Talkin' Dirty After Dark
An early entry in the '90s trend of African American comedies,Talkin' Dirty After Darkplays like a prototype ofFriday,Barbershop, and other films that followed its example. It's not as good  as those other comedies, but it's got the same hip-hop energy that favors  character and big laughs over any meaningful plot. It's also got Martin  Lawrence, then on the verge of stardom, joining a stellar cast of comic talent  recruited from theDef Comedy JamTV specials that were popular at the  time. Lawrence plays an aspiring stand-up comedian (much like himself) who's  coping with flat material and lusty come-ons from the wife of Dukie (John  Witherspoon), the owner of the L.A. club where comics convene to polish their  act, onstage and off. Writer-director Topper Carew (who produced Lawrence's TV  seriesMartin) likes his humor raw and sexy (hence the title), and this  easygoing comedy owes a lot to Richard Pryor, whose legacy looms large over the  raucous proceedings.--Jeff Shannon