I hemmed and hawed up until the last minute about which movie to talk about in this very first installment of my new blog series, “Fridays At The Movies”, but in the end, “Jackie’s Back” won out over one other (which will more than likely be next week’s choice).

My friends Nova, L.L.Perkins of Conscious Eye Photography and T.Lewis and I were all having drinks on my birthday last week and the movie came up in conversation. I said I’d never seen it before and you would think I said I’d never seen “The Color Purple” before!! Apparently it is a cult classic and by the end of the of the weekend, I was leaving Nova’s house with his copy that he graciously lent me. I have watched this move EVERYDAY since Sunday!

“Jackie’s Back” is an absolutely hilarious “mockumentary” film directed by Robert Townsend (whom I adore). It stars Jenifer Lewis in the title role and she is magnificent! If I’m not mistaken, this movie never was in theaters. It was a Lifetime movie that aired in June 1999  that has since been released on DVD. That is perfect for a movie like this. In the story, Jackie Washington, former child singing sensation turned R&B/pop diva is staging a monumental comeback after having a bumpy, roller coaster ride through superstardom.  She is being interviewed along the way by stuffy British journalist, Edward Whatsett St.John (Tim Curry). Most of the time she’s in her dramatic robe wearing a turban accompanied by her awkward and homely daughter “Antandra”, but always the consumate DIVA. There are so many cameos from some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, giving their opinions, both good and bad, on Jackie Washington and her “comeback”.

In Jackie’s mind, she is the biggest pop diva who ever lived and her career was sabotaged and ripped off by all the other divas in the game. Her biggest hits were songs with colorful titles like “Sookie Sookie Mama”, “Eye On The Motherland-Or Cleveland” and “Take Your Jheri Curl And Go”. Aretha, Whitney, Streisand, Brandy, Diahnn Carroll and even Bea Arthur…they all “stole” from Jackie! But she ain’t namin’ any names, you know. Jackie also has a tumultuous relationship with her oldest daughter, Shaniqua who claims Jackie wasn’t a good mother because she was obsessed with her career. Jackie’s sister, Ethyl (portrayed flawlessly by Whoopi Goldberg) spills ALL the tea on Jackie when she is interviewed for the documentary and is strangely, the only member of Jackie’s extended family willing to talk about her on camera. Ethyl just may be the funniest character in this movie to me. I laughed so hard every time she was on the screen. Every aspect of Jackie’s rise, fall and road back to fame will have you laughing so hard that you will cry real tears!

The funniest part of the movie to me is when Jackie and the documentary film crew travel to her hometown of Kinloch, Missouri to interview the people who are familiar with her humble beginnings. The encounter with her “Play Mama” Mrs.Krumes played by the late Isabel Sanford (who we all know and love as “Weezie” from The Jeffersons) had me laughing so hard I was ready to pee my pants. I was happy to see one of my faves, Loretta Devine show up as Jackie’s best childhood friend, “Snookie”, in a FABULOUS wig!! I am SO mad that I’m so late on this movie! Sorry to tell ya, Nova…I can’t guarantee you the return of this DVD, but you are welcome to come visit it anytime you want.

If you want to laugh until you can’t even see straight anymore, find a way to watch “Jackie’s Back”. The musical number from Jackie’s blaxploitation film “Coco’s Revenge” and the “Essence of Jackie” hair relaxer debacle are worth the purchase price alone.

Here’s a trailer for the movie:

You can actually watch the whole movie on on Youtube!! Click here to start with part one.

My favorite lines from the movie:

“Lemme tell you somethin’ about Jackie Washington: She ain’t sh*t!”

“Antandra! Antandra!”

“I sat up and wrote that song! I did that!”

“I’m still HUGE in Kinloch!”

“You think you go to Whitney Houston’s house and she got some other bitch’s awards on her wall?”

“Get away from here with your nasty self and take those white people with you!”

“My mother’s house was a tower of lies.”

 

I hope I haven’t given away too much of the movie, but as soon as you get a chance, check it out! Jenifer Lewis is AMAZING, I promise! Thank me later and see you on next Jackie Washington Day!

~pbg