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King's Ransom (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:49
Fresh:1
Rotten:48
Average Rating:2.3/10
Consensus: Filled with crass dialogue, unlikable characters, and overdone slapstick gags, King's Ransom is an utterly inept would-be comedy.
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Genre: Comedies
US Box Office: $3,998,889
Synopsis: Anthony Anderson sheds his usual sidekick status, heading up the ensemble cast as Malcolm King, a boorish, egomaniacal billionaire who owns a huge, equally tasteless marketing firm in Chicago. The... Anthony Anderson sheds his usual sidekick status, heading up the ensemble cast as Malcolm King, a boorish, egomaniacal billionaire who owns a huge, equally tasteless marketing firm in Chicago. The cocky businessman is quickly established as the kind of character audiences love to hate, insulting underlings with glee and emitting crass vulgarities whenever he opens his mouth. His lovable secretary Miss Gladys (Loretta Devine) tries to keep him in line, while his uber-ditz of an administrative assistant, Peaches (Regina King, SCARY MOVIE), keeps him satisfied. Kellita Smith (THE BERNIE MAC SHOW) plays Malcolm's gold-digging wife, who is sleeping with her hunky, though stuttering, pool boy (Roger Cross) while seeking a hefty divorce settlement. The cast is rounded out by Angela (Nicole Ari Parker, SOUL FOOD), the temporary VP who is passed up for the job in favor of the boss's mistress, and Corey (Jay Mohr, LAST COMIC STANDING), a loser who lives in his grandmother's basement; his gang banger sister intimidates him into taking part in criminal activities. Resentments toward King abound, and soon everyone gets the same idea: kidnap Malcolm, take him for all he's worth, and teach him a valuable lesson. Even the big man himself decides to orchestrate his own kidnapping, in order to throw a wrench in the plans of his wife's lawyer. A cacophony of mistaken identities, misunderstandings, and general mayhem ensues, during which time the supporting cast is given a chance to shine; in particular, Jay Mohr deftly handles a violent run-in with a fast food worker with hilarious results. Donald Faison (SCRUBS) and Charlie Murphy (CHAPPELLE'S SHOW) also turn in stellar performances, as a randy parking attendant and a growling ex-con on the down low. [More]
Starring: Anthony Anderson, Jay Mohr, Regina Hall, Loretta Devine
Starring: Anthony Anderson, Jay Mohr, Regina Hall, Loretta Devine, Kellita Smith, Nicole Parker, Donald Faison, Leila Arcieri, Brooke D'Orsay, Charlie Murphy
Director: Jeff Byrd
Director: Jeff Byrd
Screenwriter: Wayne Conley
Producer: Darryl Taja
Composer: Marcus Miller
Studio: New Line Cinema
Reviews for King's Ransom
This slapdash comedy barely coughs up more than a couple of funny scenes as the story moves in predictable fits and starts before sputtering out of fuel half way through.
The wordplay of the title here is the only slightly clever element of this extremely lame comedy.
The script, by TV writer Wayne Conley, shares some elements with the old Danny DeVito comedy Ruthless People, but humor isn't one of them.
Anthony Anderson shows he can star in a movie without a kangaroo in this kidnapping plan gone crazy.
King's Ransom lumbers forth clumsily, choreographing its slapstick pratfalls with all the class and taste of a Courtney Love relapse.
The thing looks like it was written in a week, directed in two, and forgotten about by all involved in less than three.
King’s Ransom deserves to be bashed, burned, and have its ashes scattered over Hollywood
It is, quite plainly, like watching a movie that’s trying to go out of its way to be horrible.
Mean-spirited, unpleasant comedy about characters who are both nasty and stupid and who deserve every bad thing that happens to them. In fact, they deserve more.
Byrd’s romp through the most contemptible stereotypes of women, gays, and ethnic minorities makes his film unfit for just about anyone, never mind royalty.
Needless to say, as a cringe-worthy and excruciatingly awful comedy, you shouldn't pay a dime of King's Ransom.
'Screenwriter' Wayne Conley's idea of side-splitting dialogue is to have characters repeatedly tell King to "kiss their black ass." Or announce that they just "pooted."
Marital bickering, a mistaken-identity sex romp and booty shots galore follow, but few laughs.
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