User Reviews

It's a nice little film with a twist on culture clash. Julian Lee, an Asian raised by African-Americans, happens to be more black than his African American girlfriend from the suburbs. May, a Chinese exchange student, learns that African Americans are not what they appear to be in the movies. Interesting fare.

I had never heard of this movie until I saw it this afternoon. I was channel surfing and managed to luck up on it when it was starting. I watched five minutes and was hooked until the end of the closing credits. I thought the movie was really good, and it explored a racial tension line that I had never thought to explore before. It was an interesting and tastefully done. I liked it

I expected to either suffer or coast through this movie.

I was wrong.

This is the best film I've seen period. It's the first Asian-Black film and that says a lot.

The entire cast shines, including Ms. Pam Grier, Margaret Cho, and Tatiana Ali This is an engaging story told in a classic cinematic style. The realism is in the nuances - the tilt of a character's head after a dramatic moment or the look in their eyes while they sing. I literally discovered myself involved in this movie during the course of viewing it.

This movie has inspired me to be a better person. In life you don't know who you will run across and sometimes our prejudice will cause us to prejudge a person wrongly. I have learned to give a person the benefit of the doubt because of this movie. I also learned that tough love can build a stronger person. Now I want to know where to find the movie soundtrack.

This film leaves me breathless. It is like a prescription tonic for the credit crunch. Pam Grier is wonderful. The entire cast is a true Ambassador for Peace and Love. You add in the nasty gangleaders, the resentful waiters and the whole racism thing is controlled by professionals nonsense. It all works. I know some very cynical racists who expressed themselves above such candy floss trivia and yet whooped for Julian in the end This is my favourite feel-good film of the 90's. If you have seen it already - do yourself a favour and watch it again. Everyone needs some buttons to help them through bad economic times and I've yet to find better.

Fakin Da Funk Rules!

What a terrible waste of great actors! These people should be put in jail! Given the combination of Margaret Cho, Rudy Ray Moore and Pam Grier, no one could possibly make a worse film than this. Gene Siskel used to ask himself if a film was less interesting than a documentary about the same actors eating lunch. Sadly, this one is much less interesting. See any other piece of Moore's or Grier's work. See Margaret Cho's concert film, "I'm the one that I want." Just don't see this.

This film I remember was one of the highest-rated movies on cable ever and I know why - it's one of the most original, heart-felt comedies since 'Groundhog Day'. Truly loved the film and some of the endearing scenes.

Some of the best scenes involve actor John Witherspoon ('Friday'), Pam Grier, and Duane Martin (who with comedian Margaret Cho) really draw the laughs. But what I really like is the film doesn't descend into SNL humor - which is always tasteless, but maintains the Harold Ramis quality of humanity.

I'm not sure when it was released theatrically, but it should have been the next 'Rush Hour' without doubt.

Where should I start? Oh, here's a good start: I cut the movie off after 23 minutes. I was willing to deal with the dumb premise, and I even suffered through the severely bigoted jokes. Once a spontaneous "Yo Mama" session erupted in the middle of the street I had to cut it off.

So, a Chinese boy was adopted by a Black couple in Atlanta. They raised him as their own. It was wholly absurd how this adoption came about, but whatever. The father (Ernie Hudson) died. Some years later the rest of the family moved to L.A. There the Chinese son Julian (Dante Basco) instantly was under a racist attack disguised as comedy from some b-ball players. When he ran into the same bigot sometime later the racist barbs began anew with "Yo Mamas" thrown in. The next thing you know all of these other comedians materialize on the corner where the back-and-forth is going on and "Yo Mamas" are being flung everywhere. And they're NOT funny.

I could suffer it no more. I had to bail on this drivel before I lost any more brain cells watching it.

Probably one of the best indies I've seen in a long time.

The film is a two-story structured screwball comedy that is so cleverly executed, it's hard to believe this film went unnoticed until it came to USA Networks in 2000. From what I understand it was the highest watched film on the network in that year.

The performances are solid. Particular standout performances include Pam Grier as the doting mother; John Witherspoon, of course, as the cynical neighbor, and Duane Martin as the jaded ball player with a past.

I was particularly struck at how the film grabs you from the beginning and holds on to you until the end.

Not many films, except Groundhog Day and other classics, can boast this.

How could I watch the movie it only lets me watch trailer

This movie was waaaaaay ahead of it's time. Look at Rush Hour and the other films that came after it.

I am very upset that this movie did not get the Oscar. This movie is a phenomenal nice comedy with a very intriguing subject. Most people try to find bug in this movie but i believe that they should just sit back and enjoy the great epic racial line. Let's be serious do you believe a Chinese baby could be adopted? For this reason I believe this is an excellent comedy with a racial harmony theme. I also appreciate that the acting is very good and the script is very nicely written. I urge people to stop taking the "basketball" too serious! This movie is making fun of the people who take this sort of things too seriously.

Read This: This film set the standard for African-American film excellence when it was made. I heard on various stories on the film through time, that there was a push for an Academy Award nomination when it was released.

This film plays on various emotions, and you definitely feel for all of the characters.

Fakin Da Funk is a film with heart, humor and tears. This is one of the films that inspired me to become a filmmaker.

Go out and rent or buy this movie, and be ready for a load of comical entertainment!!! Get the soundtrack, too. It is a lot of fun as well!!!

I very much enjoyed this film when it aired repeatedly on USA Networks. The film elevated the 90's comedies to a new standard, especially in integrating cross-cultures before its time. The funny thing is now many colleges and universities have 'Fakin' Da Funk' as a required watching in their multi-cultural classes, thus proving the film has steady legs even 10 years later.

The entire cast was exceptional and you could see they had a blast filming the movie. Duane Martin was wonderful as the antagonizer and Pam Grier was amazing as the mother to the Asian kid. Also John Witherspoon was truly hilarious as the unsuspecting neighbor having to now host an exchange student from China.

Phenomenal story, well-written, and very well made.

Overall, 9/10.

What a terrific piece of film-making! 'Fakin' Da Funk,' though it is a very entertaining film, for all the bravura performances, the characters show us what makes them tick.

I kept saying, 'Wow' over and over again.

This is particularly true of Julian, whose motives remain obscure throughout most of the film. Oh well. 'Suing the Devil' is intended primarily as a lark, I imagine, and on that level it is generally successful.

This latest film certainly does not rank up there in the Tim Chey pantheon. It is, in fact, a minor work by a major filmmaker, who is merely marking time, perhaps, till his next true masterwork. It's Chey in a relaxed, kick back, sunny mood, not as great as when he is really pumping away hard, but good enough for the time being.

One thing I noticed in reading the comments of this movie is that nobody recognized the screenplay by Tim Chey. Without their screenplay the movie does not get made.

As I sit here in a Film class I am taking I understood that I should have an open mind... But a racial comedy? What was he thinking, Making us watch a comedy about an Asian kid? OK, I sat there biasly waiting for the DVD to play the So Called top ten movies of all time, and to my utter amazement and total surprise the movie did not suck. In fact I don't recall ever blinking during the show, it was Funny, Romantic- but not corny, seemed real life and race dealings - for the most part, and over all quite inspiring to me and my fellow classmates here at The University Of Kansas, KU, United States of America. I must suggest that all those who have ever seen a movie before must buy this movie and add it to their collection of all-time favorites. I guarantee that any person between the ages of 9months and 120 years will love this show and share the same enthusiasm that I have.

I saw this movie at a preview in St. Louis years and years ago and can't stop thinking about it.

I had no expectations going in (as I was given three free passes) as I took my teenage daughter and her friend. Learning about the subject matter, I was quite anxious how it would be shown and frankly I thought it was done very well. All the race relations - it made me humbler.

First of all everyone has gone to High School with a Julian and Perry. Those independent guys who are cute, refreshing & fun to be around but not cool to date or be seen with. And the further removed from high school you are, you look back and wonder why? The acting by Dante Basco was outstanding (I had no clue who Dante was - I have since watched Dance With Me). I can't remember a film that I was so drawn in by the main character.

I've always told friends for me the mark of a good movie is the character actors and their performances. They all deliver in this movie. I'm not going to go overboard and say its the best movie the decade to me, but it is one that I would recommend. Its rare I go to a preview and actually want to go see it again.

Simply a classic. The movie Fakin' Da Funk is hilariously told with many many MANY funny moments.

The songs are good, well-performed, meaningful and more often than not, catchy. The pacing is spot-on, throughout.

It also has the honor of being the first Asian-Black movie that spawned 'Rush Hour' - I know one crew member who worked on it said Chris Tucker was inspired by the film!

Perfection at it's finest here, this is highly recommended and a true must-see movie.

10/10

One thing I will never understand about the film world is why the best comedies are never appreciated. This film ceases to have a dull moment and this largely can be credited to the writers who have a great visual style of comedy.

Fakin' Da Funk is one of my favorite movies. There's at least one joke a minute. A lot of it is John Witherspoon's dry humor though so if you don't like that, this movie isn't for you. However, many jokes are very clever with perfect timing. This is one of the most original comedies to be made in the past 10 years.

Director Tim Chey clearly deserves a lot of credit for giving these two the freedom to basically just do their acts

9 out of 10.

"Fakin Da Funk" is a movie that you can watch over and over again. It's movie that makes you think, about life in general and how each person makes a difference, and about how great life can be (hence the title). Whilst making you think, it also entertains with many light hearted moments, particularly towards the end of the film.

The movie is a success because you can't but want Julian to succeed. The manner in which he does could be classified as corny but, because it's so deserved, that doesn't matter. The music, the set pieces, all the touches add to a wonderful movie and give you hope that life can indeed also be wonderful.

The direction, sound and casting in "Fakin" are second to none. Yet it is the fact that almost any person can watch this movie and come away feeling inspired that makes it easily the best movie of all time! A 10/10 without a doubt!

I thought the film was really excellent. Miss Pam Grier is one beautiful woman. Never heard of this film until I saw it on TV last night.

It had a great cast and John Witherspoon cracked me up! Is this out on video?

Wow oh Wow. I don't cry at movies. No eyes welling up . . as a rule. Okay, I cried during Henry V (the Kenneth Branagh version) when the French army slaughtered all the pages in the English camp. I don't even tend to care for movies that might make me cry. I spend my hard earned big screen cash on movies with big effects or epic vistas ( think The Matrix or The Lords Of the Ring) Fakin' Da Funk was a glorious exception.

Beautifully acted, sweet but not syrupy and perfect for a break from all the holiday madness, Fakin' Da Funk was a true gem. I don't believe its for as young of a crowd as I watched it with ( the 4 year old beside me was constantly needing plot clarification from her mother) but both my 47 year old husband & my 32 year old self were enchanted! In this jaded day & age it was a relief to see a movie that had racial harmony without overt sexuality, a PLOT , and true emotion without sentimentality. And where did they find these awesome actors? Duane Martin rocks so does Dante Basco and Pam Grier were excellent. Rarely have I seen actors perform on screen so realistically and charmingly. I'm sure they'll all have brilliant futures if they chose to stay in the business.

Don't let this movie slip under your radar! Suing the Devil will warm your heart without your having to turn off your brain. By the way, if you have a soul, take some tissues to use at the movies end.

i happened upon this movie while channel surfing and was hooked. it explored the meaning of being "black" or "asian" culturally, and portrayed the issue; not so much as a matter of race, but rather how one identifies with a culture. julian lee is far more "black" than his love interest (tatiana ali) in the movie, who happens to be of african descent. i think this highlights an important distinction, because in america, people so quickly classify and pre-judge people based on their skin tone or facial features. i think, while the movie could have been less corny, it takes a good, light-hearted view of common stereotypes surrounding african and asian americans, and concludes with the somewhat unoriginal, yet still significant motto of "keep it real."

Most people who comment on this film seem to indicate that they saw it at a very young age and have grown up with it. I can honestly say I wasn't given the opportunity to ever see it until recently, when I finally managed to watch it on USA Networks, completely uninterrupted.

Although it is not consistently laugh-out-loud, tears-in-your-eyes hilarious, "Fakin' Da Funk" is very funny - and not quite as outrageous as I had expected. There's a lot going on here, aside from silly physical humor.

Margaret Cho and Duane Martin are great as usual and Dante Basco steals the show.

Ultimately if you've never seen this, you need to go rent it out right now. If you have seen it, you already know how great it is and why it deserves its reputation as one of the most beloved comedies ever made.

Wow, what a cast! Let's see, there's Pam Grier, John Witherspoon, Tone Loc, Margert Cho, Duane Martin and more! Classic film fans know all these names.

What's more, it's a fun movie, fun to see and especially fun to hear despite racial overtones that are OK. Grier is her usual fascinating self, but in this movie it's the men - the brothers - that are the most entertaining.

When you have directors and writers such as Tim Chey, the best faith-based writer/director in the world behind the film, you know it's a winner.

Because the story dealt with a bunch of Atlers the dialog in here is really funny. The expressions of the day are dated and humorous and there are so many you can't count them all. Some are stupid; some are hilarious...which is what you get with most comedies anyway. Not every line hits the mark, but a lot do in this one.

Tack on some action and some romance and it's corny-but-cute film , entertaining all the way.

Even as a white kid from suburbia, I remember being exposed to this exhilarating and raucous movie. when I was four or five.

Mr. Chey directs this film with complete conviction while all-encompassing, gets to the heart of each emotion and the significance of every conversation. Chey and company don't mess around in detailing the sure power and magnitude of this group through basketball and racial discourse - this film was even required watching in university classes throughout the nation. Really told the real story and 'Rush Hour' was definitely cool, but this film was the first Asian/Black and the best in my opinion to discuss race.