3.5/5
Project Poppa.
8 Episodes. Starring: Jamie Foxx, Kyla-Drew, Porscha Coleman, Heather Hemmens, Jonathan Kite & David Alan Grier. Director: Ken Whittingham.
Back in living color, triple-threat Jamie Foxx can do it all. The Oscar winning actor of 'Ray', 'Any Given Sunday' and 'Django Unchained' fame has even more 'Soul' than his Disney + Pixar movie last Christmas that gave you its heart. The 'Unpredictable' Grammy winner has had quite a music career making 'Slow Jamz', 'Gold Diggin'' with the likes of Kanye West and his own huge hits. You can't 'Blame It' on the alcohol. The stand-up talent that began his career with the mic-drop of comedy (give him his own special Netflix, or you really will be a joke) has even dominated the world of TV. Mixing his music career in like the toast of his YouTube Grey Goose 'Off Script' show interviewing everyone from Denzel Washington ("OK...alright",check him out doing his inspired impression right in front of the man), to the late, great 'Black Panther' Chadwick Boseman, going biopic-for-biopic like 'Ali's' cornerman Bundini and James 'Get On Up' Brown. All for the most original game show since 'Jeopardy' in 'Beat Shazam' (who is going to argue with me? You know that's still the phones best app, especially for making Spotify play lists). But now straight back in the Foxxhole, Jamie Foxx is taking it back to his sitcom salad start-up days like his 'Fresh Prince' friend Will Smith for 'Dad Stop Embarrassing Me'. And in the COVID-19 spiked time were we all kept a social distance we still should now before we face another wave we don't want to see like the one from a nosy neighbor, with casts being reduced to a minimum like filming locations, Foxx has got you. Truly taking it back to his 'In Living Color' hallmark days by playing more parts than Eddie Murphy coming back to America last month for Amazon Prime. A balding uncle. De-da-da-de, a Trump supporting barman with the same mane. A back in time preacher that could put singer/songwriter friend Tank's 'Bishop Cognac' skit to shame. Can we get an AMEN?! Jamie plays them all when he's not doing impressions of Barack Obama or his 'Sunday' coach Al Pacino. Hoo-aah. Just when you thought him and his 'Project Power' real world assembling Netflix deal was done they pull you back in like his epic Electro multi-verse return to 'Spider-Man 3'. Forget 'No Way Home'. It's where the heart is here for Foxx's comedy homecoming. Back where he belongs like us safe as houses on the sofa remotely, zapper in hand.
Now don't touch that dial. Tune in to this sitcom like 'WandaVision'. Like 'My Wife and Kids' this sitcom staple is fondly funny, but also gets to the heart of matters. From skinny jeans all the way down to the bottom of the stairs in classic physical comedy. Taken all the way back to church and the faith in family that will move you to tears like all the times Will Smith and that home in Bel-Air blindsided you (forget "how come he don't want me man", how come he don't tell me man?!). Foxx on the box knows its all about your kin here even as his 'Wonder Years' like fourth wall break of a show tries to get digital from its APPlied title sequence to hash-tagged #EpisodeTitles. So much so his own model daughter Corrine Foxx serves as executive producer just in case the embarrassment gets too much on a show loosely based on her and her father's life together. Corrine's credits in acting include '47 Meters Down: Uncaged' and Jamie Foxx's forthcoming set to be comedy collaboration classic we can't wait for, 'All Star Weekend'. But with Foxx back on his funny 'ish, Corrine adds another cap to her already prestigious, graduating career. It's Nickelodeon's 'Nick, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn' and that 'Prisoners' film were Hugh Jackman was more scarier than Wolverine star Kyla-Drew that plays Foxx's on-screen daughter however. And from the moment they accidentally go to couples therapy were the hilarity ensues (especially when that's almost our time), the chemistry is set like science class, even if they can't just get along. By the time Foxx is mariachi dressed in blue like 'Django' you'll all be moving to this tune like LeBron James' 'Taco Tuseday'...and just wait until the reverend even better than Chris Webber's revered one in Kyrie Irving's 'Uncle Drew' movie gives it up for the King of 'Space Jam: A New Legacy'. You'll feel it beating in your chest for this show that's not afraid to throw up the chalk like curry powder and see where it lands. "Let's go Foxx. Let's go Foxx."
Black excellence is on display for the rest of the family that matters. Porscha Coleman is perfect like her 'Pixel Perfect', even if her pitch in church could use a little holy water. Whilst 'Love, Take Two' star Heather Hemmens makes herself a part of this family. '2 Broke Girls' star Jonathan Kite cops himself a role that really flies too as he also has his own preacher and side-character in make-up like the Hall of fame Arsenio to Eddie. Impression for impression with Foxx like Jim Carrey in 'In Living Color', this stand-up talent is inspired from Barack Obama to Jason Statham. But how about his Seth Rogen? Or Tom Hanks on the funny and fond 'Afterparty' invitation on Netflix. But in Ken Whittingham's sweet sitcom directed in the style of all the household names you channel hop through its David Alan Grier that steals the show and keeps you from switching from the moment he blunt rotation parties like its 2019. The 'Jumanji' and 'Boomerang' legend comes back to the comedy game with all the best one-liners. He's absolutely hilarious. Think of what would happen if Uncle Phil spent too much time with Jazz...never throwing him out like everytime we saw that gold print shirt. But still, Grier's so much more than that. The biggest heart of the family in this series that will have your stomach in laughs, tied up in knots. From yoga class to cookout barbecue lines setting up shop for those new Yeezy's (you'd think Kanye would gift him a pair like Jamie did "some Marvin Gaye, some Luther Vandross. A little Anita"). Busting his daughters boyfriend at Dave and Busters between whack 'em hide outs with a special set of skills. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence's 'Bad Boys' for life have got nothing on this father and his friends giving this young stud the Dad talk too. Dealing with bullies like everybody was kung-fu fighting. Or giving us a lip gloss social media commercial even more hilarious than the time Joey from 'Friends' endorsed 'Ichiban For Men' in Japan (talk about itchy). An inspired intervention following a botched drugs test and a cowardly cop who shows what a stand-up guy he really is as Kite's impressions that could give Foxx a run for his Obama, really fly. And a fond finale were we just hope Netflix keeps this all in the family as this means and matters more. Taking racist profiling bully cops to task in a time were we need this take to give support to all the movements trying to put a stop to this harassment. But setting this show down in the A off right, Foxx has all the comedic trappings. Classic call-backs that remind you of fond family sitcoms from the golden era. Pop culture references that keep us up to date without his dad embarrassing us. Or his "selfish" taking uncle with a cookout competition that will leave you grilling your relatives. Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes. HE GOT IT! Even providing a smooth song for the closing credits. Just a nice Netflix side deal and show that's an easy, entertaining watch in times that are just too hard. Just like Idris Elba's 'Turn It Up Charlie' DJ that deserves another spin despite the streaming services cancel cycle. All for eight wonders that break the wall like Fred Savage to break the Internet and become Netflix's number one streaming show. But still, it's more than that. When it comes to what's really worth something in this world and the planets pandemic panic right now, we know it's all about who you call the same last name. And when it comes to this Foxx family tree, all that gold standard leaves you with an embarrassment of riches. TIM DAVID HARVEY.
Further Filming: 'In Living Color', 'Girl Meets World', 'Turn Up Charlie'.
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