A likably, though strenuously, vulgar comedy, ''Talkin' Dirty After Dark'' features a large (though distressingly anonymous) cast of mostly young black comedians and comic actors giving a workout to their bawdy material. Clearly aimed at a young black audience, the film may end up displaying a wider ranging appeal on video shelves.
Martin Lawrence stars as Terry Lombard, an aspiring comic who has become a regular performer at Dukie's, a comedy club in a black Los Angeles neighborhood. Dukie (John Witherspoon) tends to ignore his male lineup in favor of Aretha Phyllis Yvonne Stickney), a sharp-tongued and wickedly self-assured comedienne, so Terry has taken to gingerly sidling up to Dukie's aggressive and bulky wife Ruby.
Meanwhile, the rest of the club's comics mix it up with each other and the customers during a rambling, backstage storyline that mostly unwinds over the course of a single, rambunctious night.
Production values for this independent production are fairly low, though writer-director Topper Carew manages to make the most of the jury-rigged nightclub's neon-lit performance room, filthy kitchen, and crowded dressing rooms.
Unfortunately for the half-dozen or so comic talents -- who apparently perform their own black-and-blue routines -- on display, they not only perform behind character names, but the credits roll by in such a stepped-up rush that few filmgoers will be able to identify them.
Like Dukie's nightclub, ''Talkin' Dirty After Dark'' may provide a showcase for the young performers, but it exploits their talent far more than they gain from its opportunity.
TALKIN' DIRTY AFTER DARK
New Line
Producer Patricia A. Stallone
Writer-director Topper Carew
Editor Claudia Finkle
Executive producer Kevin Moreton
Color/Dolby
Cast:
Terry Martin Lawrence
Dukie John Witherspoon
Aretha Phyllis Yvonne Stickney
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
Martin Lawrence stars as Terry Lombard, an aspiring comic who has become a regular performer at Dukie's, a comedy club in a black Los Angeles neighborhood. Dukie (John Witherspoon) tends to ignore his male lineup in favor of Aretha Phyllis Yvonne Stickney), a sharp-tongued and wickedly self-assured comedienne, so Terry has taken to gingerly sidling up to Dukie's aggressive and bulky wife Ruby.
Meanwhile, the rest of the club's comics mix it up with each other and the customers during a rambling, backstage storyline that mostly unwinds over the course of a single, rambunctious night.
Production values for this independent production are fairly low, though writer-director Topper Carew manages to make the most of the jury-rigged nightclub's neon-lit performance room, filthy kitchen, and crowded dressing rooms.
Unfortunately for the half-dozen or so comic talents -- who apparently perform their own black-and-blue routines -- on display, they not only perform behind character names, but the credits roll by in such a stepped-up rush that few filmgoers will be able to identify them.
Like Dukie's nightclub, ''Talkin' Dirty After Dark'' may provide a showcase for the young performers, but it exploits their talent far more than they gain from its opportunity.
TALKIN' DIRTY AFTER DARK
New Line
Producer Patricia A. Stallone
Writer-director Topper Carew
Editor Claudia Finkle
Executive producer Kevin Moreton
Color/Dolby
Cast:
Terry Martin Lawrence
Dukie John Witherspoon
Aretha Phyllis Yvonne Stickney
Running time -- 85 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
- 12/2/1991
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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