Black Knight (2001)

The star of one of the most successful African American sitcoms of the 90s returns for yet another uninspired comedy charged with more racial jokes than you can shake a stick at.

Medieval feudalism meets hip-hop. Another typical "culture clash" comedy, with all the tools to look exactly the same as its predecessors ("Rush Hour," "Bringing Down the House"), but doesn't come across quite as funny.

The one thing I can say for this movie is that it definitely doesn't take itself seriously. The reactions and mannerisms of the medieval people are stretched at best, and Lawrence's reactions aren't quite how you'd expect a normal person to act, were he thrown back in time. All of the jokes are clearly set up, but the ridiculousness of the movie might just grow on you after a while if you treat it like a bad movie.

The front half of the movie is completely abysmal. It's just about clichés of black culture and nothing more. The second half mellows a lot on the racial humor and becomes more charming. It doesn't become "good," but it had charm. Without giving anything away, there's a contrived dance scene that arises well into the movie. As silly and ridiculous as it is, it's an entertaining and well-done scene.

I still gave this movie a two, because even though I enjoyed some scenes near the end, I wouldn't be much of a movie critic if I gave this movie TOO much due. It really is just a bad movie. The fairly original concept was enough to hold my interest, although the comedy was cliché most of the time and overall poorly executed.

Worth watching if you're in the mood for seeing something stupid but not boring. If you want a laugh-out-loud masterpiece, look elsewhere.