Pootie Tang

In a melange of Dumbo, The Wizard of Oz and maybe a Missy Elliott video for MTV, Chris Rock stars as father and sidekick to Pootie Tang (Lance Crouther), who rids the world of evil while recording silent songs and inadvertently wooing women. He's a man of few words, and even fewer that make sense. It's established early in the film that Pootie is too good for the English language. Turns out, though, he's made a few mistakes in his native tongue: the language of love.

What follows is a hilarious parody of the stories that teach you right from wrong, all the while shaming you into learning the lesson again. Pootie battles corporate America, is seduced by the whores of the business world, moves to the country to find himself, and returns to take his rightful place among heroes, but not before putting on an impressive show of martial artistry. The character was created by writer/director Louis C.K., who's also a writer and producer for HBO's The Chris Rock Show. As for the film, it can't adequately be described in words other than `wata tah' and `sepatown.' You'll see, and you should. At the Hoyts Providence 16, Showcase (Seekonk 11 and 12 and Warwick) cinemas.
-- Tori Reimann