Woo

Plot synopsis:
Woo (Smith) is an extroverted woman living in New York City, and she has a notorious knack for turning men into mush. When Woo's psychic friend Celestrial (Girlina) predicts that the man of her dreams is about to enter her life, Woo doesn't believe it is true. Celestrial, however, is convinced that Woo is destined to meet a tall, debonair Virgo. Woo's cousin Claudette (Paula Jai Parker) and Claudette's boyfriend Lenny (Dave Chappelle) plan to spend the night together but find themselves entertaining Woo instead. Lenny begs his best friend Tim Jackson (Davidson) to take Woo out - even though shy, strait-laced law clerk Tim is the polar opposite of the sassy and brassy Woo. That same night, Lenny and Claudette's night goes wrong when his sick obsession with chicken drives her to be forced to dress up as a sexy but awkward "chicken ho" (he makes her cluck and walk like a chicken) but she is allergic to feathers.
At first, Woo expresses disinterest in the matchmaking mismatch. But when she's told that Tim is a Virgo, she decides it is fate, jumps at the chance, and immediately heads for Tim's apartment. Meanwhile, Tim, who can't believe his luck, goes next door to his neighbor Darryl (LL Cool J) for tips on romancing women. Darryl supplies Tim with incense, edible body oils, and a tape of sexy songs. When Woo arrives, Tim is completely smitten. Woo, however, discovers that Tim is anything but the sexy, spontaneous stud of her dreams. Finding Tim's pseudo-cool act totally transparent, she humiliates and teases him. They are just about to exit Tim's apartment when Tim is visited by three of his pals - Frankie (Duane Martin), Hop (Darrel Heath), and Romaine (Michael Ralph). The chauvinistic attitude of Tim's friends irritates Woo, so she retaliates and freaks out the trio by acting insane. Finally, the date gets underway. Woo and Tim arrive at a stuffy Italian restaurant, but Woo's behavior gets them thrown out. They go to a dance club, where Tim becomes the victim, punched out by Woo's ex-boyfriend. Woo likes a good laugh, and when Tim discovers the theft of his flashy new car, she finds this hilarious. And so it goes, straight on till morning.
=== Subplot ===
Tim's friends: Frankie, Hop and Romaine have their own night of fun, gradually going to the same places Woo and Tim go. Unfortunately for them, they unwittingly go to a night club with mostly drag queens, but Hop thinks they are really women and is ultimately horrified once he finds out the truth.
Tagline: It's her world.. we're just living in it.

Tags: paranormal, romantic

Review:
Very basic film with few laughs but plenty of racial clichés.
Woo is a woman who is looking for her perfect man but has been played once too often.
When a friend hooks them both up on a date things go wrong from the start when Woo feels that Tim is only after one thing.
After that she drags him through a series of misadventures as he gradually loses patience.I must admit to have taped this because of the presence of the lovely Jada Pinkett Smith.
Ironically I watched this on the day that The Matrix Reloaded opened in the UK  I wonder will she be boasting about her presence in this film now that she has real hits under her belt.
The plot here is almost an `urban' rehash of Blind Date, with Woo leading the mild mannered Tim to despair.
However the majority of the film is poor and not very funny.
The plot is very thin, so thin that it needs separate little subplots for the other characters just to sustain the running time.
Sadly neither of the two `friends' subplots are any good at all and are either stupid or obvious.The main `romance' between Woo and Tim is badly translated.
At no time did you wish for these two to be a couple, even the `slow music during a thoughtful taxi ride' moment seemed to come out of nowhere and indicate that the film would be ended soon.
To be honest other than Woo's body I could see no reason any man would want to be with her  certainly Tim could do a lot better, which kinda goes against the point of the film.
Their episodic adventures raised a few small laughs for me but not enough to justify the time.Pinkett-Smith is OK.
Davidson is better despite playing the same sort of character as he did in Booty Call, he has more of a knack for comedy and his character was easier to emphasis with than Woo.
Cameos from LL Cool J and Foxy Brown do nothing to liven it up.Overall I am not against urban comedies although many of them do tend to fall into lazy cliché that would border on the racist were they not produced for the very groups they stereotype.
Here I had low expectations but was still let down.,  Very few laughs, very basic plotting and such poor characterisation that it was hard to like anyone in the film.
"Woo" is about a woman (named, of all things, Woo!) who goes on a blind date with a guy who hasn't been with a woman in a long time.
Woo has been through a lot with men and gets the feeling this new guy just wants one thing, so she leads him on a series of late-night adventures a la Scorsese's "After Hours." This movie is L-A-M-E lame.
It's packed with all sorts of awful dialogue, poor performances, racial stereotypes (including the big fat black woman who waves her finger at everyone and finishes every sentence with the word "girlfriend") and so on and so forth.Nowadays it's best remembered for starring Jada Pinkett (Smith), wife of Will Smith.
Her performance isn't that good and it's hard to believe they based an entire movie -- including the TITLE!
It's not entertaining, it's not funny, it's just dumb and annoying.Not even worth watching on TV..
I should have known that this film wasn't going to be any good; the director made another film by the name of 'The Guru' which has the 'honour' of being the only film that I've ever rated lower than 4/10(!) The thing is with this film is that most of the time, you're laughing at it, instead of with it.
Given the fact this film is made up of an entirely black cast, this method of delivering the dialogue is constant throughout and is, in my opinion, very annoying after a while.
It's not 'Chris Tucker' annoying but it grates in its own way.This film's setting takes a bit of a 'road movie' approach as it never lingers for too long in a certain place or setting, or at least that's how these single route journey's in film SHOULD take place.
In 'Woo', the place of no return they set off from (the guy's apartment) right the way through to the final scene is crammed with ridiculous scenes in pretty generic settings and the frustrating thing is, is that they last for far too long and are far too unfunny to be appearing in a film which is listed under the comedy genre.Incidences here include the farce that happens in an Italian restaurant, a rather pointless and unfunny scene in the next setting: a secret underground club which has the ability to hide its loud music RIGHT until you get up close and open the final door and also in a police station during which I can't even remember one joke.
Other frustrating things include the use of slapstick early on and a rather irrelevant scene involving LL Cool J, whom the protagonist goes to visit for advice on: wait for it..music(!) I think LL Cool J appears rather early/high up in the pre film credits yet lasts for about four minutes.
One moment in this film made me laugh and that was when a character went to switch off his car alarm, only to find the car gone and the alarm lying there, still in perfect working order.
I had the displeasure of seeing this movie last night.
It was on one of the HBOs and it was one of those movies that is so bad, you can't stop watching.
Afterwards, you just think to yourself, "why the hell did I just sit and watch that awful, awful movie???"  Please don't waste your time with this.
The premise of WOO centers around a mismatched couple who meet via a blind date .
Right away you realise that this isn't a groundbreaking sex comedy and perhaps needed something to set it apart from other movies in the sub genre and there's nothing here that does But what really ruins the film is the ethnic stereotypes and I don't think I've seen so many unlikely characters since watching black exploitation movies like SHAFT and Hit-man .
If you're going to populate a film with black people at least give them non stereotypical quirks.
So a psychic predicts that "Woo" is going to have a good-hearted man for the hot night, right?
Well, Jason predicts that you're not going to get a single laugh nor thrill from this wasted, inept, trashy, short urban comedy where there are plenty more apartment buildings and nightclubs to shoot a picture.
Ms. Smith is one good actress they've wasted there, but rest assured that all of the acting (as well as the diversion) is to blame.
This movie hurt too much to watch...
What were the stars thinking when they signed on to this movie?
The film was predictable, slow, and often tasteless.
Probably the funniest scene in the entire movie takes place in a drag club.
The film consists of one implausible scene of conflict after another (especially at the Italian restaurant), desperate to find a punchline.
But with a film like this, even though it's a comedy, your disbelief elevates by the minute and it just doesn't have a natural, character-driven flow.
If this is about a 1 or 2 dollar rental at your local video store--this is not a bad film to rent.
Woo Is Funny.
Not all movies are supposed to be 'intelligent' or 'thought-provoking'.
Some movies are made for us to be able to sit back for one and a half hours, forget all our troubles and just have a good scream.
All my favorite comedy actors are here: Jada of course (looking as lovely as I've ever seen her), Dave Chapelle, Duane Martin, Paula Jai Parker, Aida Turturro, LL Cool J and Dartanyan Edmonds.
Even Foxy Brown makes an appearance and it's not too bad either.Overall, it is funny.
Everyone has experienced the "blind date" syndrome and this movie takes it to another level.
Lynne with the wine and fried chicken was funny, Tommies 3 friends in the gay club was classic, and everything that could go wrong for Tommie goes wrong.
And who could hate a movie with the great Billy Dee Williams making a cameo appearance?
Many people hated this movie and I can not see why unless your expectations were to high to begin with.
Just relax, watch it, laugh, reflect, and have a good evening.
We all know Jada and Tommy can do much better in other roles.
All actors can have an average film or too in their careers.Overall rating: 7 out of 10..
A romantic comedy with a star-studded cast and superb acting..
I think "Woo" was a very interesting movie and featured very good performances by Jada Pinkett Smith and Tommy Davidson.
"Woo" is a good movie to watch on a Friday night, and is guaranteed to make you laugh a few times..
"Woo" may not be the best movie in the world, but it was not "awful" as you so rudely stated it to be.
It has comedy, it's fun, it's feel good.
If you are not that would explain why you didn't enjoy the movie.
I'm not being racist hopefully, I'm just saying that black people are not huge critics on films.
Tommy Lee Davidson's role was kind of boring...but Jada was funny, and sexy, and very entertaining, including the random people (lady ordering the drinks, and Pookee!) Point....Be quiet if you don't know what you're talking about.
This movie was absolutely hilarious.
Jada Pinkett Smith did a wonderful job and so did Tommy Davidson.
Especially the part when woo and timothy were in the Italian restaurant!
Woo is a beautiful woman who just wants to be free, and Timothy is a nerdy guy, with jerks as friends.
Ow, and there's a transvestite in the movie that's suppose to be one of Woo's really good friends.
And so is Woo's cousn who goes out Lenny, whose Dave Chappelle.
I recommend this movie to everyone who likes a good laugh..
Love this Movie!!.
All of the characters are funny, but my favourite part of the movie is when Hop (Darrel Heath) discovers what type of club he's been in all night.
Most of the reviews have been bad, but this movie will be an all time fave of mine for a long time to come.
My friends all tell me that I'm not mean enough in my movie reviews, and they probably have a point.
Woo was released in May of 1998, near the end after Titanic hit it's stride of making more than a billion dollars worldwide at the box office and winning the top Academy Awards of that year.
Well 1998 was a memorable year for me, and Woo was apart of it.
Woo was far from earning any of the money and awards Titanic did, but it also had major competition of other block busters such as Godzilla.To digress, I saw Woo back in theaters then and thought it was a reasonable romantic comedy.
Jada Pinkett Smith was good as the sassy and sexy party girl who tries to seduce and date a straighted headed young lawyer (Tommy Davidson).
I later re-discovered Woo on video a few years later and realized that it was indeed quite a dull comedy with little laughs, but the talent and directing and plot sorta kept it going.
With Duane Martin and cameos by LL Cool J, Woo was nothing too special but at least viewed for the fans of Tommy Davidson and Jada Pinkett Smith.On another note, Woo does have a good rather hip rap song 'Nobody Does it Better' performed by Warren G and Nate Dogg.
This mixed-up and predictable film had a few funny moments but over all not worth the rent.
If you are a big Davidson or Jada fan, it might be worth the look to check out their performances, otherwise stay away..
This Was A Funny Movie.
Though the film had some predictable moments, overall it was entertaining to say the least.
Dave Chappelle and LL Cool J had limited participation, but brought good aspects to the film.
Overall, there have been some horrible films produced by Hollywood, this wasn't one of them.
Tommy Davidson, not the funniest person I've seen on the screen didn't do that bad of a job..
The film is set among New York's black community; all the main characters are black, with white actors seen only in minor roles.
(Is this revenge for the way in which Hollywood used to discriminate against black actors?) The title character Woo (this is presumably a nickname although we never get to find out her real name) is a beautiful young woman who is having difficulties in her love-life, and accepts a blind date with a young man named Tim, largely because he is a Virgo.
(Her astrologer has told her that she is fated to find romance with someone of that particular star sign).This is an example of that classical romantic comedy plot, love blossoming between two people of different temperaments.
The shy, diffident Tim, a law clerk, is having even more difficulties with his love-life than is Woo; he lacks a social life to such an extent that his friends nickname him Macaulay Culkin (because he's always home alone).
Woo, by contrast, is an outgoing, extrovert party animal, and is keen to take Tim out for a night on the town.
As this is a romantic comedy, we know that there will be a happy ending; the interest of such films lies in the route taken to reach such an ending.
We quickly realise just why Woo, despite her physical beauty, has not had great success with men; the woman is spoilt, wilful and a prize bitch, the sort of person who (in one of the film's most manic scenes) wrecks an Italian restaurant after a trivial quarrel with a waiter.
It hardly seems credible that Tim would tolerate such an annoying and unlikeable character, let alone conclude that she was the love of his life.
I am not sure whether the problems with Woo's character are the fault of the scriptwriter or of the actress, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Probably a mixture of both.The film has been criticised for allegedly perpetuating stereotypical images of young black males.
The character of Tim, in fact, seems to have been designed to get as far away from these stereotypes as possible- he is quiet, middle-class and lacking in self-confidence, especially where women are concerned.
The other male characters, however, are written in a stereotypical way, presumably deliberately so in order to accentuate the contrast with the untypical Tim. They are loud, outgoing and streetwise, sexist in their attitudes towards women and prejudiced towards gays.
These characters did, however, provide some of the more amusing scenes, which mostly had little to do with the main plot, like the scene in the gay bar where one of the men mistakes transvestites for real women (an old joke, going back at least to "Crocodile Dundee"), or the "Chickie Ho" scene where a man makes his girlfriend dress up as a chicken while making love.
Unfortunately, amusement is in short supply, and the film as a whole makes for pretty dull viewing, a sort of romantic comedy version of those old blaxploitation action films from the seventies.
There are three kinds of bad comedy: The painful, the so-bad-its good and the boring.
This movie falls in the third category.
In 1998, a black movie bombed so bad in theaters that it was dissed by everybody.
Now I know that a movie that bombs at the box office doesn't always mean its bad but Woo really does stink.
I hated this movie.
Everybody I knew hated this movie.
These positive reviews are funnier than the actual movie itself.
Woo looks like a sitcom that was canceled for a good reason.Story: Tim is set on a blind date with a Woo, a nutty woman who spends most of their date trying to loosen him up.
They get into some messed up situations and end up falling for each other in the end.What kills Woo is that nobody in this movie is likable.
Tim is a hapless geek, Woo is a neurotic freak and Tim's friends are the most ignoble and annoying brothers ever in a movie.
On top of all that Woo is quite boring.
Its a shame to because the actors in this movie all have personality but it doesn't show in this film.
The script sucks and every actor and actress looks like they were bored to death while participating in it.
Jada Pinkett would move on into better things and Tommy Davidson's career started to fold after this movie.
If you want a better movie starring Tommy Davidson stick with Strictly Business and Booty Call.
If you want a better movie starring Jada Pinkett stick with A Low Down Dirty Shame and Bamboozled.
Woo is a waste of time and film..
MILD SPOILERSI thought this movie was a bit all over the place.
The concept was fun, but wasted on a weak script.I stayed up late to watch this because it looked like fun, but I hardly laughed.Good points: The stolen car.
Tim uses his remote to activate car alarm to discover the alarm is the only thing left.I also like the scene in the hidden club when Woo starts getting down and Tim hasn't got a clue what to do, then asks her to dance at the wrong time.Not so good points: I also think Jada Pinket was the wrong choice for Woo. Not foxy enough, or funny enough.
There are many funny great looking young black actresses in cable TV sitcoms who could have caned that part.Don't need to see it twice.