There was a time one Sunday afternoon that because I had nothing else better to do, I was flipping through the movie channels and all of a sudden "In the Mix" comes on. And what do I do? I watch it. By no means a classic or even a particularly memorable or otherwise "good" film, it's a good distraction for an hour and a half.
Basically, the setup goes like this: a hip DJ, Darrell (Usher), saves a New Jersey mob boss (Chazz Palminteri) from an assassin's bullet one night. Palminteri's character, Frank, fearing for his beautiful daughter Dolly's (Emmanuelle Chriqui) safety, has Darrell escort her around town as her bodyguard. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that opposites attract - hip spinster Darrell and the Italian Dolly get together, which is under the table of course and Darrell, who's used to dodging groupies, now has to dodge bullets and her old man.
From the get-go, you know what's going to happen before it happens. The script by Jacqueline Zambrano doesn't click a whole lot, and the direction of Ron Underwood seems amateurish at best. "In the Mix" also combines (more like, mashes together) several distant film genres, including the mob movie and the romantic comedy, and the film ends with a shootout. Yes, a shootout. Are there ANY movies left nowadays that don't end with a huge special effects finale? But maybe I'm ripping into this movie more than it deserves.
What does keep you watching this title despite its many predictable elements, is Usher and Emmanuelle Chriqui. They both make the best of a lousy screenplay, and it's their on-screen chemistry that at least kept me watching, if not somewhat interested. Not too many movies like this will pop up on my radar, but at least "In the Mix" was good way to fill in a lonely afternoon.
4/10
Basically, the setup goes like this: a hip DJ, Darrell (Usher), saves a New Jersey mob boss (Chazz Palminteri) from an assassin's bullet one night. Palminteri's character, Frank, fearing for his beautiful daughter Dolly's (Emmanuelle Chriqui) safety, has Darrell escort her around town as her bodyguard. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that opposites attract - hip spinster Darrell and the Italian Dolly get together, which is under the table of course and Darrell, who's used to dodging groupies, now has to dodge bullets and her old man.
From the get-go, you know what's going to happen before it happens. The script by Jacqueline Zambrano doesn't click a whole lot, and the direction of Ron Underwood seems amateurish at best. "In the Mix" also combines (more like, mashes together) several distant film genres, including the mob movie and the romantic comedy, and the film ends with a shootout. Yes, a shootout. Are there ANY movies left nowadays that don't end with a huge special effects finale? But maybe I'm ripping into this movie more than it deserves.
What does keep you watching this title despite its many predictable elements, is Usher and Emmanuelle Chriqui. They both make the best of a lousy screenplay, and it's their on-screen chemistry that at least kept me watching, if not somewhat interested. Not too many movies like this will pop up on my radar, but at least "In the Mix" was good way to fill in a lonely afternoon.
4/10