Product: Kingdom Come (2001)
Rating: 5.0
Great movie, mostly comedy but also romance, drama, educational
Movie Kingdom Come's great surprise actor was LL Cool J, whose acting was superb. He is the star of the movie, named Ray Bud, becoming the patriarch in his family at the death of his father. And, he pulls it off with a class act. Of course, actress Vivica Fox does an exellently superb acting as his perfect wife, Lucille, who is trying to keep her own problems to herself, namely issues trying to have children. Loretta Devine is another great actress in every movie she takes on. In this one, she brings out the comedy of a religious sister-in-law, Aunt Marguerite, burdened with being a widow with two delinguent sons who she tries to whip into action with her religious tongue. Jada Pinkett plays a comedy part in this movie as the wild & crazy Sharese, a low-class wife of Junior, Ray's brother. She wanted a singing career before her marriage and kids. Junior is played by Anthony Anderson, who is great with comedy anyway. He stars as the penniless brother with wild ideas, no common sense and he and Sharese are saddled with three bratty children. Darius McCrary does an excellent acting job as Ray's delinquent cousin, Royce, son of Marguerite, who finally matures at the end. The actor that plays the part of the auto repair shop owner, Clyde, Ray's boss, is so thoroughly hilarious with his scenes from start to finish. Toni Braxton is the beautiful rich in-law married to a lawyer cousin who shows up to the funeral alone and reveals to Sharese that she should appreciate her husband and her poor life because riches don't always equal happiness. The movie also stars Cedric-the-Entertainer who plays off his part so well as the lisp-speaking minister, over-burdened but sincere. It's revealed from the beginning of the movie that Ray Bud's father lived the last years of his life as a grouch with Mrs. Bud, starred by Whoopie Goldberg, choosing not to hide her dislike of her husband's ways. Whoopie Goldberg shows her excellent acting skills to the hilt with such a beautiful low-key portrayal of a patient quietly intelligent newly-widowed mother of two men, Ray and Junior. Junior is so caught up in his own crazy hopscotch life, trying to make up to Sharese for his promiscuious affair that he doesn't contemplate overmuch seeing his father's coffin. Cousin Royce already lost his father to death and shows Ray that its alright to feel hurt over the death of his father. It's up to Ray to show and reveal how he felt about his father. Beautifully revealing and also an entertainingly funny movie.