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The latest installment in the Black romantic comedy genre employs
the same formulaic and over-the-top storytelling tactics that unfortunately
are becoming more and more commonplace from Hollywood… not at all
what you’d expect from an independent shingle.
Gabrielle Union stars as Eva Dandridge, the professional health
inspector with 3 married sisters is constantly dishing out relationship
advice. The sisters take “the word of Eva” back to their respective
spouses much to their frustration since it usually means they won’t
get their way. Finally fed up with Eva’s meddling, the guys get
together and decide that if Eva had a man of her own, she’d have
less time to get in their business. So they set out to find the
perfect player to do the deed. He has to be charismatic, very smooth
and strong enough to break through Eva’s mile-high brick walls.
Enter: Ray. Played by LL Cool J, Ray has all the required attributes
and for a measly $5000, he’s willing to take Eva off their hands.
However what starts out as a scheme, blossoms into genuine romance
as they both let their guards down and get to know the other’s true
self.
Gabrielle Union comes out of her prim and proper shell as the obsessive-compulsive
health inspector that has a history of leaving restaurant managers
in tears. Eva’s snappy comebacks and extreme personality show a
more comedic side than what we’re used to seeing from Union. While
she does a better job than expected, it doesn’t carry through the
end of the movie. LL as the suave-player-with-a-heart also gets
to flex his comedic muscle. While the two are a good match, both
are victim to a stale and predictable storyline. The other three
guys in the film are waste. Duane Martin, who hasn’t had a big role
since “Above The Rim”, is used sparingly. Although their roles seem
like a Greek chorus, it didn’t translate well as it fell flat. The
plot is piecemealed together from bits and pieces of other romantic
comedies with nothing fresh to offer.
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