Nicolas Fkn Cage AND Samuel Lupacious Jackson, in the same movie?!? I’m surprised the filmstock itself didn’t melt in the camera. I’m sure it would have if Willem DaFoe starred in it, too! But honestly, the pairing of these two is the only reason I even looked this one up and watched it. It’s, as some would describe it...formulaic.
This isn’t so much a plot as it is an off-color vehicle for raystists stereotypes and shenanigans. Rich black guy buys a place on some well-to-do New England vacation island. Let’s just say the locals are not expecting such a development. The local cops get involved. The press gets involved. A jailed hooligan gets involved. A non-raystist dog gets involved. Some race grifters get involved. I don’t know what the old radio series Amos ‘n’ Andy was about that this kinda alludes to at least in title, the 1920s were before my time. But I suspect this takes some stellar comedic racial antics from that?
This movie is kinda funny. Not from the rather lackluster script or slapstick buffoonery by Dabney Coleman and Brad Dourif, but in the situationals presented and seeing how things have changed in the over 30 years since it was made. Yes, there are racial stereotypes. Yes, some are not exactly accurate. We see the stupidness from all sides here. And it’s all made fun of, as it should be. Cage’s Amos and Jackson’s Andrew do actually have a couple good moments that make the ending not complete crap, as they are both the victims of the greater bullshit narrative. But it’s still pretty cringy overall as a film. I’m just sad in the fact they could treat the subject matter so flippantly as this tells me we goin backwards here, 30 years later. At least Cage’s affable idiocy gives the film some charm to make it through to the totally surprising ending you could have never guessed, ever! It’s Amazing! Sheeeit, brother.
