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by
Samantha Ofole-Prince
From slapstick to romantic comedy, our critic-at-large Samantha Ofole-Prince ranks and profiles a wide array of funny films from the 20th century vault. All are available on DVD.
 1) Coming to America
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall
Hall and Murphy play a comedic range of assorted characters in this upbeat, lively movie about a pampered African prince who comes to America in search of a bride.
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 2) Pootie Tang
Cast: Chris Rock Wanda Sykes,
With catchy phrases like 'sa da tay' and 'wa da tay,' Pootie is a mildly eccentric comedic hero who is too 'cool for words' A senseless comedy with a hackneyed plot, its main focus is humor, which it does exceedingly well.
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 3) Car Wash
Cast: Darrow Igus, Richard Pryor
This comical flick offers a day in the life of a local neighborhood car wash and offers plenty of quirky exchanges and giggles.
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 4) Who's the Man
Cast: Dr Dre, Ed Lover
Dre and Lover are Harlem's worst barbers who become police officers bent on solving their mentor's murder. Featuring a lineup of delightful comedians like Bill Bellamy and Bernie Mac, it includes appearances by KRS-One, Eric B., Queen Latifah and Ice T.
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 5) Life
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence
A sort of "Shawshank Redemption" meets "Trading Places," it features two innocent strangers who are given life sentences after being wrongly convicted of murder. A truly hilarious movie with great character performances from Bernie Mac as Jangle Leg and Miguel A. Nunez Jr. as the prim Biscuit.
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 6) Undercover Brother
Cast: Eddie Griffin, Dave Chappelle
'Conspiracy Brother' and 'Sistah Girl' are just some of the eccentric character names in this smart and sassy comedy about a private eye with a 70's sense of style who trades in his Afro shades and platform to go undercover and infiltrate 'The Man's' headquarters.
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 7) Uptown Saturday Night
Cast: Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier
Poitier and Cosby are buddies who go uptown to chase some crooks who've stolen their winning lottery ticket. This classic movie is simply good clean fun as Poitier and Cosby make a great comedic team.
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 8) Let's Do it Again
Cast: Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby
Similarly themed to "Uptown Saturday Night," Cosby and Poitier return as pair of blue-collar buddies who use hypnosis to turn a wimpy boxer into a champ. Unusual names like 'Biggie Smalls' and 'Kansas City Mack' add to the comic value of this amusing flick.
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 9) Barbershop
Cast: Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer
Laughs are plentiful in this ensemble comedy revolving around a barbershop in Chicago, which sparked complaints from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton over jokes about civil rights icons Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.
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 10) The Fighting Temptations
Cast: Cuba Gooding, Jr., Beyonce Knowles
Gooding receives a financial windfall from an auntie that comes with a catch. It's an upbeat appealing comedy with several toe-tapping musical numbers.
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 11) Boomerang
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Robin Givens
Murphy plays Marcus, a self confessed womanizer who is looking for the perfect woman, feet and all that lets himself be seduced for career purposes.
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 12) Friday
Cast: Ice Cube, Chris Tucker
Friday explores a 24-hour day in a local south central neighborhood. The hilarious encounters with neighbors and friends over the course of the day, and their ensuing antics are hilarious.
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 13) House Party
Cast: Christopher Reid, Christopher Martin
Various friends plan the party of a lifetime, which involves plenty of fun and fracas.
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 14) 3 Strikes
Cast: Brian Hooks, Faizon Love
A comedy about a guy who's worried about getting a 'third strike,' and how he has to protect himself from being wrongfully accused.
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 15) Big Momma's House
Cast: Martin Lawrence, Nia Long
Lawrence plays an undercover cop who is a master of disguise. His impersonation of a crass Southern grandma known is engaging to watch.
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 16) Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood
Cast: Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans
Riddled with stereotypes, it's a parody of movies like "Boyz N the Hood", "Poetic Justice" and "Juice."
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 17) I'm gonna Get you Sucker
Cast: Keenen Ivory-Wayans, Isaac Hayes
A black hero wannabe reunites former black heroes from the 70s to help him get revenge on 'Mr. Big.' This is another uproarious parody of blaxploitation movies.
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 18) How High
Cast: Method Man, Redman
The pot-smoking antics of two college students get them into serious trouble. This movie stacks plenty of mildly offensive stereotypes coupled with lots of laughs.
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 19) Thin Line Between Love and Hate
Cast: Martin Lawrence, Bobby Brown
Lawrence and Brown are club promoters with eye for the ladies until a night of passion turns deadly. Call this "Fatal Attraction" meets "Booty Call."
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 20) Booty Call
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Tommy Davidson
A mixed bag of street humor, broad, bawdy jokes and hip-hop music, this is one of Foxx's funniest flicks. "Booty Call" is a sexual slapstick comedy about two guys' quest for contraception.
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