First Sunday (2008)

Director:

David E. Talbert

Writer (WGA):

David E. Talbert (written by)

Release Date:

11 January 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

Keep the faith. Steal the rest.

Plot:

Durell and LeeJohn are best friends and bumbling petty criminals. When told they have one week to pay a $17,000 debt or Durell will lose his son, they come up with a desperate scheme to rob their neighborhood church. Instead, they end up spending the night in the presence of the Lord and are forced to deal with much more than they bargained for.

Plot Keywords:

Father Son Relationship | Father Daughter Relationship | Police | Baltimore Maryland | Profanity

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Ice Cube	...	Durell Washington
Katt Williams	...	Rickey
Tracy Morgan	...	LeeJohn Jackson
Loretta Devine	...	Sister Doris McPherson
Michael Beach	...	Deacon
Keith David	...	Judge B. Bennett Galloway
Regina Hall	...	Omunique
Malinda Williams	...	Tianna Mitchell
Chi McBride	...	Pastor Arthur Mitchell
Clifton Powell	...	Officer Eddie King
Nicholas Turturro	...	Officer D'Agostino
Olivia Cole	...	Momma T
Red Grant	...	Harold
C.J. Sanders	...	Durell Washington Jr.
Rickey Smiley	...	Bernice Jenkins

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language, some sexual humor, and brief drug references.

Runtime:

USA:98 min | USA:96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

First Hope Community Church - E. Preston Street & Greenmount Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Cube Vision

Trivia:

Film prints were delivered to theaters under the codename "Bad to Worse".

Goofs:

Continuity: In the first church scene, when the choir finishes singing the spiritual, there is a wide shot of the church congregation. Most of the congregation located within the middle pews can be clearly seen giving a standing ovation. There is a cutaway to Durell and LeeJohn in which most of the congregation located within the middle pews are sitting or beginning to sit. After the cutaway the scene returns to same wide shot of the congregation. Most of the congregation located within the middle pews are still standing and only now are beginning to sit.

Quotes:

LeeJohn: [to Judge] If I go back to jail they gonna make me a woman!

Movie Connections:

References "Pimp My Ride" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Hit The Block

not "friday after next" but definitely good old family fun

first of all i do not get some of the reviews here( probably because as some admit have not seen this feature to the end). well i did and overall i was pleased, actually the morality tale is very good just simplified probably because of the need to get a pg-13 rating. this however gets only 6 stars because the Rickey character ( ice cube's partner) which has some wacky lines at best unfortunately reminding me of the idiotic "scarry movie" franchise and alike. also in the church scenes there are some parts that are too soap-oprah, even if i can see the good intentions in that. i add an extra star because the original and refreshing flavor ice cube brings to the industry, with a blend of jokes that at surface seem very simplistic but combining them with the "other" ice cube gives those very jokes a new dimension , sometimes very deep ones and very sarcastic at that as well.then again, i consider sarcasm the best joke ever told because ,unlike just a "funny" one, it has generally a morality tale that might just teach(or preach) something, someone, somewhere...

now there is another reason this movie did not do good. everyone probably knows ice cube for his "toughest persona" as i do, from his old school rap with hits such as ".... the police" or "gangsta rap made me do it". therefore "gangsta" fans would be probably disappointed by this. actually if one takes a closer look at ALL ice cube movies since barber shop, one can see that he really does not condone violence at all. better yet, ALL the "tough" "gangsta" characters in his features are made "fun" of as not being "cool" at all, sometimes outright "stupid" ones. but unlike the mainstream media ice cube does not blame violence be invoking FEAR, or disturbing behavior. just like in his very political songs , the fear factor is always played on only to invoke "rightfull" repression. and one familiar with his activism can see how skillful he is able to stay away from THAT "disturbing" behavior in itself.

furthermore, while this feature is not as good as "Friday after next" when it comes to having hilarious jokes (i miss Mike Epps to be truly with you here,Katt Williams does not even come close to fitting his shoes)there is a bit more "soul" here. this is a very much family movie , quiet naive i might add but as i said before, simplifying issues does make it more on everyone understanding. but that requires that the viewer see it to the end. there is one scene i personally do not like it. the one that inserts an indirect commercial for pay station...well i hope at least he got paid for it, and the viewers will know to "avoid" too deep thoughts on that one...

as last words, i like ice cube overall. he is not a great actor, but he always gives me the vibe of being natural. after all, when you telling "hood" stories no "class" acting would help since this is about reality and not "art"( art being a subject of personalization and subjectivity, but not of that as reality is on the "ground"). this will entertain you, i might add "good old family fun". not one of my favorites( Friday after next remains the top one so far) but definitely a better one out there comparing it to the dumb "meet the Spartans" for example.