People like to say that there are few original ideas in Hollywood. They use movies like The Honeymooners to prove their point. The endless number of remakes, not to mention prequels and sequels, seem to bolster their claim. However, I think that there are lots of good ideas in Hollywood. Good ideas aren't the problem. The problem is in the inability of studios to take risks. If they have a project with a recognizable name - from a TV show, a movie, a videogame, a comic book or a novel - they feel it w ill be easier to market because people are already familiar with the concept and the characters. A new script doesn't have that kind of recognition. It's perceived to be a harder sell. And a hard sell is a big risk. Anyway, enough of my theory on why there are so many damn remakes. The question is what did I think of The Honeymooners?

Cedric the Entertainer is Ralph Cramden, the loveably gruff New York City bus driver. He's a good hard-working guy with a devoted but nagging wife, Alice (Gabrielle Union). Their best friends, sewage worker, Ed Norton (Mike Epps) and waitress Trixie (Regina Hall) live upstairs. When an old customer comes into the diner where Alice and Trixie work and announces she's selling her house, Alice sees this as the perfect opportunity to fulfill her lifelong dream of homeownership. In fact, the duplex is a house that the Cramdens and the Nortons can share. But, a greedy real estate developer (Eric Stolz) is interested in the property too and is determined to get it. The couples have about a week to come up with the $20,000 down payment. Ralph, who has a history of failed get-rich-quick schemes  under his belt sets out to get the money by any legal means necessary. Ralph and  Ed think they have found the answer when they rescue a greyhound from a dumpster. With the help of a shady dog trainer named Dodge (John Leguizamo), they set out to win the money to get the house.

I like Cedric and I like Mike Epps and I would love to see them working together again on another project. They played well off of each other which is good because The Honeymooners was always more about Ralph and Ed's friendship than it was Ralph and Alice's marriage. Speaking of which, I understand that Ralph is a sweet guy and a funny guy. And I know that sweet and funny can go along way for a guy, but I never, not for one second could imagine a Gabrielle Union with a bus driving Cedric the Entertainer.

There are some funny bits in The Honeymooners especially a montage of the various ways Ralph and Ed try to make some quick cash. Mike Epps has a gift for physical humor and had the audience laughing at his antics. John Leguizamo is very funny too. But a lot of the scenes, especially the ones involving the house, fell flat and even make the 85 minute movie feel long at times.

I do give the movies props for the ending. Of course, it's sweet and happy but it's not the ending that you've come to expect.