CB4 (1993)

Directed by Tamra Davis. Starring Chris Rock, Allen Payne, Dearon Thompson, Charlie Murphy, Chris Elliott, Khandi Alexander, Phil Hartman, Willard E. Pugh, Rachel True, Art Evans, Theresa Randle, Ty Granderson Jones, Tommy Davidson. [R]

Gangsta rap parody of the N.W.A.-esque fictional hip-hop group CB4, comprised of three secretly middle-class aspiring rappers (Rock, Payne, Thompson) pretending to be hardcore street thugs who served time in Cell Bock 4 (hence the name). Shambolically formulaic comedy with a low hit-to-miss ratio; it’s a toss-up over which is more obvious: the targets or the jokes. Padded out with side characters who don’t end up doing much concerning the plot (Hartman’s uptight and racist politician, Randle’s dubious reporter, etc.). The mockumentary Fear of a Black Hat that premiered at Sundance shortly before this movie’s release did a better job with very similar material. Best bits: the music videos from phony satirical artists like Payne’s Afro-centric Dead Mike and the MC Hammer-ish Wackee Dee. Includes several cameos near the beginning; credits state that this film is “introducing Charlie Murphy,” even though Murphy had already appeared in a handful of features by that point.

40/100