscoe Jenkins into your home — via the DVD player or cable television.
Movie Grade: B-