I look forward to the day I can see a film featuring a predominantly African-American cast and say that I loved it or even that I liked it a lot. After seeing The Cookout it is obvious that today isn't that day.

Number one NBA draft pick, Todd Anderson (newcomer Quran Pender) has just signed a contract with the New Jersey Nets for a cool $30 million. His parents (Frankie Faison and Jennifer Lewis) are concerned the money will change him. Tood's already got the requisite golddigging girlfriend (Meagan Good), who convinces him to buy the big house, the new cars and of course, diamonds for her. To show that he's the same old Todd, he agrees to host the family cookout at his new house, much tot he dismay of his new neighbors (Danny Glover and Farrah Fawcett), his agent Wes (Jonathan Silverman) and neighborhood security (Queen Latifah). 

The Cookout has a few funny moments but much like Soul Plane, it's jokes are old and tired and based on old racial stereotypes. This kind of humor can be funny but it is unoriginal and uninspired and frankly, I'm more than a little bored with it. Unlike Soul Plane however, its heart is in the right place and the message of being true to yourself and your family are nice themes to endorse.

I'm still trying to figure out how Danny Glover got involved in this mess. He plays a Clarence Thomas-esque judge married to Farrah Fawcett who suddenly turn hood after getting high with some of the cousins at the cookout. Queen Latifah's over-zealous cop owes a huge debt to Bill Murray's gopher-obsessed groundskeeper in Caddyshack. Eve, the ugly-duckling best friend who blossoms into an okay looking woman, still can't act and why people keep putting Ja Rule in movies, I won't even pretend to understand. He plays a wannabe thug. Of course.

If you do decide to see this in the theater, see it soon because I doubt it will be breaking any box office records. I caught a matinee with about 20 people. A girlfriend of mine saw it on a Friday night and the crowd was equally thin. I'd definitely wait for the DVD, I'm sure the bloopers and outtakes will be funnier than the actual movie.