Don't Play Us Cheap

Plot synopsis:
Trinity and Brother Dave are a pair of devil-bats looking for a party to break up. They come across a party in Harlem. Although Trinity is eager, Dave warns him not to touch it. "When black folks throw a party, they don't play!" Trinity joins the party, already in progress, thrown by Miss Maybell in honor of her niece Earnestine's birthday.
Trinity first tries to break the records ("you can't have a party without music"), but finds that they are unbreakable. He drinks an entire bottle of liquor, thinking he has depleted their supply of alcohol, but finds out that all of the guests have brought their own bottles, and when he tries to eat all of the sandwiches, another plate is brought in.
Trinity finds himself unwilling to continue being mean after he insults Earnestine, making her cry. Trinity apologizes to her, and tells her that he has fallen for her. Three more guests show up, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, and their college-educated son Harold. Earnestine ignores Trinity for Harold. Trinity becomes jealous.
Brother Dave arrives in human form, eager to break up the party, but Trinity is unwilling to. Mr. Johnson tells Harold not to get involved with Earnestine, because her family is too "common," and he can't risk the big future he has ahead of him. Earnestine approaches both Harold and Trinity to dance, but they are pulled back by Mr. Johnson and Dave.
Dave persuades Trinity to try to break up the party before midnight, when they will both be turned into the thing that they pretend to be: human beings. As time runs short, Dave and Trinity find themselves at the dinner table with the rest of the guests. Dave insults Mrs. Johnson, prompting her to leave with her husband and son. The rest of the guests tell Dave that they're glad that they left.
After the dinner, Trinity stands up and announces that he and Earnestine are getting engaged, an announcement which infuriates Dave. Dave makes one last attempt to break up the party by trying to make a move on Miss Maybell. When Dave finds that she is all too willing, he turns himself into a cockroach and tries to sneak out the door before being smashed by Miss Maybell.

Tags: cult, blaxploitation, romantic

Review:
The best of the Bizzare.
Wow what an odd film.
This is one of those films that only a mother could love.
And then 30 years later a whole new audience sees it.
What may have looked too strange then can now be seen with new eyes.
This movie is thick.
The colors and aesthetic,the textures and flow are so different from other movies that if you watch it like you would another movie you might miss it.
Watch this movie without any  of your existing experience filters and let it present itself to you and then you might see the genius of it.
Great Film.
If you enjoy avant-garde films and/or cult and/or low budget black (afro-american)comedy, then you are probably already a fan of Melvin Van Peebles.
I love telling people about this film because it's so simple yet profound and a whole lot of fun!
It feels like this film was originally a stage play cause it all takes place in one flat.
The music is bluesy, gospel and folk and yes chile it's low budget, but that's the point.
It's great to see black actors like Mabel King and Esther Rolle doing work that you can tell they actually enjoyed doing for a change!!!!
Not only did Melvin Van Peebles write the script, but he also composed all of the music.
With the exception of Esther Rolle the cast has great, soulful voices, but even the monotoned throaty voice of Rolle adds great character to the film.
It's the rawness and honesty of this movie that makes it so great...Besides I'm sure Miss Rolle knows she can't sing!.
Amazing.
This film was a great commentary on the contrast of human values, especially the characters and their personal aspirations.
It reminds us not to take everything about our lives so seriously and that all too often, some of the best things can come in the smallest of packages.It was nice to see Florida and Evilene act out different roles other than their showcased parts.
The best part of the film was the crazy music.
You can tell that the cast members had a really fun time.
It's no Broadway legend, but it's cheesiness and its simplicity are sure to catch your eye.
I caught it on BET Starz and I never forgot it.
It makes me wish that people still had such house parties!
Enjoy!.
Melvin Van Peebles' Don't Play Us Cheap may play its beats like a sledgehammer but don't let that deter you.
After months of this being listed as "long wait" on Netflix, I finally got the disc of this movie from them just today.
It was the fact this was Melvin Van Peebles' follow-up to his hit Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song that got me wanting to watch this as well as the fact it was originally a stage musical he wrote.
What a thrill to see future TV stars like Esther "Good Times" Rolle and Mabel "What's Happening?!" King here though my favorite of the singing cast was Joshie Armstead when she warbled "You Cut Up the Clothes in the Closet of My Dreams".
All those songs and some of the loud dialogue can be exhausting but this was never boring, let me tell you!
I was also thrilled to find out the musical director was Harold Wheeler who I know as the conductor of the band and singers on "Dancing with the Stars", at least he was until last season.
So on that note, I recommend Don't Play Us Cheap..
A Great Movie For The Early 1970s.
This was a cool musical movie!
It was nice to see Esther Rolle and Teresa Merrit in another role besides the roles that made them very popular.
This movie was so funny and crazy.
It was definitely a great movie to be made in 1973!