White Chicks

White Chicks is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. It stars Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans as two black FBI agents who go undercover using whiteface as women to solve a kidnapping plot. The film was theatrically released in the United States on June 23, 2004, and grossed $113.1 million worldwide against a budget of $37 million.[4]

White Chicks
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKeenen Ivory Wayans
Produced by
Screenplay by
  • Xavier Cook
  • Andy McElfresh
  • Michael Anthony Snowden
  • Keenen Ivory Wayans
  • Marlon Wayans
  • Shawn Wayans
Story by
  • Keenen Ivory Wayans
  • Marlon Wayans
  • Shawn Wayans
Starring
Music byTeddy Castellucci
CinematographySteven Bernstein
Edited by
Production
company
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing[2]
Release date
  • June 23, 2004 (2004-06-23)
Running time
109 minutes[3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$37 million[4]
Box office$113.1 million[4]

It received mixed reviews on Metacritic and was nominated for five Razzies. In the years since its release the film has come to be regarded as a cult classic.[5][6][7]

Plot

FBI agent Copeland brothers, Kevin and Marcus Anthony II, try to bust a drug dealer selling their product disguised as ice cream, but they botch it when a genuine ice-cream salesman shows up first. The two agents are offered a reprieve if they chauffeur the Wilson sisters, Brittany and Tiffany, a pair of rich but shallow socialite daughters of Wilson Cruiseliners CEO Andrew Wilson, safely to a weekend-long fashion event in The Hamptons, so they won't become the next victims in a string of high-profile kidnappings. But the Wilson sisters suffer minor facial scars in a car accident and refuse to be seen in public in such imperfect condition. Fearing for their jobs, Kevin scares the girls into staying at a hotel while he and Marcus disguise themselves as them and attend the event.

Kevin, disguised as Brittany, and Marcus, disguised as Tiffany, acquaint themselves with the sisters' three best friends - Lisa Anderson, Karen Googlestein, and Tori Willson - and encounter their rivals: the Vandergeld sisters, Heather and Megan. Unbeknownst to Kevin and Marcus, the sisters are being monitored by their colleagues, Vincent Gomez and Jake Harper, and their boss, Section Chief Elliott Gordon, who are undercover posing as hotel staff. At the hotel, pro-basketball player, Latrell Spencer, who has an assistant named Tony, takes a shine to Marcus/Tiffany, and Kevin takes a shine to New York One News reporter, Denise Porter.

At one of the Vandergelds' annual charity auction party that night, Latrell wins a dinner date with Marcus/Tiffany, while Kevin pretends to be Latrell to attract Denise, after hearing that she likes rich men. While the real Latrell takes Marcus/Tiffany to the La Bella restaurant, Kevin uses Latrell's car to drive Denise to Latrell's house, where he begins to solicit information about Ted Burton turning the tables on Warren Vandergeld, Heather and Megan's father. With Kevin becoming romantically involved with Denise and Marcus/Tiffany trying to reject Latrell to no avail, their combined antics put them under Gomez and Harper's suspicion.

At a nightclub, the "Wilsons" win a dance-off against the Vandergelds, and a drunken and heartbroken Karen slips to Kevin and Marcus that Warren Vandergeld is actually penniless and has been taking loans from her father. This makes the Copelands think that Warren is the mastermind behind the kidnappings. But before they can investigate, the real Brittany and Tiffany back at the hotel find out that they're being impersonated. As they arrive in the Hamptons to reveal their "clones", so do Marcus' wife, Gina, and her friend, Shaunice, having assumed that Marcus is cheating on Gina, Gomez and Harper also conclude that the Wilsons are being impersonated by two men and aim to expose them, only to inappropriately strip down the real Brittany and Tiffany in front of Gordon where Brittney punches Harper in the face. They are subsequently suspended, and a furious Gordon fires Kevin and Marcus after he discovers the truth. Having lost both his job (and possibly his wife), Marcus snaps at Kevin for his renegade ways, always dragging Marcus into trouble.

Later, Kevin and Marcus discover that Warren had funneled large sums of money through his modest charity. Marcus stops Kevin from notifying Gordon, convincing him that they should personally intervene to redeem themselves, and they contact Gomez and Harper to help resolve the case. Under disguise as the Wilson sisters, "they" are chosen to appear in the event's final fashion show, and the Vandergelds are furious that they were kicked off the catwalk by the boss, Aubrey, in favor of the Copelands/Wilsons, but the real Brittany and Tiffany also perform in the event. Karen rejects Heath who callously snubbed her which make Marcus punches him in the face. During the show, the Vandergeld sisters try to sabotage their "rivals", but end up being humiliated by Karen, Lisa and Tori, who discovered them on the catwalk.

After the real Brittany and Tiffany unmask Kevin and Marcus as imposters thus causing mass confusion between the foursome and the audience, Warren uses the opportunity to begin the kidnapping. However, Warren incorrectly captures Marcus/Tiffany and Brittany, which begins a fight between the Copeland brothers and Heath and Russ, a pair of friends Warren hired to get involved with the girls and aid in the kidnappings. Warren soon captures the real sisters and explains his financial troubles to his wife, Elaine, and daughters (who are dismayed to find out they're broke) not knowing that Denise and her cameraman are recording his confession. In the ensuing fight, Kevin is nearly shot trying to protect Denise, Latrell is shot trying to protect Marcus/Tiffany, and Kevin shoots Warren in his shoulder.

The Copeland brothers successfully capture Warren while Gomez and Harper apprehend Heath and Russ. Afterward, their true identities are revealed to all, and Latrell is dismayed that Marcus isn't actually "white" (though he doesn't seem to mind that Marcus is actually male). Gordon reinstates the Copeland brothers, Gomez, and Harper. Marcus clears things with Gina, Kevin and Denise begin a relationship, and Latrell wins over the real Brittany and Tiffany. Tori, Lisa, and Karen admit they liked Brittany and Tiffany a lot more when they were Marcus and Kevin. The five agree to remain friends and go shopping on the next day.

Cast

Production

Filming occurred partly in Chilliwack, British Columbia, including the exterior scenes at the Hamptons and Victoria, British Columbia.[8] Director Keenen Ivory Wayans also co-wrote and co-produced the film with his brothers.

Soundtrack
  1. "Latin Thugs" – Cypress Hill
  2. "Hey Ms. Wilson" – The Penfifteen Club
  3. "Shake It (Like a White Girl)" – Jesse Jaymes (Copeland)
  4. "A Thousand Miles" – Vanessa Carlton
  5. "Realest Niggas" – 50 Cent, Notorious B.I.G.
  6. "White Girls" – Mighty Casey
  7. "Dance City" – Oscar Hernandez
  8. "Trouble" – P!nk
  9. "U Can't Touch This" – MC Hammer
  10. "Dance, Dance, Dance" – The Beach Boys
  11. "Guantanamera" – Jose Fernandez Diaz
  12. "It's My Life" – No Doubt
  13. "(I Got That) Boom Boom" – Britney Spears featuring Ying Yang Twins
  14. "Bounce" (The Bandit Club Remix) – Stock, IC Green
  15. "Get Low" – Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz featuring Ying Yang Twins
  16. "Crazy in Love" – Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z
  17. "It's Tricky" – Run–D.M.C.
  18. "This Love" – Maroon 5
  19. "No Control" – Blackfire
  20. "I Wanna Know" – Joe
  21. "Tipsy" – J-Kwon
  22. "Satisfaction" – Benny Benassi
  23. "Let's Get It Started" – Black Eyed Peas
  24. "Move Your Feet" – Junior Senior
  25. "I Need Your Love Tonight" – Elvis Presley
  26. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun' – Cyndi Lauper
  27. "TRU Homies" - TRU

Release

White Chicks was theatrically released in the United States on June 23, 2004. Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment released the DVD in the United States on October 26, 2004.[9]

Reception

Box office

The film grossed $19.7 million in its opening weekend, taking the #2 spot. It finished with $70.8 million at the box office in the United States, and $42.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $113.1 million, against a budget of $37 million.[4] The film was released in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2004, and opened at #2, behind Shark Tale.[10]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 15% based on 124 reviews and an average rating of 3.72/10, with the site's consensus stating that the film is a "scattershot comedy that's silly and obvious."[11] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 41 out of 100 based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[13]

In his negative review, Dave Kehr of New York Times stated that "Most movies require some suspension of disbelief. But White Chicks... requires something more radical than that. A full frontal lobotomy might be a good place to start."[14] Film critic Richard Roeper put the film at #1 on his list of the worst films of 2004, amongst claims of unconvincing prosthetics and racism.[15][16] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 1 and ​1⁄2 stars out of four and said "Here is a film so dreary and conventional that it took an act of the will to keep me in the theater." He subsequently named the film the seventh worst film of 2004.[17][18] Owen Gleiberman from Entertainment Weekly said "A tawdry excuse for a movie, but it has a handful of shameless giggles", and rated the film "C+".[19]

David Rooney of Variety gave a positive review, and stated that the film "scores more hits than misses."[20] USA Today's Mike Clark rated it 3/4, and said "As with every other genre, there's a right way and a wrong way to handle dude-lawman comedies. Chicks does it right a lot of the time."[21]

White Chicks was nominated for five Razzies, including Worst Picture, Worst Actress for the Wayans brothers in drag, Worst Director, Worst Screenplay and Worst Screen Couple. It lost in all categories.[22] At the 2004 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, the film received nominations for Worst Picture, Worst Actor (Keenan Ivory Wayans), Most Painfully Unfunny Comedy, Worst On-Screen Couple (Shawn and Marlon Wayans), and Least "Special" Special Effects. Its only win was for Most Painfully Unfunny Comedy.[23]

Possible sequel

In August 2009, a sequel to the film was announced by Sony, though they later cancelled the project.[24][25] In April 2014, Marlon Wayans expressed interest in a sequel.[26] A sequel was confirmed to be in the works in March 2018.[27] On June 30, 2019, Terry Crews confirmed a sequel on the program Watch What Happens Live. Marlon Wayans confirmed that this information was not meant to leak, and that the deal had not yet been confirmed.[28]

See also

References
  1. Chito Childs, Erica (June 16, 2009). Fade to Black and White: Interracial Images in Popular Culture. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 193. ISBN 0742565416.
  2. "White Chicks". American Film Institute. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  3. "White Chicks (15)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  4. "White Chicks (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  5. McGregor, Nesta (March 14, 2016). "White Chicks creator Marlon Wayans says he's up for making a sequel". BBC. Retrieved November 17, 2020. Slowly though, the film has become a cult classic thanks to its larger than life characters.
  6. Wang, Lydia (July 3, 2019). "Dust Off Your Vanessa Carlton CD Because A White Chicks 2 Is Happening". Refinery29. Retrieved November 17, 2020. It’s hard to believe it’s been 15 years since the Wayans brothers brought us the comedy cult classic White Chicks, but it sounds like Shawn and Marlon Wayans (and their alter egos Kevin and Marcus Copeland, and their alter egos Brittany and Tiffany Wilson) will all be returning to the big screen.
  7. Noronha, Remus (July 4, 2019). "After Terry Crews' claim on 'White Chicks 2', Marlon Wayans dashes hopes of sequel with Insta post". Meaww. Retrieved November 17, 2020. In the 15 years since its release, 'White Chicks' gained a cult following and became a pop culture phenomenon.
  8. "White Chicks". Tribute. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  9. Rizzo, Francis III (October 24, 2004). "White Chicks - Unrated and Uncut". DVD Talk. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  10. "UK Weekend Box Office 15th October 2004 - 17th October 2004". www.25thframe.co.uk. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  11. "White Chicks (2004)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  12. "White Chicks Reviews". Metacritic.
  13. "CinemaScore". CinemaScore.
  14. "The New York Times > Movies > Movie Review | 'White Chicks': F.B.I. Agents in Drag Enjoy Wild Hamptons Weekend". movies2.nytimes.com. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  15. "Ebert & Roeper, Worst of 2004". May 4, 2006. Archived from the original on May 4, 2006. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  16. EBERT & ROEPER: THE WORST MOVIES OF 2004, retrieved October 8, 2019
  17. Ebert, Roger. "White Chicks movie review & film summary (2004) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  18. "Top 10 Worst Movies of the 2000's - Roger Ebert Review". Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  19. https://www.ew.com/ew/article/review/movie/0,6115,658013_1_0_,00.html
  20. Rooney, David (June 23, 2004). "White Chicks". Variety. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  21. "USATODAY.com - Humor helps 'White Chicks' put a better face forward". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  22. "2004 RAZZIE Nominees & "Winners"". Razzies.com. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  23. "Stinkers Bad Movie Awards - 2004". The Stinkers. Archived from the original on May 4, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  24. "'White Chicks 2' Is On The Way". Screenrant.com. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  25. ""White Chicks 2" is canceled by Sony Pictures". DVD World Report. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  26. Witherspoon, Chris (April 10, 2014). "Marlon Wayans talks 'White Chicks 2,' defends Nick Cannon in whiteface controversy". theGrio. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  27. "WHITE CHICKS 2 HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY MARLON WAYANS". www.kiis1065.com.au. March 5, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  28. "Terry Crews Wasn't Supposed To Announce 'White Chicks 2,' According To Marlon Wayans". Talent Recap. July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
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