'Kingdom Comes' and Laughter Follows

Every family has its share of crazies, kooks and weirdoes, all of whom, for some reason, always seem to be on their worst behavior during family reunions and gatherings. However, if you thought your family was a contender for Most Sources of Embarrassment, think again. In Kingdom Come, directed by Doug McHenry, the Slocumb family comes out in full force to mourn the death of one of their members, leaving the audience not with tears in their eyes, but smiles on their faces.

After the death of “mean and surly” family patriarch Daddy Bud, the Slocumbs congregate in the back-water Southern town where Daddy Bud and his wife initially settled down to raise their kids, hoping to lean on one another for support. However, when arguments begin erupting early on upon the family’s arrival on in the film, it is clear that the funeral is going to be a fiasco.

Ray Bud (LL Cool J), the eldest Slocumb and expert mechanic, is given the tedious responsibility of arranging the funeral. He voices his obvious frustration with his role as he tells his wife Lucille, played by Vivica A. Fox (Idle Hands, Independence Day), “When I die, don’t tell anyone. Just bury me in the backyard, and tell them I left you!” In Kingdom Come, such funny one-liners are often followed by even more amusing scenes. In one particularly memorable moment, Aunt Marguerite and her son Royce are traveling in a beat-up Volkswagen beetle on their way to Mama Slocumb’s (Whoopi Goldberg) house when they run out of gas. While waiting for Ray Bud to rescue them, they begin to listen to music. In accordance with his gangsta get-up, Royce tunes the radio to a rap radio station. Baffled, his mother changes the station to gospel music with the hand that is not clutching her unabridged Bible. Soon, the two are vying for control of the knob, until Aunt Marguerite accidentally pulls the knob out of the radio after successfully changing the station and shouts, “Aha! Jesus got the knob!” Clearly irritated, Royce replies, “Yeah, mama, Jesus got the knob, but Satan got the car keys!” With that, Royce grabs the keys from the ignition, and gets out of the car as quickly as possible.

Eventually, the entire family finally comes to town, and the plot, as the cliché says, thickens. Junior, Ray Bud’s unemployed brother, has been cheating on his wife Charisse, and neglecting his three wild kids. Aunt Marguerite, on the other hand, is trying to reform her youngest son and prevent him from going to the state penitentiary like his brother. Junior and Ray Bud cannot overcome their sibling rivalry,  which is made evident by the WWF-style wrestling match they engage in after arguing about how much money to spend on the funeral. All the while, Mama Slocumb looks on her family’s behavior with an air of mixed disdain and amusement.

While Kingdom Come is no contender for next year's Oscar race, the audience often cannot help but give in to uncontrollable laughter. The Slocumbs constantly poke fun at the stereotypical Southern Baptist, each focusing on one facet of the stereotype, be it unemployment, religious zealousness or the southern accent. Furthermore, in light of all the arguments, secrets and exaggerated emotions, the film often even resembles a bad day-time soap opera that even the excellent cast (including Jada Pinkett Smith, Toni Braxton and Cedric the Entertainer) cannot salvage. However, although the primary goal of this film is humor, there aremany attempts to communicate to the audience “important” but worn-out moral messages throughout the movie. Even though this goal is an admirable one, the scenes with more tension seem false and disjointed from the comic relief that allows the story line to progress. Kingdom Come’s happy ending ensures that everyone’s problems are solved, and that each Slocumb learns an all too-convenient lesson, making the ending seem a bit forced.

Despite its many pitfalls, there are enough hilarious quips, sight gags andbathroom humor jokes to provide relief from the movie’s more maudlin moments. If you are looking for a film that does not require deep concentration and will provide a few good laughs, Kingdom Come is for you.

Kingdom Come

directed by Doug McHenry

starring LL Cool J, Whoopi Goldberg, Toni Braxton

Fox Searchlight Pictures