LITTLE MAN

"Where's my little man?"

Fleeing from the police after their latest crime goes wrong, Calvin (Marlon Wayans) and Percy (Morgan) have to hide the huge diamond they have stolen in handbag of innocence couple Darryl and Vanessa (Washington). Desperate to get the jewel back before local mobster Bruno (Palminteri) has them killed, Calvin has to use his small stature to become the thing that Darryl and Vanessa want the most. A baby.

The announcement of a new Wayans brother's movie is enough to strike fear into any avid cinemagoer but can 'Little Man' be a comedy movie worth watching?

Even though their last three movies 'Scary Movie', 'Scary Movie 2' and 'White Chicks' were commercial successes, they have never really hit a cord with critics or anyone who liked their comedy with a little more intelligence. While 'Little Man' doesn't really push the envelope when it comes to comedy, it is a lot more watchable than any of their previous movies.

The one thing that the Wayans have going for them is that they at least try to be original. Writing their own scripts and pushing high concepts to the limit of decency, the brothers try to tone it down a little with their latest but unfortunately they dowse it with such a large amount of sugar that you will be feeling sick throughout. Shawn Wayans' character Darryl really wants to be a father but his wife is a career woman and doesn't want to start a family yet. So when Calvin turns up on his doorstep dressed as a baby to get his stolen diamond back, Darryl sees this as his chance to show Vanessa what a good dad he would be. From then on the sugar is piled on, so much so you'll feel like your teeth are about to fall out because the it just so happens to turn out that Calvin never had a father and that is why he turned to crime.

Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans change their approach for the movie ever so slightly for the movie so it can appeal to a more family oriented audience. While some of the jokes are filled with innuendo, there is never anything too gross or explicit that pushes this too far. Calvin is a very confident small person, who is very strong and big in certain aspects for his stature and this is were a lot of the humour comes from, especially around women. Shawn Wayans on the other hand, plays the role straight and pours nothing but love towards Calvin, whatever trouble he gets in. This is extremely sickly and in parts very stupid as Calvin transforms from a babe-in-arms to a mini American football player.

The rest of the cast try their best. Kerry Washington is a good, up and coming actress who deserves much better roles. She is slightly over the top when she comes to talking to her dad but the role needs it. John Witherspoon provides most of the funniest laughs as Vanessa's Pops. There is also a stereotypical gangster performance from Chazz Palminteri.

'Little Man' is much better than anything they have produced before but that isn't saying much. The visuals effects are very good however, making Marlon Wayans' Calvin a lot more believeable. Wayans fans will be very happy but this is one of the most sugary films you will ever see.

White Chicks

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2006