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DYSFUNKTIONAL FAMILY

George Gallo, who directed Eddie Griffin in the intermittently amusing Double Take, puts the comedian center stage in a one-man show modeled on Richard Pryor’s concert films and Eddie Murphy’s Raw. Griffin isn’t untalented, but he’s not quite ready to carry the concert-film gig. His material, like Murphy’s, is raunchy and not nearly as edgy as he thinks it is. And he’s mired in predictable posturing, with extended riffs on " pussy " and homophobic paeans to gay men.

Gallo cuts documentary-style footage with the stand-up, and that makes for entertaining stuff: Griffin visits his Kansas City high school, where he first began performing, and there are interviews with members of the his clan, including one uncle who is a reformed drug addict and pimp and another with a penchant for porn. Griffin’s gags about his family often mirror footage of the folks themselves, and frequent shots of his mother and other family members in the audience offer a glimpse into their dueling discomfort and pride, but after Gallo’s umpteenth cut to the crowd, the routine wears thin, just like Griffin’s. (80 minutes)

BY LOREN KING

Issue Date: Aoril 3 - 10, 2003
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