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First Sunday

The 11th commandment: Thou Shalt Not Make Movies This Bad

By Matt Pais

Metromix
January 11, 2008

Critic's Rating:

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Needing $17,000 to prevent his ex (Regina Hall) from moving his son from Baltimore to Atlanta, ne’er-do-well Durell (Ice Cube) agrees to help his pal LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan) rob a church that’s stored away more than $200,000. When it turns out the safe is empty, the thieves take members of the church (Katt Williams, Chi McBride, Loretta Devine and others) hostage in hopes of figuring out who robbed the place first—while finding a surprising amount of sympathy coming from people being held at gunpoint.

Big question: Regardless of how the man (or woman) upstairs feels about this, does “First Sunday” offer any laughs for those of us still on the ground floor?

Skip it: “First Sunday” has more bathroom humor than an elementary school cafeteria and so many stereotypes up the wazoo that the wazoo is officially full. This is a movie that exists only for mindless fun, but vicious jokes about an overweight church member and a square white lawyer saying "grown-ass men" push things farther from entertainment and closer to punishment.

Catch it: For a small, blink-and-you-missed-her part played by Tiffany Pollard, who you know as New York from "Flavor of Love" and "I Love New York." Further proof that dating reality shows have nothing to do with reality and are really just acting gigs!

Bottom line: The movie absurdly gives Durell a mid-robbery love interest, contradicts its message of overcoming "potential with no purpose," and essentially shows that places of worship are the best spots to commit crimes since bank tellers aren't likely to be so forgiving. Subtract Morgan’s few amusing deliveries of bad jokes and the movie’s looking at a goose egg in the star department.

Bonus: Always the thinker, LeeJohn repurposes Robin Hood's slogan into, "Rob from the rich and give to myself." What a civil servant!

mpais@tribune.com