BIG MOMMAS: LIKE FATHER LIKE SON (2011)

Genre: Comedy/Action
Director: John Whitesell
Cast: Martin Lawrence, Brandon T. Jackson, Jessica Lucas, Faizon Love, Sherri Shepherd, Ken Jeong, Emily Rios, Portia Doubleday, Michelle Ang
RunTime: 1 hr 48 mins
Released By: 20th Century Fox
Rating: PG (Some Sexual Humour)
Official Website: http://www.bigmommaslikefatherlikeson.com/

Opening Day: 10 March 2011

Synopsis: Martin Lawrence returns as FBI agent Malcolm Turner and as Turner’s deep-cover alter-ego "Big Momma." But this time, Turner is joined by his teenage stepson Trent, as they go undercover at an all-girls performing arts school after Trent witnesses a murder. Posing as Big Momma and as hefty coed Charmaine, they must find the murderer before he finds them.

Movie Review:

Even though it’s only been three months into the year, it’s almost certain that this third Big Momma movie will end up as one of the worst reviewed movies of 2011. The hostility it has received from critics is utterly perplexing to say the least, for it is to this reviewer perfectly genial entertainment- even though it may have gotten a little derivative of itself after exploiting what essentially was a one-note joke.

Yes, it was more than ten years ago when Martin Lawrence first debuted as the F.B.I. agent Malcolm Turner, whose idea of undercover was to don fat suits, fake breasts and plus-size women’s clothes for a getup known as Big Momma. And surprise, surprise- the first movie become an unexpected success at the box office, prompting another sequel which didn’t do as well but still made money, and here we are five years after the first sequel for what many have called an unnecessary threequel.

True, it is unnecessary in the strictest sense of the word, but so are the inexplicably successful Tyler Perry films where he appears in granny-drag as Madea, or even the intellectually challenged “White Chicks” which was pure bimbo/himbo fun. Still, there’s no denying Martin Lawrence is amusing in what has become the most famous character of his career, and “Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son” was just another excuse to watch him do what he does best.

It is with that expectation that you’ll learn to look past the lazy plotting by Matthew Fogel and Don Rhymer, setting up a laughably bad premise involving a Russian mobster (Tony Curran) and a flash drive with incriminating evidence acquired by Malcolm’s snitch. It is also with that expectation that you’ll look past the uninspired direction of returning director John Whitesell, who doesn’t know how to stage an action scene or for that matter a car chase to save his life.

If the film remains watchable right till the end, it is surely because of Martin Lawrence remains just as funny- even the third time round. You can already get a sneak peek of the funniest gags in the trailer, but it is still hilarious to see Big Momma attempt to dance on top of a table in the middle of the boarding school’s dining room, or model butt naked sans a white cloth across his/her chest like the Romans did, or attempt to fend off the advances of the school’s hulking security guard (an uncredited Faizon Love).

Lawrence also gets a drag partner in the form of his rapper-stepson Trent (Brandon T. Jackson), whom he tries to protect while looking for that crucial piece of evidence in the up-scale all-girls boarding school. Trent’s Charmaine doesn’t share many scenes with Big Momma, spending most of her time amidst the other nubile girls in the same house, including getting romantic ideas on one of them, singer-songwriter Haley (Jessica Lucas). Jackson proves just as effective a comedian in drag as Lawrence, and is especially a hoot when confronting his co-eds in their nighties.

And ultimately, it is the lively performances of Lawrence and Jackson who make this Big Mommas sequel worth its weight. Sure, it won’t go down as a comedy classic any time, and you probably won’t remember much about it by the time it ends, but it is still funny while it lasts, and will leave you in a pleasant mood. Admittedly, this won’t be everyone’s definition of humour but hey if you enjoyed Big Mommas 1 and 2, you’ll definitely find this just as amusing.

Movie Rating:

(Not super-size entertainment, but this threequel still provides decent laughs with Martin Lawrence and Brandon T. Jackson’s men-in-drag)

Review by Gabriel Chong