Writer: Louis Venosta
Stars: Taimak, Vanity, Christopher Murney, Julius J. Carry lll, Faith Prince, Leo O'Brien
My thoughts:
BIAS ALERT!!!!! I simply adore this movie and always have since I first saw it as a child at the Cine3 theater in my home town of Vallejo. I always wanted a part two to this movie but to be honest if they had, it probably wouldn't had been anything close in beating the magic of this classic in my eyes.
This story follows Bruce Leroy and his journey (sometimes you don't have to travel as far as you think) in search of a Master who can possibly take him to the final level so he can gain the Glow. This movie is filled with wonderful colorful characters that are over the top yet relatable and somehow very familiar. It may seem like a typical 80's movie on the surface but don't let the cheesiness fool you! This movie has heart and a lot to say while featuring a brilliant mix of Black and Chinese cinema tropes, fun and unforgettable characters, infectious music (brought to you by Motown) and an easy to root for lead Bruce Leroy played by Taimak.
Besides our lead there were two standouts for me, one being Sho' nuff played by the late Julius J. Carry III who has the right balance of silliness and actual threat. The second one being the late great Vanity (of Prince and Vanity 6 fame) who played the iconic Video host of 7th Heaven Miss Laura Charles (I'm sure because of this movie she quickly became a lot of young boys 1st girl crush!) Her portrayal of Laura was the perfect love interest for Leroy due to her presence of worldliness while at the same time being humble enough to still feel approachable.
I don't want to say too much so I'll just say to watch it. This isn't really a kids movie even though it kinda plays like one. It's interesting the relationship scenes play like a Disney movie but the language is very 80's crude at times. I watch it often with my young daughter and I just let her know that I don't want to hear her talking like that! lol! Check it out, definitely!