June 2002 Juwanna Mann : Tootsie Goes to the WNBA

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Reviewed by Roslyn J. Bradford Juwanna Mann - Tootsie Goes to the WNBA Let’s face it: a man in drag may not be deep, but it is a hoot. Oscar winners such as Jack Lemmon (Some Like it Hot), Dusting Hoffman (Tootsie), and Robin Williams (Mrs. Doubtfire) have donned dresses in box office hits to go undercover as women in high-risk environments. Juwanna Mann is no different from this familiar premise, except now the lead actor is a black man (Miguel A. Nunez, Jr.) and the high-risk environment is the Women’s Basketball League. You saw the well-placed commercials during the anti-climactic Lakers/Nets NBA finals, and the story doesn’t get any more high-concept than the trailers suggest. Nunez portrays Jamal Jeffries, a professional basketball star with a funky attitude who gets booted out of the league when his antics get way out of control. In order to continue playing the game he loves, he hooks up with the only league that will take him, the Women’s United Basketball Association (WUBA). Jamal must then transform into, you guessed it, his female alter ego, Juwanna Mann, where he meets and becomes attracted to his no-nonsense teammate Michelle Langford, portrayed by the sultry Vivica A. Fox. In his first feature-film starring role, Miguel Nunez (Sparks, Life, Why Do Fools Fall in Love) is genuinely funny and convincing as the statuesque Juwanna Mann and delivers a solid performance as a “playa” in every sense of the word struggling to restrain his skirt-chasing instincts to remain incognito. Vivica Fox (Soul Food, Kingdom Come, Two Can Play That Game) is equally competent in her role as the love-struck team captain of the WUBA Banshees. Rounding out the strong supporting cast is Tommy Davidson (In Living Color, Booty Call, The Proud Family) as the Country Fried rapper Puff Smokey Smoke; Jennifer Lewis (What’s Love Got to Do With It, The Preachers Wife,) as Jamal’s down-to-earth Aunt Ruby; Kim Wayans (In Living Color, I’m Gonna Git You Sucka) as thuggish WUBA Banshee Latisha Hansen; Kevin Pollak (A Few Good Men, The Usual Suspects) as Jamal’s opportunistic agent Lorne Daniels; R&B/hip hop artists L’il Kim as Jamal’s girlfriend and Ginuwine as Michelle’s boyfriend. The humorous script, written by Bradley Allenstein and punched-up with the help of Davidson and Wayans, closely parallels the plot and character of arc of Tootsie, therefore, Tootsie fans may find Juwanna Mann fairly unoriginal. However, there are several worthwhile reasons to go check out this comedy. First and foremost is the versatile and under-appreciated Tommy Davidson. Director Jesse Vaughan lets Tommy cut loose as the Master P/Nelly/Petey Pablo hybrid who is unaware of Juwanna Mann’s true identity. If Tommy Davidson does not have you laughing while holding your sides gasping for air, you clearly do not have a sense of humor. The Charlotte, North Carolina setting adds to the “Dirty South” vibe and the film is grounded by the solid performances of veteran actors Fox, Lewis and Pollak. Juwanna Mann straddles a PG-13 rating, and is sometimes unsure as to whether its audience is teenyboppers or grown folks with its not-so-subtle sexual references and lesbian/transgender innuendo. This lack of clarity restricts the potential sexual humor which could have been generated by going full-blown, “R”-rated route. This being said, take mama and d’em to the twilight show, check your intellect at the box office, and have a bumpin’ good time courtesy of the first-rate cast of Juwanna Mann. For more info on the flick check out www.juwannamann.com