Knowing my history of hating every TV show and movie Martin Lawrence has ever done thus far (I liked him fine as a stand-up comedian, but cannot stand anything else he's done), I was fully prepared to hate What's The Worst That Could Happen?. And without having read her review before I saw the flick, seeing that my partner The Diva already redlighted "The Worst", I was sure that, given my even lower tolerance for Lawrence, I'd finally reached my first double triple-redlight year. Imagine my surprise when I found myself liking "The Worst". Man, I can't believe I just admitted that. The Story (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**) At an art auction, Kevin Caffery (Martin Lawrence) notices a damsel-in-distress, and gentleman that he is, introduces himself to her. Faire Damsel Amber (Carmen Ejogo) is distraught over having to sell a work of art her father willed to her; and, gentleman that he is, Kevin rescues said art work for the Faire Damsel. Just as in yon modern fairy tale, they immediately hit the hay, and, after Kevin tells Amber he's a high-end thief, they fall in love, she gives him her father's lucky ring, and they live happily ever after. [hooookay.] Uh, where was I...oh yeah. Kevin, with the full consent of his new lady love, plots a big heist with his Trusty Sidekick, Tonto...uh, I mean, Burger (John Leguizamo), with Kevin's uncle Jack (Bernie Mac) acting as their Fence. Their target is Max Fairbanks (Danny DeVito), a billionaire about to lose the business that he and his wife Lutetia (Nora Dunn) inherited from her father; his impending bankruptcy somehow makes Max attractive to high-end thieves [don't ask. It involves Math.] The problem is, Max just isn't ready to be robbed; and in retaliation for Kevin's actions, Max very legally steals Amber's lucky ring from Kevin's finger, a ring that Max - as a big I-Ching/tarot follower with his own psychic assistant, Gloria (Glenne Headly) - is convinced is now his lucky ring. Wackiness, as you no doubt can guess, Ensues. The Upshot As I implied above, all signs pointed toward me hating this movie. I only decided to see it because of Danny DeVito and the supporting cast; to be sure, I went in spite of, not because of, Martin Lawrence. Strangely enough, when Lawrence wasn't cheesing and playing the clown, he was nearly likeable; and in fact, I tired of that over-large cast, before I was ready to call it quits on this flick. When Lawrence's trademark over-the-top behavior (see the last five or so minutes of this movie for a perfect example of just that) was reined in, he was fine, and so was "The Worst". It'd never get any statues for originality, subtlety, or much beyond the Obligatory NAACP/BET(Viacom) Image Award [hey, don't EVEN sweat me.], but I've certainly seen worse than "The Worst". What killed What's The Worst That Could Happen? for me was the inclusion of WAAAAAY too many characters; what ultimately deflated "The Worst" was its excess. I won't get into Amber's patent stupidity in so easily accepting Kevin's "profession"; that's a whole 'Nother Rant For Another Time. Here, I'll just ask "why", as in, why give Max an ObBallsBusting wife, and a mistress, and a codependent assistant-cum-harpie-cum-psychick? Why have not one, not two, but three screechy girlfriends/wives for the thieves to Suffer? Why the fey cop and the Goofy Security Chief? Why wasn't the one sidekick thief enough; was there really a perceived need for a Family Fence, plus Bebe Bickerson and Wife? [and don't forget Bebe's Kids]. Didn't anyone ever teach these filmmakers the maxim "less is more"? And it wasn't just the characters who let me down. Lawrence aside, DeVito didn't really seem to have his heart in it here; his gruff act seemed like textbook Louie DePalma, and I just wasn't feelin' him at all. John Leguizamo continues to work in vehicles that do nothing to showcase his raw talent (check out any of his HBO specials, and you'll see the sad truth in that). I don't know what Glenne Headly was thinking [other than "Hey, my cupboard is gettin' kinda bare; maybe it'd be a good idea to go rustle up some vittles this month. Let's see what the balance is on yonder checkbook. Oops."], and the sooner I can forget the criminal waste of William Fichtner (as fey Detective Alex Tardio) and Larry Miller (as Goofy Security Chief Earl), the happier I'll be. This flick, in the end, could've used better editing - starting with the writers exercising some self-control and the director yelling "oh HELL no!" a bit more from time to time. And with that, I think I'll do some self-editing, and stop there. Bammer's Bottom Line Yank my britches and slap me silly, but I had some liking for "The Worst". It exceeded my low expectations, provided a chuckle or two, and almost made me forget the lack of regard I have for Martin Lawrence's acting career to date. For a few minutes, anyway. Too bad the movie's execs felt the need to pile on the characters; it overwhelmed what could've been a Cute Popcorn Flick. Still, it could've been worse, eh? WHAT'S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN?: I gotta wonder if the guys behind this one, really thought out that title. back to top And that's the way I see it. Rose "Bams" Cooper 3BlackChicks Enterprises™ Copyright Rose Cooper, 2001 EMAIL: bams@3blackchicks.com    ICQ: 7760005 http://www.3blackchicks.com/ http://www.evenbetter.com/?partner=1987

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