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Movies / On DVD / First Sunday
First Sunday

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First Sunday (2008)

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Reviews Counted:73

Fresh:10

Rotten:63

Average Rating:3.7/10

Consensus: First Sunday may have its heart in the right place, but its funny bone is dislocated.

Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

Genre: Comedies

US Box Office: $37,931,869

Synopsis: David E. Talbert makes his directorial debut with this comedy about Durell (Ice Cube) and LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan), childhood friends with a knack for getting into trouble. Despite his continual bad... David E. Talbert makes his directorial debut with this comedy about Durell (Ice Cube) and LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan), childhood friends with a knack for getting into trouble. Despite his continual bad decisions, Durell gets one thing right: he's a good father to his adolescent son. When he learns that the boy's mother, his ex-girlfriend, Omunique (Regina Hall), needs $17,000 to buy her beauty shop or she'll leave Baltimore and move to Atlanta, he's determined to get her the money to keep his son in his life. Meanwhile, LeeJohn needs big money fast to pay off some bad guys. Durell and LeeJohn decide that the collection plate of their local church holds the answer to their money woes. But their attempt to rob the church is foiled in progress: the money is already missing, and the would-be burglars didn't realize there would be people at the church. Finding themselves with a group of parishioners and choir members at their mercy, Durell and LeeJohn have to make some decisions about exactly what kind of men they want to be. FIRST SUNDAY also makes a statement about the role of the church in urban areas and its importance within the community. Keith David is Deacon Randy, who has grandiose plans for moving the church to a "less urban" neighborhood. Chi McBride stars as Pastor Mitchell, and Malinda Williams is his strong-willed daughter, Tianna, who wants First Hope Community Church to stay right where it is and expand its services. Loretta Devine is Sister Doris, the parish secretary and foster mother with a heart of gold. Ice Cube and Morgan have good rapport as the bickering buddies, with Morgan's silliness providing loads of comic relief, but Katt Williams is the scene-stealer as Rickey, the flamboyant choir director with something to say about everything and everyone. [More]

Starring: Ice Cube, Katt Williams, Tracy Morgan, Loretta Devine

Starring: Ice Cube, Katt Williams, Tracy Morgan, Loretta Devine, Michael Beach, Keith David, Regina Hall, Malinda Williams, Chi McBride

Director: David E. Talbert

Director: David E. Talbert
Screenwriter: David E. Talbert
Producer: David E. Talbert, David McIlvain, Tim Story, Ice Cube, Matt Alvarez
Composer: Stanley Clarke
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for First Sunday

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1 - 20 (sorted by source; Australian critics are listed first)
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A cringe-inducing, cinematic tribute to the Golden Age of Minstrelsy!

Full Review Source: AALBC.com | comment 1 Comment
01/12/08
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
AALBC.com

Perhaps moviegoers demand simplicity and cheap laughs more than ever during tough times, but this must be discouraging to aspiring African-American comedians and writers.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
04/26/09
Jamie Gillies
Jamie Gillies
Apollo Guide

Ice Cube is now Public Enemy Number Fun, although First Sunday is only fun if you're in dire need of a modernist urban take on the strain of comedy Abbott and Costello used to practice, which, let's be honest, wasn't that funny to begin with.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment 1 Comment
02/01/08
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

First Sunday pits the street against the church, but somehow affable mediocrity wins the day.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
01/10/08
Nathan Rabin
Nathan Rabin
AV Club

First Sunday is a movie about forgiveness that asks its audience to forgive too much -- with regard to both its characters and its makers.

Full Review Source: Baltimore Sun | comment Comment
01/11/08
Chris Kaltenbach
Chris Kaltenbach
Baltimore Sun

Loretta Devine and Olivia Cole shine out as veteran members of the flock, but even their class combined is no saving grace.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
03/28/08
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
BBC

If it was not for Morgan's goofy character or Katt Williams, I would be giving this movie a zero.

Full Review Source: BDK Reviews | comment Comment
05/17/08
Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy
BDK Reviews

David E. Talbert's frenetically unfunny comedy about two losers who attempt to rob a church. Doesn't have a prayer.

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
01/10/08
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

A sorry excuse for a ghetto SOS.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
01/11/08
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe

The only time viewers will be inspired to sing halleluja is on their way out of the theatre.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
01/10/08
John P. McCarthy
John P. McCarthy
Boxoffice Magazine

On your own day of judgement, select a better film from the listings.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
03/28/08
Simon Jordan
Simon Jordan
Channel 4 Film

This heist comedy has a hackneyed introduction, and its feel-good ending lacks credibility, but the big, funny chunk in the middle marks writer-director-producer David E. Talbert as a talent to watch.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
01/10/08
Andrea Gronvall
Andrea Gronvall
Chicago Reader

It has the slapstick of a The Three Stooges short without the comic timing, the characters of "Hot Ghetto Mess" without the irony, and the stereotypes of Amos 'n' Andy without the wit.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/10/08
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The movie's total lack of focus and its unimpressive script should render it totally unwatchable. Weirdly, that doesn't quite happen.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
01/11/08
Jessica Reaves
Jessica Reaves
Chicago Tribune

It's not as if First Sunday sets out to be awful, it simply is.

Full Review Source: CinemaBlend.com | comment Comment
01/10/08
Joshua Tyler
Joshua Tyler
CinemaBlend.com

Combining the hijinks of the Friday series with the spiritual bent of Tyler Perry's work seems like an obvious move. For producer/star Ice Cube, it's also a dishonest one.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
01/15/08
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Predictable crime comedy has some iffy content.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
01/15/08
Sandie Angulo Chen
Sandie Angulo Chen
Common Sense Media

Your enjoyment of this movie may depend on the Tracy Morgan factor. Rarely has there been a comic who can switch from funny to unbearably grating with such speed.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
01/11/08
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News

Comedies don't have to be high in class as long as they are funny, entertaining and do not treat their audience like imbeciles. First Sunday fails all three of these qualifications.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
01/10/08
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

If there's a God, First Sunday will be the last of its kind for Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan, who deserve better than this wannabe screwball comedy about small-time crooks knocking over a church.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment 1 Comment
01/11/08
Dezhda Gaubert
Dezhda Gaubert
E! Online
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; Australian critics are listed first)
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Latest News for First Sunday

June 01, 2008: Ice Cube and Katt Williams co-star in demeaning minstrel show Opens in new window
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