In this week's episode we're chopping it up about Blankman a 1994 superhero comedy parody film directed by Mike Binder and starring Damon Wayans, David Alan Grier and Robin Givens.
Darryl is a childlike man with a genius for inventing various gadgets out of junk. When he stumbles on a method to make his clothes bulletproof, he decides to use his skills to be the lowest budgeted superhero of all.
Join the Black Ass Movie Club
In this week's episode we're chopping it up about Blankman a 1994 superhero comedy parody film directed by Mike Binder and starring Damon Wayans, David Alan Grier and Robin Givens.
Darryl is a childlike man with a genius for inventing various gadgets out of junk. When he stumbles on a method to make his clothes bulletproof, he decides to use his skills to be the lowest budgeted superhero of all.
Join the Black Ass Movie Club
So we figured out that this movie takes place in Chicago, allegedly. Welcome back to the black ass movie podcast. We are putting together the quintessential list of black ass movies that you have to watch. I am Brooklyn. I'm TJ. I'm Jordan and today we are jumping into the quintessential black superhero film blank man. And I must say it was it was delightful to revisit this.
Jordan:It's just foolishness, just absolute foolishness.
Brooklyn:I Probably haven't seen this movie in a good 20 years, like a really long time, like for a really long time. I thought it was a fever dream that I made up that did not exist. The funny thing is is when I came to a blank about what movies should be rewashed to put on this list, I put it into chat, gpt and this was on the list and I hadn't thought about it in Years, like actual years when you think about that time, like 90 to like 95, like the Waynes were kind of like If there was a black film, they were involved or in it, or, yeah, like the entire, like 90s are in the sense of black films, I would say 40% of it was probably them Before today. Had either of you seen the film before?
TJ:I remember watching it as a kid and in watching it today there were definitely like moments that I forgot about mm-hmm. I immediately Was like taking back to my childhood. Yeah, but I haven't watched it in At least 15, 20 years, yeah.
Jordan:I'd never seen it before.
Brooklyn:Of course, and why is that?
Jordan:it's a very young and you Wasn't born yet. I wasn't born in my 20. I I'm in my 20.
Brooklyn:Being that I think this movie was the early 90s I'll give you an exact date in a moment but with that being the case, I know that I Ilol'd a few times. But do you feel like the humor in this movie Could be done today without black twit, Without black X Going absolutely banana?
TJ:right, some of the jokes are A little stale and some of them are a little out of form. Now, there, there's a word that is used in the first five minutes of the film. That is true. That, I'm like, is not appropriated anymore to use.
Brooklyn:What is? What is that word? I'm not gonna say it, I'm gonna say the bleep buttons there put the clip in.
TJ:That I definitely clocked. When we first started I was like oh, that's that, did not age well, just the whole character the whole disposition is just not.
Brooklyn:Do we think that blink man was on the spectrum?
TJ:You know, I never thought of it that way. I Could see that now, but I think there's. I think I think one could say yes and to that. But I also think there's Because of the era in which it exists, of this like Mid to early 90s moment we in TV and film we were doing a lot of like quote-unquote nerdy characters like the bookworms, you know intelligently advanced people. But yeah, I feel like in the early 90s that type of character, that character Archetype was in everything.
TJ:Yeah you know, you had Steve Urkel from Family Matters. You had, you know, all of these different types of nerdy, intelligent characters. So this was 1994.
Brooklyn:How do we feel about the casting of this film? Do we think everybody was exactly who they needed to be?
TJ:Surprisingly. Yes, I think everyone fit the characters. The grandmother, yes, immediately when we started the movie. I mean that she was only in it for a hot second. But what is it?
Jordan:Lynn Woodfield, no no, that is not what I'm saying Lynn Woodfield, if you're listening, one we miss you into. I cannot believe he's a hood.
Brooklyn:Sorry, you, you oh wow, I did not know her name before this, but her first name is actually Lynn.
TJ:Ah, so I was kind of right. Oh Well, the lady from Carmen San Diego, because that's where I know her from, because, again, with this movie being out in 94. I was for David Allen Greer, although Maybe somewhat problematic now, I think Was the right person at the time to do that type of character.
Brooklyn:I think that the way that character is written, I feel like it could have been insert any person of Caucasian descent at that point.
Jordan:I personally.
Brooklyn:Wait, I'm sorry, I was thinking about Jason Alexander.
TJ:My mistake. So sorry, so sorry, I'm so sorry.
Brooklyn:Yeah, I think David Allen Greer was perfect.
Jordan:Yeah, but it could be just insert person of note.
Brooklyn:That's true, my question would have been like would Jamie Foxx have done this at that point in time?
TJ:No, and I don't think he would have done it well. Yeah, because I think the thing, the thing that I like about David Allen Greer is that he's not afraid to be silly, like very similar to how the Wayne's brothers are, like the entire family. They're very much physical comedy and like willing to like Throw themselves, like very much in the vein of a Jim Carrey, like they're willing to throw themselves around on stage and be absurd and not care how they look or how. I guess.
Brooklyn:I guess I'm confused. Jamie Foxx is not the the hill I'm going to die on, but I I was still want to ask the question like why? Why such a visceral no to a Jamie Foxx in 1994 and living color? And then the response is because he doesn't have like the physical humor.
TJ:Well I'm. It's not that I don't think he doesn't have the physical humor. I think David Allen Greer specifically has a different level of physical humor that Jamie Foxx lacks.
Jordan:Okay, um, I don't know. I feel like Jamie Foxx and like Martin Lawrence have the same kind of like okay comedic prowess. They're funny in a clever way, then you're supposed to be laughing with them, not at them, and I think a lot of the way I was gonna say where's like.
TJ:Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy are not the same exactly. Yeah yeah.
Brooklyn:Do you think that David Allen Greer was a second choice? Do you think that it may have been a Waynes in that role to begin with?
Jordan:do they do double wayns in that way. I feel like, aside from Sean and Marlin, maybe not as much as I'm thinking about it, especially Damon Damon, is like it was written and Was it also directed? I don't know if it was directed by him.
Brooklyn:Cause I know he definitely wrote the screenplay and produced it.
Jordan:I don't know. His name popped up several different times in the credit.
TJ:I also wonder if this project for him similar to and I hate to go back to it similar to Harlem Knights with Eddie, where it was like a no don't speak it when it was a passion project type of thing. I wonder if this was Damon's answer to in Living Color for, like all the brothers, being like you know, living their best lives there. If this was his thing for himself.
Brooklyn:Well, damon was also in Living Color, right, I'm saying like With David Elmer, if this was his personal project, right, yeah, because the Keenan Ivory Wayne's is the oldest.
TJ:Mm, hmm, yeah, like I wonder if he was like I want to do something apart from in Living Color, apart from the brothers, and have my own thing and we're coming Da, da, da da.
Brooklyn:So I would be remiss if I did not bring up Robin Givens and her vests.
Jordan:Oh, the vests.
Brooklyn:There's.
Jordan:Her magician wardrobe.
TJ:It was red and yellow.
Jordan:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Floor length vests.
Brooklyn:A floor length vest dress.
Jordan:Yeah.
Brooklyn:And it was always a huge collar. Yeah, I was sure Slightly unbuttoned, yeah, with a very large sleeve of different shapes yeah, different shapes.
Jordan:Yeah, all of them incorrect. Yeah, a vast ball gown.
TJ:Yes, ball gown. My favorite was the one where she goes to the training station.
Brooklyn:Mm, hmm.
TJ:That looks like a. Do you mean the best?
Brooklyn:You mean the asymmetrical black and white vests with the bell sleeve shirt with the shawl yeah, the full fur shawl.
Jordan:Yeah With a kitten, heel With a kitten heel that she lost. That she lost. It was such a big heel, though.
Brooklyn:It was a full covered shoe is what it was.
Jordan:Oh my God, wispiration in the dancer.
Brooklyn:So we figured out that this movie takes place in Chicago, allegedly, allegedly.
TJ:Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha ha. Oh, that was, that was priceless.
Brooklyn:So at least. So, at least it was the majority of it was shot there. Did we ever, did they ever say what city?
TJ:we were actually. No, they didn't, no, they didn't. And the crazy thing is, when he picks her up at the subway stop, it says Chicago. In the background it's a Chicago stop.
Brooklyn:Oh yeah, yeah, because it was a Halstead and something to Grand Street, yeah.
Jordan:You know location. Well, we used to.
Brooklyn:We went to school there.
TJ:Yeah, oh, yeah but it's oh, we should go one day. It's a fun city, but it's so weird because it's like there's like the news never says it.
Brooklyn:No.
TJ:Like she works at a news station. They never say reporting live from.
Brooklyn:you know it's very every city USA.
TJ:Yeah.
Brooklyn:But then the ending is very obviously shot in LA.
TJ:There's a whole last palm tree.
Jordan:There's a whole palm tree, yeah.
Brooklyn:Yeah, but yet she is in a full coverage. That's true, Like it's long sleeve all the way down to her ankles.
Jordan:wool dress and the end of the movie Magician trend to go dress. Like she looks like she's about to do a card trick.
Brooklyn:I don't want, I don't want to shade, whoever was the costume designer on this. The costume designer is Michelle Cole. Some of her credits include you people, blackish and in living color.
TJ:So then, that makes complete sense of why she was on this.
Brooklyn:She does have a lot of Black sitcom credits OK. Like, such as Such as Moisha oh Martin, my wife and kids, which you work with, amy Wayne again.
Jordan:The.
Brooklyn:Bernie Mac show Sherry America Grim Soul man.
Jordan:Not the soul man, it was Cedric the Entertainer and Nisi Nash, and that was when Nisi Nash was still married to that pastor before she was getting her back blown out by Jessica Bitts.
Brooklyn:That is Cedric the Entertainer. Who did I say Bernie Mac Bernie?
Jordan:Mac, he had passed on. Yeah, shout out to Nisi Nash. Yeah, thanks, shout out to the Bitts.
TJ:Yeah, yeah.
Brooklyn:Herstas.
Jordan:And herstasment. That is a beautiful couple.
Brooklyn:They are a beautiful couple. I'm happy for them.
Jordan:Bitts. If you're listening, I'm available Thursday. If you want to hang out on Thursday when I'm available, we can hang out that day because I have nothing going on because I'm available If you need a third Jesus Christ.
Brooklyn:I'm available Huge as shot.
Jordan:Thank you.
Brooklyn:So finding this film was not impossible. It was a simple Google search, but it's currently only available on Pluto with commercials.
Jordan:With so many cafes table commercials. So much.
Brooklyn:I didn't look, but the two hour runtime that they give you, is that two hours with commercials or is that a two hour runtime?
TJ:You know, I don't actually know, because I feel like the two hour time has to be with commercials.
Brooklyn:Because I also feel like the movies are that long no 1994, I was five, so I probably didn't actually see this film until 2006 at the earliest, and I don't see like seven year old me sitting through a two hour film like ever.
TJ:You know it has to be like an hours of change. It was like young me in the 90s watching this on like VHS.
Brooklyn:Yeah, absolutely not.
TJ:Like there's no way that it's two hours. I am curious, jordan, since you have never seen it until now. What are your like? Initial thoughts.
Jordan:I think that there were parts of it that were funny. Not a lot of it held my attention so, but it did feel very just. There were so many moments where that is a 90s movie that is absolutely from the soundtrack to some of the jokes. I think the best part of the movie probably is Damon Wayans screaming.
Brooklyn:Do you feel, because we did watch the trailer prior to watching the film, do you feel like the trailer sold you a bill of goods that the movie did not cash?
Jordan:Blank man. Slap me around and call me Susan.
TJ:I warned you.
Jordan:Susan.
TJ:Yes.
Brooklyn:No, you felt like it was about equally yoked, not equally.
TJ:Oh, by shout out I'm shy, I'm all shy. That's beautiful. Come on in. He's a high tower.
Jordan:Won't you come? Yeah, I, you need to get that organ sound effect, god damn it Shit. Yeah, no, if the trailer felt the same as the movie did. I think there were parts where I giggled A lot of the time. That I think that I laughed out loud was because I was just. It's just like there were just moments. Oh my God, we were just looking at the screen like what is taking place? The J5's ponytail yes.
TJ:J5.
Jordan:The camera crew being so visible in so many shots. The vest dress the just the satin, the satin, the satin.
Brooklyn:The satin.
Jordan:Him rising out of the hole in a satin chemise blouse.
TJ:Also the stunt doubles.
Jordan:The stunt doubles.
Brooklyn:The mayor just died. The mayor just died and we were just blown up Just gone.
Jordan:The rest of the superheroes on the talk show gay man.
Brooklyn:And we didn't introduce the person in all pink that was there.
TJ:Cause we only introduced the two.
Brooklyn:The other one. I won't say it. I won't say that.
TJ:Knowing that we have a history with this movie and this was your first time, do you feel like there's any way to evolve this movie to catch up with today's comedy Cause? I feel like our take on it is very nostalgic because, we saw it at a younger age and it was funny at the time for what it was. But knowing the comedians that we have now and the films that we have now, is there any true evolution that could exist with this content?
Brooklyn:I feel like if this was to happen in today's world, they would be younger. They'd be cast a lot younger than they are. The cost to me would probably not be as absurd as it was in this one. I feel like there'd be a lot of meme jokes and tiktok-y jokes that would come out of it. I feel like Zendaya would play the Robin Givens part and I feel like we would take this moment to make the sidekick a and not saying there's anything wrong with this, but that's the person they would use to make that statement, Like it'd be someone who is-.
Brooklyn:Blue-haired pronouns yeah yeah, it would definitely be like that's where we would go. I think that that's what the casting would be in this moment. It would be more about making this an inclusive comedy over just being like a boom-boom kind of thing.
Jordan:If I imagine this movie today in a perfect world, I would pretend that none of that was happening and I would think that, like, I think that, like, if you gave, I'm always gonna get on and off my soapbox about how I would love to see more things made by people I don't know. So, if there were younger comedians, like the Wayans at that time but today, who just got the resources to make some bullshit, I think this movie today would be so funny. It would be so funny and there is. I would think I feel like you just have to make a rule that no one over 40 is allowed in the room, because when I tell you and we saw it with the second coming to America as well sometimes when you try to force today into yesterday it does not work.
Jordan:And there is, I think, what people always miss when they're trying to make things today and make them feel like they're today they're missing the humor. They don't go for the humor today, they just go for the results of that humor. So, instead of just understanding why a meme is funny, they'll just put the meme on screen. They're more interested in people watching the movie and going. I know that, rather than being in step with the comedy of today. And I think that happens when you don't include the people who are making those jokes, or if you don't include people who have an understanding of why those jokes are funny, because I mean, there are memes today that people are laughing at that have layers and layers and layers of other funny memes that cross years. And it's not funny because it's the meme that we recognize.
Jordan:It's funny because of the joke and so I think the key thing that a lot of things are missing, a lot of modern comedy is missing, is like telling jokes. And so I think if you got a group of people in a room to make a comedy and their objective was to tell jokes, I think that would be funny. Yeah, ok, oh no.
Brooklyn:That was such a good point, such a good reference point of coming to America too, where coming to America was funny because it was funny.
Jordan:And it was our humor, yeah.
TJ:I also have another question. Do you have a favorite scene from the movie and it's going to lead into?
Brooklyn:That was kind of great, because I feel like it's in the trailer. It's a really funny thing and I feel like that is one of those scenes that if you put that in front of an executive, that sells the mood.
TJ:They're like yes, let's do that that's hilarious and that's still funny today. It's still funny today, it's still funny today, Since you said that was yours. Are you agreeing and saying that this was yours as?
Jordan:well, Well, I feel like this is a specific scene. He screams the entire movie every time he's slapped. Either that or the first time. What's her name? Vestress? The first time that they kiss?
Brooklyn:Yeah, yes, I had a realization today with that scene because, I did not realize at that time oh, he's just like really happy, it's his kryptonite. That's what I thought. Oh, wow.
TJ:That's what I thought. Yeah, yeah.
Jordan:But now as an adult, I'm like, oh, OK, all right.
TJ:My favorite scene, having watched it this time around, is J5 tumbling down the stage.
Jordan:Ponytail, it's Ponytail, it's Ponytail, just whipping in the wind.
Brooklyn:Now we know that J5 has Damon's voice as well. Could you imagine if they had combined the scream with the falling?
TJ:down. Oh my God, perfect, perfect. That'd be still floating around the internet today, oh my God. I will say in watching it this time around I noticed something can appreciate. Slash enjoyed it more, with the understanding that this was built as almost a nod to the old school Batman's and the old school superhero movies with the blams and pals and all that kind of stuff, which I don't really think that currently no other superhero thing has really done that, like gone back to that form of storytelling.
Brooklyn:No, I'm trying to remember if I'm misremembering this. But kick ass. But that was also kind of like a.
Jordan:it was a nod to the it was a nod to comic books more than anything.
Brooklyn:But I feel like it had some of those like pals and bam kind of things in it. This was definitely. This was looking at the 60s Batman showing going.
TJ:This is where this reference is coming from and I love the absurdity of that because I feel like, especially with TV and film now, we have gone so like dark and so literal and so realistic that we've gotten away from the childlike qualities from certain entities. Yeah, and I appreciate it. It's definitely a time capsule, but I appreciated this like paying its respects to former superheroes.
Brooklyn:Yeah, that came before them Because everything today is like dark and gray.
Jordan:Yeah, real, literally dark. Everything is. Please turn the lights on Please. I can't see anything?
Brooklyn:Opening of the film with the two kids. Do we know of either? One of them were Wayne's children.
Jordan:Yes, I was looking at the.
Brooklyn:Because the one who played David Allen Greer's part, I thought looked more like a Waynes than the person who was playing the the Because you were looking at the thing before and I said play.
Jordan:If there's one thing about a Waynes production, it's all in the family. The whole family is going to be there, yeah.
Brooklyn:So the David Allen Greer part was played by Damon Wayne's junior. There you go. When the moment I saw him. I was like you, like a Wayne yeah, they all have the same face and young. Darryl is Michael Waynes. Oh, based on his IMDB doesn't look like he's worked since. Nope, I'm lying. He was in Blank man Dance Flick In an episode of my wife and kids Gotcha. Is there any scene that?
TJ:you hated or that you could do without. Definitely do without the layer of neurodivergence.
Jordan:For Blank man I could definitely do without that, because, girl, what, what? Well, I'm trying to think of this, anything that I feel like man.
Brooklyn:I'm trying to think of this.
TJ:If you could make an edit this movie, what would it be that?
Jordan:Stop, it Stop.
Brooklyn:I would have given J5 an operatic solo.
Jordan:A longer ponytail.
Brooklyn:Mm-hmm, got it Okay, definitely.
TJ:Definitely Interesting. I wouldn't have killed the mayor off, I would have kept him.
Jordan:That was just so random. Yeah, that was so random.
TJ:It seems like an unnecessary kill in the movie. He had to die.
Jordan:I wanted him to come back, as like an extra superhero, because you're a bad man, this mayor man.
Brooklyn:If we had to give Dave and Alan Greer's character a name, what would it be? He's wearing green.
TJ:I was going to say green man, but I feel like that's not by the way, also his mask was so tiny. It was so tiny.
Jordan:It was so small. It was a yarmulke of a mask.
Brooklyn:If I can, I would love to scour the internet and see if there's any videos of him, any interviews of him talking about how uncomfortable.
TJ:That cost to those tight pants they were so tight they were so tight.
Jordan:I love the fact that he was the other guy. I love that they had it. The banner at the end we love you, blank man. And then a tiny little piece of print out paper and the other guy. And then they gave him a blank man t-shirt.
TJ:Yeah, that was his recognition. That is so disrespectful.
Brooklyn:Who designed in this world? Who designed the blank man logo? Because blank man definitely didn't do that.
Jordan:Maybe he did it because they were handing out flyers.
Brooklyn:But it was never on his costume. He never said anything about it, it was just there.
TJ:Somebody just did it. I would say, whoever the kids are, who put up the flyers?
Brooklyn:They probably came up with it, yeah.
TJ:Or someone connected to them.
Jordan:What a logo, what a logo.
TJ:I will also say it's interesting being able to like watch it as an adult and where I am in life now. It's interesting the tropes that we go through in the movie of, like the main character or the superhero losing a loved one. That, then, is the catalyst for them to become this character them getting everything and then losing it all, only to rise from that like misfortune and all that bullshit and then ultimately quote unquote, saving the day.
Brooklyn:That's a very Batman story.
TJ:Yeah.
Jordan:Thank you, aristotle. The rising, falling action.
TJ:There you go. You know the incident against the dead. Speaking of Batman, I love his moment out the window of his Bruce Wayne moment.
Jordan:His pondering stance.
Brooklyn:You just wouldn't understand.
TJ:I love you. Yeah.
Jordan:Oh man.
TJ:I'm like is the other guy his Alfred?
Brooklyn:No, because J5 would be Alfred in this story.
Jordan:I want to be J5 for Halloween.
Brooklyn:Oh, I would totally, I would totally be the like that. I would totally dress as his blank man for Halloween. That's an easy. Those are three easy costumes to put together.
Jordan:Give me a pom pom.
TJ:I think, as an adult, when I can appreciate this from my child brain at the time is this idea that you don't have to be the most popular or the most masculine type of person to win or to get the girl. In this case, where I feel like a lot of movies in the 90s didn't do that, no, when it was like you know, the popular person was the main character and they got to to win at the end of the story.
Brooklyn:I wouldn't necessarily say it was the popular person. I'm thinking about the 90s. I feel like it was always the outcast. But I could never understand why this person was the outcast. Because they were like gorgeous and fit in, like they were glasses. They're the outcast.
Jordan:Yeah, and it would always be something that was like that wouldn't make you an outcast. It was always something like mean. You can't sit with us. Your mom's dead. What? That's what? You're making fun of them for it was always something like out of left field Just come crazy the 90s.
Brooklyn:Jesus, you just had to be there. You just had to be there. It was a while times.
Jordan:I was very very.
Brooklyn:Something completely minute, but with the knowledge that I have now, it's very funny to me. Robin Gibbons, robin Gibbons character Is it Gibbons or Gibbons? Is it a B or B in there? Robin Gibbons, that Robin girl, okay.
Jordan:Miss Vestress.
Brooklyn:Miss Vestress In the movie. It was weird to me that she was the anchor woman but also an on the street reporter for every crime committed in the city.
Jordan:Like who would she throw it to Exactly?
TJ:Just her running between the studio and the street.
Brooklyn:You're just outside. Who's going to tell me the weather? Who's going to tell me what's happening with the buses tomorrow?
TJ:The bus is falling big. I don't know. I'm thinking about it. Was there ever a co-anchor?
Brooklyn:No.
TJ:I don't think I ever saw anyone else.
Brooklyn:She was always center screened reporting the news.
Jordan:Just her.
TJ:I mean, maybe she was like you know some of the girls on CNN what, where it's just them on one screen all day long.
Brooklyn:But they're not outside, they're not running all around the city. Where and Flunkies to do that?
Jordan:Exactly Amazing.
TJ:Do you feel like there were any weak?
Jordan:Yes.
TJ:Weak links in the movie.
Jordan:I do think there were weak links in the movie, and I think the weak link was Damon.
TJ:Wands, really Wow.
Brooklyn:Okay, even with the screen.
Jordan:Wow, I can give you some points for the screen. That was funny.
TJ:So he's the main character, he's the star of the movie and you think he was the weakest link. Is that because of his sense of humor and his comedy style, or story wise, do you think he was the weakest link?
Jordan:I don't think, story wise, he was the weakest link, because I think there's something endearing about like the you know engineer trying a bunch of it's, like the boy who cried wolf thing of like he's trying, he's making so many things and every single time it's a no, it's a no, it's a no. And then finally, when he's successful, you know, no one believes him until they believe him. So I can understand that, like stripping away all of Damon Wayans' contributions to that story, which is just making fun of disabled people. But you know, like that's just, that's the whole, that's the joke. That's the joke is that he doesn't understand social cues and I just think, hey, that's it. But I think that, other than that, the scream, is really funny.
Brooklyn:Oh dear.
Jordan:That's why I think he's the weakest link, because if you take away all of that is the character funny.
Brooklyn:It's like I'm now looking inward, like I don't know. No, I mean, the character's funny when you have it.
Jordan:The character's not funny when you have all of that. So if you take it away, it's still gonna be not funny. And then if you take away him, just you know, doing a weird voice and being like I don't understand how to be a person what do you have left? Nothing, Right.
TJ:Interesting.
Brooklyn:And it was a very interesting take that I had not considered.
TJ:I wonder if, because when you take all of that away, that it's in its form, it's no longer a comedy.
Jordan:It's just got to make sketches.
TJ:Right, which I'm not mad at that either.
Jordan:Like I'm mad at that. You could be a comedy with that too.
TJ:Well, yeah, I'm saying like within the confines of how the story is built currently.
Brooklyn:Yeah.
TJ:I think I would not hate if it wasn't a comedy and if it was like an actual superhero movie.
Jordan:Yeah, that could be cool Of this person who?
TJ:because I think one of the interesting ideas behind this movie is that he's a normal ass person.
Jordan:He is the person you wouldn't expect, because he's the hero he has no money, like he has no money backing him.
TJ:Like Batman, he has no actual superpowers. He has his brain and he knows how to fuck with technology to make it work and do what he wants it to do. Yeah, like that would be cool.
Brooklyn:That's actually a really like great idea for a movie Removing all of those things.
Jordan:Yeah, that's actually, and it's a pretty strong movie too. Yeah, I would watch that.
Brooklyn:Because I don't think you have to go that far to make it not a comedy to do, to make it good. But I think that taking some of those things out, still making him like a kookier character without relying on that crush, could still be a really, really awesome film. Yeah.
Jordan:And we've seen so many examples of like nerdy tech people just being nerdy tech people. And there's nothing.
Brooklyn:That reminds me of, like the dad from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
Jordan:Yeah.
Brooklyn:Like we just upstairs tinkering. We know he's a little oddball.
TJ:Or like from Flubber. Yeah, oh, yeah Like he's just messing around in the basement and when they creates this thing, that has life.
Jordan:Which essentially is what happens in this movie. He's just messing around. And then he accidentally creates like an indestructible costume, and then suddenly he's a superhero. So I mean you have everything you need.
Brooklyn:I do love how there was no Harry Potter holding up the wand kind of moment. It was very much like the chemicals fell on it. We did see it on screen, but it was a blinking. You missed the kind of thing. You're just like, oh, and he throws it over the fire and we don't really we don't cut back and forth to the fire to kind of see like what's happening. Back there we go into another scene completely of him and his boss talking and then right before that scene in he goes oh, and that's it.
Brooklyn:And that's how the idea is. And then we're at the sewing machine.
Jordan:Then we're at the sewing machine 90s montage.
TJ:That there were so many 90 montages in the movie. They loved the montage back in the 90s.
Jordan:The soundtrack.
Brooklyn:It was a really easy way to sell a song and to move the story forward. Yeah, that's true. Passes of time, passes of time.
TJ:Like I would be very curious to see someone rewrite this now.
Jordan:I want it. I want that. I think that a blank man today by the right people would be really funny.
TJ:Yeah, and I'm going to stay in firm on like I think I would love it more if it wasn't a comedy or if it was like subtle comedy.
Jordan:Yeah.
TJ:You know, like not so much in your face.
Jordan:Just funny because it's funny. Not because I'm doing a bit.
Brooklyn:Right, would you? So we've come to that point in the show.
Jordan:Yes, we have.
Brooklyn:Where we are going to rate this film.
TJ:OK.
Brooklyn:TJ, what do you give this film?
TJ:I give it six J5s out of 10. Ok, yeah, yeah.
Brooklyn:Why only six?
TJ:Because it's a little stale. It doesn't really hold up like today, whereas I feel like there are other films that we have encountered and we've watched, that lived in that same time frame, that are still funny now.
Brooklyn:Yeah.
TJ:And this one. It has funny moments and like some cute beats in it, but it there's so much more that you could do now that I don't think anyone actually put the time and effort in in the beginning.
Brooklyn:OK.
Jordan:Jordan I would give it, or vest dresses. I'm dead.
Brooklyn:Not for vest dresses.
Jordan:And I you know, hey, I just think that it's a good film. However, I give it four out of 10 vest dresses because the moments that were funny were funny. Yes, and I think the bare bones of the movie is fine and funny. It's just all of the stuff that was added on top is just so necessary. Yep, that's it.
Brooklyn:I think I will also give it not full J5s, I'm going to give it six J5s wig and because overall it is a funny movie, a somewhat important film for that time. But I will take away points just based on some of the stuff we discussed here, today, not everything is held up.
Brooklyn:great, we're in a very different place as a country, but I don't feel like it's so offensive that it's unwatchable. I feel like you could watch it and go oh, that didn't age well, but it's not the entire movie, because there are definitely some films out there that are just like, yeah, they should be on a do not watch list.
TJ:That's rough.
Jordan:Oh, we should start that.
Brooklyn:Yeah, all right. So the fun part. So we have our scores. We have a six, a six and a four. Yep, so does this movie go on to the list? And remember majority rolls. It is a vote, it does not matter which scores we're at this point.
TJ:Oh, I don't think you need it Because I feel like there are other Black superhero movies that could take that spot as required viewing. It's maybe a B or C list, like an all list. If you're like I want to watch the Wayne's catalog and I want to see everything that they've done, then it should be on that list. But I think for the main must watch, you could pass on this one.
Jordan:I agree OK.
Brooklyn:I would say that the trailer is on the much watch list because the trailer is cut together really well. You really get all the beats of the film Boom.
Jordan:And the slaps yeah.
Brooklyn:I don't think it necessarily needs to be on the list, because there's another film that I would like to visit, meteor man, which is in a similar vein but I feel like has a better message, and with the same, with this one, I haven't seen it in a very long time, so I don't know if it'll hold up.
Brooklyn:So I would like to see the difference in that, but I feel like that one might be a little bit easier to watch, even today, than Blank man is, but I still do think it's a. If you want to watch it, go watch it. But for the official list I'm going to say no.
Jordan:Solid we all agree. I love that for us. Look at us. All agree. When should we hug?
Brooklyn:Don't touch me.
TJ:All right well on that note. That's a wrap for this episode, friends, and that's our show. Friends, thanks for joining us on the Black Ass Movie Podcast. You can find us on Instagram at the Black Movie Podcast. Please rate, review and subscribe, and we'll see you next week.