Ladies Man Gets Surefire Laughs

Guess what? I can read people's minds.

Hey, stop laughing.

Come on, stop it already.

Okay, so maybe I can't read people's minds, in the most literal sense of the term. But believe me-I've had my moments of foresight. On more than one occasion (i.e. twice), I've been known to say something that someone else was about to say before they got a chance to say it themselves (a phenomenon known in many circles as a "damn-lucky guess").

Take this new movie, for instance. When you first heard that Saturday Night Live's mega-popular Ladies Man sketch-generally regarded as one of the few remaining SNL sketches that are actually funny-was being turned into a movie, I'll wager the inflated cost of a movie ticket that this exact thought, or some variation thereof, flashed across your brain:

How the hell do you stretch a five-minute skit into an hour-and-a-half long movie?

Well, for the fine folks at SNL Studios-the comedic minds that brought us such romps as Wayne's World, Tommy Boy, and Superstar-it's become a matter of habit. And they're at it again with The Ladies Man, the film that expands on the life and misadventures of Leon Phelps, the radio talk show host who shocks audiences with his raunchy (but honest) advice on matters of (physical) love.

Fan-favorite SNL regular Tim Meadows brings Leon Phelps to the big screen in all of his pimping glory, complete with afro, disco threads, and that ridiculous lisp. With a much longer time slot to play with, the filmmakers really got a chance to flesh out the details of Leon's womanizing world, from the love candles, Kama Sutra posters, and bottle of Courvoisier that grace his radio booth when he's on the air, to his bachelor pad-a boat house that he fittingly calls his "Skank-tuary." And of course, we get to hear all the best Leon-isms from the show-lines like "Ooh, it's a lady!" when the caller is a woman, and "You got to do it in the b--!" when he describes his favorite recreational activity.

But best of all, we get to see the origin of the infamous sexpert, from his early days in the swinging seventies, growing up in a Hugh Hefner-esque mansion filled with beautiful ladies. After sleeping with the house-master's wife, Leon is tossed out of the mansion into an unsuspecting world-a world he takes by storm with his philosophy of free love and more free love. When he meets Julie (Karyn Parsons), a beautiful radio station employee on the mend from a busted relationship, the Ladies Man show is born.

Surprise! Leon offends one too many listeners with his lewd advice, and he and Julie are kicked off the air. Amidst his quest for a new job, he receives a random love letter from an old fling with lots of money. The catch? The letter is unsigned, and he can't remember which lady it is. With the promise of financial bliss before him, Leon sets off in search of his prize. Along the way, he must dodge the nefarious machinations of the V.S.A. (Victims of the Smiling Ass), an organization of guys whose wives were seduced by Leon in the past. On top of that, his previously platonic friendship with Julie begins to evolve as he comes to realize that happiness cannot be replaced by lots and lots of sex. In this regard, Leon truly grows as a person.

But not before having lots of sex.

Tim Meadows flashes the comedic brilliance that has endered him to the hearts of SNL fans everywhere. In his first lead role in a feature film, he successfully broadens the scope of a fundamentally shallow character, adding extra layers of innocence and generosity-a swinger with a heart of gold. At the same time, he recognizes the limitations of the character and doesn't try to do too much. After all, Leon Phelps was meant to be a guy we can all laugh at. And we do.

Surrounding Meadows is a talented supporting cast headlined by Karyn Parsons, better known to our generation as Hillary from "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air". Her steady presence as the kind, down-to-earth Julie (and the only girl who can resist Leon's charms) provides a refreshing dose of realism that compliments Meadows' outrageous antics, and their unique dynamic gives the audience something to root for. Billy Dee Williams is great as the smooth-voiced Lester, owner of Leon's favorite hangout, the Straight Up Lounge, and occasional narrator of Leon's story. Tiffany Thiessen turns up the heat as the voluptuous Honey DeLune, conjuring memories of her younger (but no less enticing) days on television. Throw in Lee Evans as Barney, the newest member of the V.S.A., and the hilarious Will Ferrell (another SNL regular), as Lance, the V.S.A.'s vengeful and fanatical leader, and the cast is complete.

The Ladies Man is the kind of movie I've come to describe as "stupid funny." The humor ranges from tongue-in-cheek (the V.S.A.'s musical numbers-which, by the way, are a riot) to downright crude (most of the jokes involving Leon's "wang" fall under this category), and some of the plot turns are painfully predictable. But you know what? Who cares? This movie was made purely for laughs. It tiptoes along that ultra-fine line between really bad and not-so-bad at all, and ultimately ends up on the side of the latter.

This movie is silly to the max-but it was meant to be. So it's hard to fault The Ladies Man for hitting our expectations right on the nose. All you can do is sit back and laugh-either with them or at them.

I'm no mind-reader, but if you're a fan of funny movies, I'm predicting you'll like this one, too.

Just call it a hunch.

THE LADIES MAN

directed by

Reginald Hudlin

starring

Tim Meadows

Karyn Parsons

Billy Dee Williams

Paramount Pictures

directed by

Reginald Hudlin

starring

Tim Meadows

Karyn Parsons

Billy Dee Williams

Paramount Pictures