Unfunny formula film...

Rating: 6/10 (7 May 2013)

THE KING OF QUEENS was one of the few teleseries of recent memory (along with EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND and THE BIG BANG THEORY) that I tried to keep up with during its initial run. Kevin James was (IS- IS!) a very funny guy. Unfortunately, the formula "comedies" he's been involved with since departing the Small Screen have been... lackluster, at best. The man has talent (we've seen that and can attest to the fact), but the by-the-numbers feature films he's been involved in haven't begun to scratch the surface of what he has to offer. Like Bob Newhart, Kevin James is one of those guys whose greatest asset is his Every Man approach to humor (though they're about as different, stylistically, as Night and Day). Here's to hoping someone with the right mindset hooks up with Kevin James before it's too late. (I liked the IDEA of an unknown coming from nowhere to win the day- it happens from time to time in sport, in mixed martial arts more often than it should- but the execution left a lot to be desired.) On the plus side, Bas Rutten does a great job.