Undercover Brother
Encyclopedia
Undercover Brother is a 2002 American comedy film starring Eddie Griffin
and directed by Malcolm D. Lee
. The screenplay is by Michael McCullers
and co-executive producer John Ridley
, who created the original internet animation characters. It spoofs
blaxploitation
films of the 1970s as well as a number of other films, most notably the James Bond
franchise. It also stars former Saturday Night Live
cast member Chris Kattan
, comedian Dave Chappelle
, Aunjanue Ellis
, Neil Patrick Harris
, Denise Richards
, Billy Dee Williams
, and features a cameo by James Brown
.
-like organization at his disposal. As the freelancing protector of the black community, Undercover Brother (Eddie Griffin
) fights this organization's efforts to subdue the spread of black culture.
In addition to the endeavors of Undercover Brother, an organization known as the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. battles "The Man" to ensure the continuance of black culture. Sistah Girl (Aunjanue Ellis
), a female agent of the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D., infiltrates a company owned by "The Man" in order to obtain valuable data and relay it back to her superiors, gaining intel that will finally let them stop "The Man". At the same time, Undercover Brother breaks into the building. Before she can upload all of the data back to the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. for analysis, Undercover Brother decommissions a computer unit, impeding and ending Sistah Girl's infiltration. Undercover Brother is then discovered and pursued by the company's security team. As he runs through the building, he races past Sistah Girl, who uses a gadget concealed in a briefcase to extend a taut wire to trip the pursuers. After hearing Sistah Girl describe this incident in her explanation of why she had failed the mission, the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D.'s Chief (Chi McBride
), is left in bewilderment.
The Man is infuriated that Gen. Warren Boutwell (Billy Dee Williams
), a U.S. Army general based on Colin Powell
, is considering running for president. He calls his lackey Mr. Feather (Chris Kattan
), who informs him of a mind control drug, which could be used to make Boutwell decline to run for president; instead, Boutwell is compelled to open a fried chicken franchise, effectively eliminating the threat he poses. The B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. is quick to determine that this sudden change of heart is the work of "The Man". The chief, recalling Sistah Girl's encounter with Undercover Brother, decides that their group will need the lone agent's help.
Sistah Girl goes to Undercover Brother's apartment and takes him to the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. headquarters. He is introduced to Conspiracy Brother (Dave Chappelle
), Smart Brother (Gary Anthony Williams
), The Chief, and Lance (Neil Patrick Harris
), who is the only white man in the organization, somehow hired as an intern due to affirmative action
(requiring a minority hiring to avoid racism charges). The B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. convinces Undercover Brother to go undercover in white culture as a new employee at a cigarette company owned by The Man.
Through surveillance, Mr. Feather discovers Undercover Brother's identity as an infiltrator and deploys his secret weapon: White She-Devil (Denise Richards
), a.k.a "black man's Kryptonite
". Posing as another new employee, she and Undercover Brother meet and start dating. She begins to make him do stereotypical "white" things—eating mayonnaise
, buying corduroy
clothes, singing karaoke
and adopting a silly set of euphemisms.
The Man continues to use his mind control drug, distributed in the General's fried chicken, to undermine black culture, including John Singleton remaking Driving Miss Daisy
, Jay-Z
covering a Lawrence Welk
album and the creation of a sequel to How Stella Got Her Groove Back
(entitled "How Stella Got Her White Man Back").
Concerned with Undercover Brother's unusual behavior, Sistah Girl attacks White She-Devil (once calling her "Buffy the black man slayer," a satirical reference to Buffy the Vampire Slayer
) and convinces Undercover Brother to return to the fight. They are pursued and cornered by White She-Devil and her henchmen. A huge catfight
ensues between White She-Devil and Sistah Girl, which is excitingly watched by Undercover Brother and the henchmen. Afterwards, White She-Devil draws a gun on them. White She-Devil is about to shoot them both, but cuts down the henchmen instead; she's become smitten with Undercover Brother and can't bring herself to harm him.
They all return to the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. Smart Brother takes White She-Devil to find out what she knows. While he does, Lance comes in and says that he just saw Roots
and wants to abolish all bigotry, much to the chagrin of Conspiracy Brother (who senses a conspiracy). They invite him into the group. The Chief invites White She-Devil in as well. Conspiracy Brother, angry over the inclusion of the White people in the group, threatens to leave and join the Klan
, but after a speech from Undercover Brother about equality, Conspiracy Brother decides to stay. The group heads to a major awards gala after they find out that James Brown
is The Man's next target. Lance accompanies Brown as a bodyguard, but Mr. Feather gains control of their limousine
and kidnaps him. Soon after, the group finds an antidote for the mind control drug. They go to The Man's base, following the signal of a transmitter placed on Brown.
They go undercover as a Jamaican cleaning service to procure Brown and "The Candidate" (a controlled black man that the organization will use to land a crushing blow to black culture). Mr. Feather receives a message from The Man himself stating that he will arrive on the island soon and he wants everything taken care of by the time he gets there. Mr. Feather ready to administer the drug to Brown and present him as a trophy to The Man, who is on his way to the base. Brown starts to sing (his hit "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud
"), forcing Mr. Feather to acknowledge his hidden blackness. Brown takes off his costume to reveal Undercover Brother. The base's security breached, Mr. Feather sends his henchmen after the infiltrators, who discover the Candidate. The Candidate, none other than Boutwell, is called by Mr. Feather who tells him to kill Undercover Brother while he makes his escape.
The henchmen arrive in the command center and fight Sistah Girl and White She-Devil, eventually falling. After wards, Conspiracy Brother notices a button that reads "Atomic Core", which he pronounces as "cor-ay". Curious, he presses the button and it begins a 5 minute countdown to the building's destruction. The group then goes to assist Undercover Brother. Boutwell is about to kill him when they give him the antidote. They move to evacuate him out of the building. While leaving, they encounter three enormous guards, who provoke Lance by calling him a "sissy," to which he reacts by ripping a guard's heart out, ripping the spine out of another, and crushing the head of the leader of the trio. The team reaches the beach at the same moment as the Chief, who arrives with a hovercraft.
Undercover Brother runs to the roof to stop Mr. Feather. They get into a kung-fu fight to the song "Beat It
" by (Michael Jackson
). Mr. Feather uses knives concealed in his sleeves to cut off a chunk of Undercover Brother’s Afro
, kindling Undercover Brother's anger, which he uses to defeat Feather with a finishing move. As he sees The Man's helicopter (turning around upon view of the pandemonium at the base). The Man (shown through a close up view of his hand on his cane) tells the driver to leave Feather, as he has failed him for the last time. Feather jumps on the helicopter's landing gear as a way to escape. Over the ocean, Undercover Brother throws his Afro picks at Feather, impaling him in the buttocks
and causing him to lose his grip on the helicopter, as a shark jumps from the water and eats him. The Man escapes in his helicopter, though not before speaking oddly in black slang, saying "Feather went out like a sucker. Punk-ass bitch played himself. Let's bounce, dog!"
Time runs out and the building explodes before Undercover Brother can escape, everyone grieves over his loss before they see him floating down to the beach using his wide open pant leggings as parachutes as he jumped off the edge of the cliff right before the explosion. He and Sistah Girl kiss and, after another speech about equality, board the hovercraft and leave the island. It's explained that thanks to Undercover Brother, the world is at peace, and is still a "funky" place.
served as the headquarters for "The Man".
. The film, which was certified fresh on the site, received an average rating of 6.6 out of 10, with 96 reviews being positive and 30 negative. On Metacritic
, another film rating site, the film received a 69% rating based on 30 reviews.
Eddie Griffin
Edward James "Eddie" Griffin, Jr. is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his sitcom, Malcolm & Eddie along with co-star, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and his role in the 2002 comedy film Undercover Brother as the film’s title character.-Early life:Griffin was born in Kansas City,...
and directed by Malcolm D. Lee
Malcolm D. Lee
Malcolm D. Lee is an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. He has directed such films as Undercover Brother, The Best Man, Roll Bounce, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, and Soul Men. He also directed an episode of the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris...
. The screenplay is by Michael McCullers
Michael McCullers
Michael McCullers is an American comedy film screenwriter.-Biography:A native of Indian Springs Village, Alabama, McCullers is a former writer on Saturday Night Live and is best known for co-writing the script for two Austin Powers movies, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Austin Powers...
and co-executive producer John Ridley
John Ridley
John Ridley is an American film director, actor, and writer.Ridley got his start as a stand-up comedian. He eventually was hired as a writer for sitcoms such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Martin...
, who created the original internet animation characters. It spoofs
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
films of the 1970s as well as a number of other films, most notably the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
franchise. It also stars former Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
cast member Chris Kattan
Chris Kattan
Christopher Lee "Chris" Kattan is an American actor/comedian, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Kattan was born in Sherman Oaks, California. His father, Kip King, was an actor and voice actor who appeared on the series Reno 911! as Larrie Plum. His mother, Hajnalka E....
, comedian Dave Chappelle
Dave Chappelle
David Khari Webber "Dave" Chappelle is an American comedian, screenwriter, television/film producer, actor, and artist. Chappelle began his film career in the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights in 1993 and continued to star in minor roles in the films The Nutty Professor, Con Air, and Blue Streak. His...
, Aunjanue Ellis
Aunjanue Ellis
Aunjanue L. Ellis is an American actress known for her roles in Ray, in Undercover Brother, and on The Mentalist....
, Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
, Denise Richards
Denise Richards
Denise Lee Richards is an American actress and former fashion model of Croatian and Welsh descent. She has appeared in films including Starship Troopers, Wild Things, and The World Is Not Enough...
, Billy Dee Williams
Billy Dee Williams
William December "Billy Dee" Williams, Jr. is an American actor, artist, singer, and writer.-Early life:Williams was born in New York City, New York, the son of Loretta...
, and features a cameo by James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
.
Plot
The film begins with a back story of how black culture's popularity within the American public in the 1970s began to decline in the 1980s, when style and originality began to lose appeal in the public eye due to the persistent efforts of "The Man." In the film, the personification of "The Man" (Robert Trumbull) undermines the African-American community as well as the cultures of other minorities, with a SPECTRESPECTRE
SPECTRE is a fictional global terrorist organisation featured in the James Bond novels by Ian Fleming, the films based on those novels, and James Bond video games...
-like organization at his disposal. As the freelancing protector of the black community, Undercover Brother (Eddie Griffin
Eddie Griffin
Edward James "Eddie" Griffin, Jr. is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his sitcom, Malcolm & Eddie along with co-star, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and his role in the 2002 comedy film Undercover Brother as the film’s title character.-Early life:Griffin was born in Kansas City,...
) fights this organization's efforts to subdue the spread of black culture.
In addition to the endeavors of Undercover Brother, an organization known as the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. battles "The Man" to ensure the continuance of black culture. Sistah Girl (Aunjanue Ellis
Aunjanue Ellis
Aunjanue L. Ellis is an American actress known for her roles in Ray, in Undercover Brother, and on The Mentalist....
), a female agent of the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D., infiltrates a company owned by "The Man" in order to obtain valuable data and relay it back to her superiors, gaining intel that will finally let them stop "The Man". At the same time, Undercover Brother breaks into the building. Before she can upload all of the data back to the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. for analysis, Undercover Brother decommissions a computer unit, impeding and ending Sistah Girl's infiltration. Undercover Brother is then discovered and pursued by the company's security team. As he runs through the building, he races past Sistah Girl, who uses a gadget concealed in a briefcase to extend a taut wire to trip the pursuers. After hearing Sistah Girl describe this incident in her explanation of why she had failed the mission, the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D.'s Chief (Chi McBride
Chi McBride
Kenneth "Chi" McBride is an American actor. He starred as Steven Harper on the series Boston Public, as Emerson Cod on Pushing Daisies, and recently appeared in Fox's drama Human Target.-Early life:...
), is left in bewilderment.
The Man is infuriated that Gen. Warren Boutwell (Billy Dee Williams
Billy Dee Williams
William December "Billy Dee" Williams, Jr. is an American actor, artist, singer, and writer.-Early life:Williams was born in New York City, New York, the son of Loretta...
), a U.S. Army general based on Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
, is considering running for president. He calls his lackey Mr. Feather (Chris Kattan
Chris Kattan
Christopher Lee "Chris" Kattan is an American actor/comedian, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Kattan was born in Sherman Oaks, California. His father, Kip King, was an actor and voice actor who appeared on the series Reno 911! as Larrie Plum. His mother, Hajnalka E....
), who informs him of a mind control drug, which could be used to make Boutwell decline to run for president; instead, Boutwell is compelled to open a fried chicken franchise, effectively eliminating the threat he poses. The B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. is quick to determine that this sudden change of heart is the work of "The Man". The chief, recalling Sistah Girl's encounter with Undercover Brother, decides that their group will need the lone agent's help.
Sistah Girl goes to Undercover Brother's apartment and takes him to the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. headquarters. He is introduced to Conspiracy Brother (Dave Chappelle
Dave Chappelle
David Khari Webber "Dave" Chappelle is an American comedian, screenwriter, television/film producer, actor, and artist. Chappelle began his film career in the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights in 1993 and continued to star in minor roles in the films The Nutty Professor, Con Air, and Blue Streak. His...
), Smart Brother (Gary Anthony Williams
Gary Anthony Williams
Gary Anthony Williams is an American screen actor who most recently appeared in Weeds and Boston Legal. Additionally, he is known for his recurring role on Fox's Malcolm in the Middle as "Abe" Kenarban. He has also been known for the comedy series Blue Collar TV as a regular cast member...
), The Chief, and Lance (Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
), who is the only white man in the organization, somehow hired as an intern due to affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
(requiring a minority hiring to avoid racism charges). The B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. convinces Undercover Brother to go undercover in white culture as a new employee at a cigarette company owned by The Man.
Through surveillance, Mr. Feather discovers Undercover Brother's identity as an infiltrator and deploys his secret weapon: White She-Devil (Denise Richards
Denise Richards
Denise Lee Richards is an American actress and former fashion model of Croatian and Welsh descent. She has appeared in films including Starship Troopers, Wild Things, and The World Is Not Enough...
), a.k.a "black man's Kryptonite
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...
". Posing as another new employee, she and Undercover Brother meet and start dating. She begins to make him do stereotypical "white" things—eating mayonnaise
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise, , often abbreviated as mayo, is a sauce. It is a stable emulsion of oil, egg yolk and either vinegar or lemon juice, with many options for embellishment with other herbs and spices. Lecithin in the egg yolk is the emulsifier. Mayonnaise varies in color but is often white, cream, or pale...
, buying corduroy
Corduroy
Corduroy is a textile composed of twisted fibers that, when woven, lie parallel to one another to form the cloth's distinct pattern, a "cord." Modern corduroy is most commonly composed of tufted cords, sometimes exhibiting a channel between the tufts...
clothes, singing karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
and adopting a silly set of euphemisms.
The Man continues to use his mind control drug, distributed in the General's fried chicken, to undermine black culture, including John Singleton remaking Driving Miss Daisy
Driving Miss Daisy
Driving Miss Daisy is a 1989 American comedy-drama film adapted from the Alfred Uhry play of the same name. The film was directed by Bruce Beresford, with Morgan Freeman reprising his role as Hoke Colburn and Jessica Tandy playing Miss Daisy...
, Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
covering a Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...
album and the creation of a sequel to How Stella Got Her Groove Back
How Stella Got Her Groove Back
How Stella Got Her Groove Back is a 1998 romance film, directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. The film stars Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs, Whoopi Goldberg and Regina King. This film is an adaptation of Terry McMillan's bestselling novel by the same title...
(entitled "How Stella Got Her White Man Back").
Concerned with Undercover Brother's unusual behavior, Sistah Girl attacks White She-Devil (once calling her "Buffy the black man slayer," a satirical reference to Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
) and convinces Undercover Brother to return to the fight. They are pursued and cornered by White She-Devil and her henchmen. A huge catfight
Catfight
Catfight is a term for an altercation between two women, typically involving scratching, slapping, hair-pulling, and shirt-shredding as opposed to punching or wrestling . However, the term is not exclusively used to indicate a fight between women, and many formal definitions do not invoke gender...
ensues between White She-Devil and Sistah Girl, which is excitingly watched by Undercover Brother and the henchmen. Afterwards, White She-Devil draws a gun on them. White She-Devil is about to shoot them both, but cuts down the henchmen instead; she's become smitten with Undercover Brother and can't bring herself to harm him.
They all return to the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. Smart Brother takes White She-Devil to find out what she knows. While he does, Lance comes in and says that he just saw Roots
Roots (TV miniseries)
Roots is a 1977 American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's fictional novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Roots received 36 Emmy Award nominations, winning nine. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings with the finale still...
and wants to abolish all bigotry, much to the chagrin of Conspiracy Brother (who senses a conspiracy). They invite him into the group. The Chief invites White She-Devil in as well. Conspiracy Brother, angry over the inclusion of the White people in the group, threatens to leave and join the Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
, but after a speech from Undercover Brother about equality, Conspiracy Brother decides to stay. The group heads to a major awards gala after they find out that James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
is The Man's next target. Lance accompanies Brown as a bodyguard, but Mr. Feather gains control of their limousine
Limousine
A limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white....
and kidnaps him. Soon after, the group finds an antidote for the mind control drug. They go to The Man's base, following the signal of a transmitter placed on Brown.
They go undercover as a Jamaican cleaning service to procure Brown and "The Candidate" (a controlled black man that the organization will use to land a crushing blow to black culture). Mr. Feather receives a message from The Man himself stating that he will arrive on the island soon and he wants everything taken care of by the time he gets there. Mr. Feather ready to administer the drug to Brown and present him as a trophy to The Man, who is on his way to the base. Brown starts to sing (his hit "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud
Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud
"Say It Loud — I'm Black and I'm Proud" is a funk song written and recorded by James Brown in 1968. It is notable both as one of Brown's signature songs and as one of the most popular Black Power anthems of the 1960s. The song was released as a two-part single which held the number-one spot on the...
"), forcing Mr. Feather to acknowledge his hidden blackness. Brown takes off his costume to reveal Undercover Brother. The base's security breached, Mr. Feather sends his henchmen after the infiltrators, who discover the Candidate. The Candidate, none other than Boutwell, is called by Mr. Feather who tells him to kill Undercover Brother while he makes his escape.
The henchmen arrive in the command center and fight Sistah Girl and White She-Devil, eventually falling. After wards, Conspiracy Brother notices a button that reads "Atomic Core", which he pronounces as "cor-ay". Curious, he presses the button and it begins a 5 minute countdown to the building's destruction. The group then goes to assist Undercover Brother. Boutwell is about to kill him when they give him the antidote. They move to evacuate him out of the building. While leaving, they encounter three enormous guards, who provoke Lance by calling him a "sissy," to which he reacts by ripping a guard's heart out, ripping the spine out of another, and crushing the head of the leader of the trio. The team reaches the beach at the same moment as the Chief, who arrives with a hovercraft.
Undercover Brother runs to the roof to stop Mr. Feather. They get into a kung-fu fight to the song "Beat It
Beat It
"Beat It" is a song written and performed by American recording artist Michael Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones . It is the third single from the singer's sixth solo album, Thriller . Eddie Van Halen was hired to add the song's distinctive overdriven guitar solo, but was prevented by his...
" by (Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
). Mr. Feather uses knives concealed in his sleeves to cut off a chunk of Undercover Brother’s Afro
Afro
Afro, sometimes shortened to fro and also known as a "natural", is a hairstyle worn naturally by people with lengthy kinky hair texture or specifically styled in such a fashion by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair...
, kindling Undercover Brother's anger, which he uses to defeat Feather with a finishing move. As he sees The Man's helicopter (turning around upon view of the pandemonium at the base). The Man (shown through a close up view of his hand on his cane) tells the driver to leave Feather, as he has failed him for the last time. Feather jumps on the helicopter's landing gear as a way to escape. Over the ocean, Undercover Brother throws his Afro picks at Feather, impaling him in the buttocks
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
and causing him to lose his grip on the helicopter, as a shark jumps from the water and eats him. The Man escapes in his helicopter, though not before speaking oddly in black slang, saying "Feather went out like a sucker. Punk-ass bitch played himself. Let's bounce, dog!"
Time runs out and the building explodes before Undercover Brother can escape, everyone grieves over his loss before they see him floating down to the beach using his wide open pant leggings as parachutes as he jumped off the edge of the cliff right before the explosion. He and Sistah Girl kiss and, after another speech about equality, board the hovercraft and leave the island. It's explained that thanks to Undercover Brother, the world is at peace, and is still a "funky" place.
Cast
- Eddie GriffinEddie GriffinEdward James "Eddie" Griffin, Jr. is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his sitcom, Malcolm & Eddie along with co-star, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and his role in the 2002 comedy film Undercover Brother as the film’s title character.-Early life:Griffin was born in Kansas City,...
as Undercover Brother/Anton Jackson - Chris KattanChris KattanChristopher Lee "Chris" Kattan is an American actor/comedian, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Kattan was born in Sherman Oaks, California. His father, Kip King, was an actor and voice actor who appeared on the series Reno 911! as Larrie Plum. His mother, Hajnalka E....
as Mr. Feather - Denise RichardsDenise RichardsDenise Lee Richards is an American actress and former fashion model of Croatian and Welsh descent. She has appeared in films including Starship Troopers, Wild Things, and The World Is Not Enough...
as White She-Devil/Penelope Snow - Aunjanue EllisAunjanue EllisAunjanue L. Ellis is an American actress known for her roles in Ray, in Undercover Brother, and on The Mentalist....
as Sistah Girl - Dave ChappelleDave ChappelleDavid Khari Webber "Dave" Chappelle is an American comedian, screenwriter, television/film producer, actor, and artist. Chappelle began his film career in the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights in 1993 and continued to star in minor roles in the films The Nutty Professor, Con Air, and Blue Streak. His...
as Conspiracy Brother - Chi McBrideChi McBrideKenneth "Chi" McBride is an American actor. He starred as Steven Harper on the series Boston Public, as Emerson Cod on Pushing Daisies, and recently appeared in Fox's drama Human Target.-Early life:...
as The Chief - Neil Patrick HarrisNeil Patrick HarrisNeil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
as Lance the Intern - Gary Anthony WilliamsGary Anthony WilliamsGary Anthony Williams is an American screen actor who most recently appeared in Weeds and Boston Legal. Additionally, he is known for his recurring role on Fox's Malcolm in the Middle as "Abe" Kenarban. He has also been known for the comedy series Blue Collar TV as a regular cast member...
as Smart Brother - Billy Dee WilliamsBilly Dee WilliamsWilliam December "Billy Dee" Williams, Jr. is an American actor, artist, singer, and writer.-Early life:Williams was born in New York City, New York, the son of Loretta...
as Gen. Warren Boutwell - Jack Noseworthy as Mr. Elias
- James BrownJames BrownJames Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
as Himself
Filming locations
The R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
served as the headquarters for "The Man".
Critical reception
Reviews of the film were generally favorable, with 77% of reviews being "fresh" according to internet rating site Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. The film, which was certified fresh on the site, received an average rating of 6.6 out of 10, with 96 reviews being positive and 30 negative. On Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, another film rating site, the film received a 69% rating based on 30 reviews.