i know there were times during this movie that i laughed pretty hard .
the problem is
, i ca n't remember them as i write this review .
that 's not a good sign .
in booty call , jamie foxx is bunz , a character whom i ca n't really describe , because i do n't know that much about him .
i only know that he likes to shoot dice on the sidewalk , and that he does n't like relationships ,
just " booty calls " at three in the morning ( no questions , no commitment ) .
bunz has a best friend named rushon ( tommy davidson ) , who seems to be bunz 's direct opposite : on the straight and narrow , and currently in a long - term commitment ( a whole seven weeks ,
wow ! ) .
rushon wants to finally sleep with his girlfriend , nikki ( tamala jones ) , but for a reason which is not totally explained , it 's going to happen after a double date with bunz and nikki 's friend lysterine ( vivica a . fox ) , who have never met .
to make a long story short , the two couples pair off and spend the rest of the evening having their attempts to do the deed spoiled by nikki 's obsession with safe sex .
first she wants condoms , so bunz and rushon go out and get them .
oh , no , they have to be latex , not lambskin .
back to the store .
now they 've got to get dental dams , or there 'll be no foreplay .
why are both couples stopped each time
nikki makes a demand ?
nikki phones lysterine , who lives across the hall , and tells her she 'd better be making these demands , too .
talk about coitus interruptus .
booty call is a film that does not know whether it wants to be a regular comedy or one of those over - the - top comedies .
the difference between the two is that in the latter , things constantly happen which are so far removed from reality .
in this category , for example , you have ace ventura :
private eye on the mild side , and airplane !
at the extreme .
there are times during booty call where the film steps out of its shell and tries for this status , but then too often quickly retreats to the safety of convention .
it is disappointing , and even worse , distracting .
there are also instances where the screenplay by takashi bufford and bootsie parker ( are those real names ? ) does not live up to its potential , as jokes are left unexploited or even ruined by bad writing
.
for instance , there is a scene where our main characters are in a chinese restaurant .
bunz goes up to an asian gangster and speaks to him in fluent cantonese , much to everyone 's surprise .
however , when asked how he learned the language , he goes into this explanation of how he started picking up words from late - night kung - fu films , and soon gained mastery .
this negated the ludicrousness of the entire scene .
if , on the other hand , when asked how he learned to speak chinese , bunz simply replied with , " kung - fu movies , " and then moved on , the joke would have been much more effective .
this is because it would have been totally unbelievable , but funny because we know it is unbelievable .
by explaining the point and trying to make the ridiculous plausible , the film is not giving its viewers enough credit .
the inconsistency and uncertain believability unfortunately also raise other questions .
why are two such disparate people like bunz and rushon best friends ?
why do rushon and nikki fix up bunz and lysterine ?
if nikki is so obsessed with safe sex , why does n't she have some condoms at her own apartment ?
these questions are not answered by the screenplay , but are overlooked for the sole reason of moving the plot forward .
a very noticeable quality of booty call is the prevalence of unnecessary foul language .
some movies use a lot of swear words , but use them under very justifiable circumstances , as when they are employed consistent with a character 's pattern of speech .
other films , such as the recent jackie brown , use them in ways that almost parody themselves .
booty call just sticks them in to get laughs , and it does n't work .
they stick out like sore thumbs because there is almost no reason to use them .
half of the scenes seem to occur for no reason .
the chinese restaurant , a holdup at a convenience store , and a trip to the hospital seem to have nothing to do with the story , and are in there for filler .
this is surprising , considering that the film is less than eighty minutes long .
it 's too bad that the core of the film is n't much better , since it is comprised of sometimes funny , but forgettable dialog .
i refer you to the first paragraph of this review .
Output: N