Created by Keenen Ivory Wayans
A hilarious, sharp-eyed spoof on Shaft and all those enjoyably cheesy but vital Blaxploitation B-flicks back in the seventies that followed?
A tongue-in-cheek action flick look back written, directed and starring Keenan Ivory Wayans, a man who knows a thing or two about comedy?
The man behind TV’s In Living Color (1990-94) and I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988)?
It’s gotta be good, right?
Right?
But it wasn’t. Without much of the political, cultural or sociological swagger of the era that made Blaxploitation feel so liberating, we were left with a dumbed down piece of cinematic flatulence that had little to say, but sure took a long, tedious time to say it.
This turkey isn’t even particularly funny. Mostly it seems like a disjointed collection of detective, action flick, and Blaxploitation tropes, interspersed with self-indulgent, often absurd scenes that bear only a passing connection to the story, which has disgraced ex-cop turned Los Angeles private eye ANDRE SHAME and his feisty, pint-sized assistant, Peaches (Jada Pinkett, who may be the best thing in the film), hunting for a fortune missing mob loot, going up against a notorious Latin American (what else?) drug czar. There are mobsters and feds and assorted thugs and seductive babes all over the place, of course, and guns. Lots and lots of guns.
As Roger Ebert noted in his review at the time, “holding, waving, dropping, drawing, shooting, loading, pointing, displaying, polishing and posturing. Take away the guns and this would be a movie about too many characters and no way to get rid of them.”
And while it’s generally no skin off my nose if an action film offers excessive violence, coarse language or dumbed down “adult” content (by 1994, it was practically expected of the genre), the flick still struck me as Wayans trying too hard.
Or maybe not enough.
Nobody was expecting Wayans to make some squeaky clean, gormless film that offended nobody, but I’m pretty sure nobody expected him to be so bland, or to go so out of his way to offend everyone. Hispanics? Gay men? Women? Stereotypes so lazy and broad you can’t even see the other side?
All present and accounted for.
Still, the film has its fans, most of whom apparently don’t realize this “classic” is supposed to be a parody — or aren’t old enough to be aware it is a parody.
UNDER OATH
- “A trifecta of failure for writer-director-star Keenen Ivory Wayans, A Low Down Dirty Shame lives repeatedly and resolutely down to its title… The movie lacks the humor typically associated with the Wayans, and also is limited by an egregious use of slow-motion.” There is a reason why this film has a 0% rating.”
— “Rotten Tomatoes (which also listed it as one of the “30 Worst Movies of All-Time”) - “… this time out, Wayans isn’t sure whether to send up “Shaft” and company or simply to remake the action thriller. The result is an embarrassing compromise… Add rotten to low, down and dirty shame, and that’ll about cover it.”
— Rita Kempley (The Washington Post) - “Smartly produced and certainly lively, A Low Down Dirty Shame is diverting while you’re watching it, but you’re liable to start forgetting it by the time the end credits start to unroll.”
— Kevin Thomas (The Los Angeles Times)
FILMS
- A LOW DOWN DIRTY SHAME | Buy the DVD | Watch it now!
(1994, Hollywood Pictures)
108 minutes
Written by Keenen Ivory Wayans
Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans
Produced by Eric L. Gold, Joe Roth, Lee R. Mayes, Michael Waxman, Roger Birnbaum
Starring Keenen Ivory Wayans as ANDRE SHAME
Also starring Charles S. Dutton, Jada Pinkett, Salli Richardson, Andrew Divoff
FURTHER INVESTIGATION
- This Turkey For Hire
The Worst and Most Disappointing P.I. Films - Written, directed and starring…
One-Man P.I. Shows
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
