[00:00:00] Get ready for fabulous fashion, big dreams, and even bigger laughs as we dive into 1997's cult classic B.A.P.S. Welcome to the No More Late Fees podcast. I'm Danielle.
[00:00:25] And I'm Jackie. And we're just two best friends and ex-blockbuster employees re-watching some of the best and worst movies from the late 90s and early 2000s. This week, we're heading to Beverly Hills with B.A.P.S., a movie that gives us comedy, heart, and iconic hairstyles. But before we dive in, let's do some housekeeping. If you love the podcast and you want to support us, here are a few ways that you can.
[00:00:56] Loving the podcast? Don't forget to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify. Your feedback helps us grow and keeps the nostalgia alive. Want to relive the 90s and early 2000s? Check out our Amazon store for movie-inspired gift ideas, nostalgic finds, and everything you need for the ultimate throwback night. Visit us at amazon.com slash shop slash no more late fees podcast. And we're always looking for new besties.
[00:01:24] So head over to our Patreon for exclusive perks, behind-the-scenes content, and bonus episodes. Just go to patreon.com slash no more late fees. We are waiting for you as we speak. And this week, we're so excited to have our pal Stephanie back on the show. Welcome, Stephanie! Bye! Bye! It's so good to have you back.
[00:01:53] As a refresher, you guys, Stephanie is one of Jackie's ex-teacher pals. Also just a good friend. I'm really excited because I got to meet her before she headed to the West Coast. And we had a good time when you were here last time. Yeah. So I wish we could do Selena's. Yeah, I can't wait. If you want to learn more about Stephanie, check out her Selena episode and this week's bonus episode where we rank our favorite 90s BAPS.
[00:02:23] But speaking of BAPS, Jackie, what is this movie about? BAPS follows Nisi, played by Halle Berry and Mickey, played by Natalie DeSalle, two best friends from Atlanta who dream of opening their own soul food restaurant slash salon. Their journey takes an unexpected turn when they head to Beverly Hills to audition for a music video, only to end up caretakers for a wealthy elderly man.
[00:02:51] Full of hilarious mishaps, heartwarming moments, and over-the-top fashion, this movie is a must watch. It stars Halle Berry, Natalie DeSalle, Martin Landau, and Ian Richardson. It was directed by Robert Townsend. It was written by Troy Bayer. You can currently rent it on Amazon for $3.99. But before we start, let's get into our ratings rewind. So you know the drill.
[00:03:19] Before we get into the movie, we'll reveal the rating our Y2K versions of ourselves would give. Then at the end, we'll see if our current cells would agree with our initial rating. Our scale consists of would buy it, would buy it again. Best would play on repeat. Five-day rental. Would watch again. Two-day rental. Eh, it's okay, but nothing to write home about. And same-day rental. Trash. Straight up scheming nephew trash.
[00:03:47] All right, Steph, what is your Y2K rating? I did not own this film, but it was definitely one that when it came on, I wanted to watch it. I just thought it was so funny and goofy. So I would probably, my Y2K self would give it a five-day rental. Jackie? I have never seen this movie. Oh, wow. You haven't been, you haven't lived.
[00:04:17] I would say I'm right there with you, Stephanie. I did not have this one, but when it used to come on like HBO all the time, it just was like, it's a black classic. So just watched it a lot. I know a lot of people thought it was corny. This movie got a lot of flack and we'll get into that. But when I was little, I was just like, I loved it. I love their outfits. I love that they were matching outfits.
[00:04:43] I was like, I want to have friends that we can wear like variations of our outfits. I just thought that was cool. So definitely a five-day rental for me. All right, let's get into box office. So this movie had a budget of $10 million. And unfortunately, it only made a little over $7 million worldwide.
[00:05:09] Remember, I think I told Jackie that Mila Raj in the next few episodes, we're going to have beef. And this is what Lil Raj said. He gave the film a rare no star rating, calling it jaw-droppingly bad and stupid, a movie so misconceived I wondered why anyone involved wanted to make it.
[00:05:39] Ebert included the film on his most hated list. His little sidekick, Gene Siskel, also applied a zero star rating to the movie. He described it as an embarrassing comedy, said that Martin Landau was looking very uncomfortable in a ridiculous role in it, and said that the two women play into shameless stereotypes in a film without a single laugh.
[00:06:03] My guess is that African Americans will be offended by the movie and whites will be embarrassed. The movie will bring us all together, I imagine, in paralyzing boredom. And now I'm pulling out my soapbox, getting on top.
[00:06:28] And I am sticking my middle fingers to both of these despicable white men and telling them to shut the fuck up. Because what we're not going to do is speak for Black people about how they should feel. And there's so many things I want to break down in here. This movie was written by a Black woman, directed by a Black man, and they had two Black women starring. Very rare.
[00:06:57] Especially at this time for that to happen. And to just be in a comedy. Like, you don't really get to see a whole lot of Black female, just pure comedies that aren't like, having to deal with love interests and stuff like that. Yes, these girls had love interests, but it wasn't like the main storyline. That's one thing. What these girls were showcasing is that, you know, Black people are not a monolith.
[00:07:26] There are various versions of different kinds of people. There was a lot of people that related to these two characters. They had a lot of heart. And I just want to know where Siskel thought whites will be embarrassed. First of all, who the fuck cares? Embarrassed about what, exactly? This came out in a time of early Adam Sandler. If anything, we were going to be embarrassed by going overboard.
[00:07:53] We're not going to be embarrassed by Martin Landau living out his last days, enjoying himself. Like, what the fuck? What this did, like, I think a lot of Black people had a lot to say about this movie back then.
[00:08:15] There was, you know, some questions about because Black people were fighting so hard to be seen in a different way. But this movie takes some of those tropes and stereotypes and gives it heart. Showing that, yes, there are people who wear their hair a different way. Like, the things that Black women, especially in the 90s, those hairstyles, iconic.
[00:08:44] Like, it was deemed ghetto, long nails ghetto. Look at where we are right now, where we have white women, every other culture wearing extremely long nails. And now they're, like, they can be deemed professional or they're fine. Before it was ghetto. This is trend-setting shit right here. Like, everything.
[00:09:09] Even though I hadn't seen the movie, I knew exactly what the movie was. I knew who was in it. Like, and then I just pulled up Rotten Tomatoes. And obviously the tomato meter is 15% because most of the critics are. But the popcorn meter is 67%. So there is an audience for this movie.
[00:09:34] And it's just really sad that it didn't get the critic appreciation for what it was trying to do at the time. One of the actors, I saw an interview with him recently. And he was talking about, for the longest time, he hated doing the movie. He thought it was really silly and goofy and whatever. That could probably be some misogyny going on for him as well.
[00:10:03] But he said that's the most recognizable movie that he, like, he's always getting people saying, I loved Babs. And so he took time to re-watch it now with fresh eyes and realized, like, he's like, I get it now. You know, and I think a lot of people are having that kind of awareness that this movie was way ahead of its time.
[00:10:26] The writer of this movie, and we'll get into that, also did not enjoy the outcome of this film. Because it didn't, she felt like the words that she put down did not translate. So we'll get into that. But I do want to read this review from 2018.
[00:11:03] Because the idea is that film should represent various people. Let people have their little niches, and that's totally fine. Everything doesn't have to be for you. Just like Life Aquatic, that shit ain't for me. That's okay. That's okay. Just don't watch it. It's not for you. This movie was not for Roger and Siskel. Yeah.
[00:11:33] Piss me off. I was so mad when I read this. Sorry, I'm always like, I'm never gonna go. Somebody, people will tell me, like, oh, it has this on Rotten Tomatoes. I'm like, I don't care. Yeah. I'm gonna, I want to go see it. I'm gonna go see it. And I don't need them to tell me anything. So. Out Cold has like a 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. Favorite movies. Another movie. It's not for me, but that's okay. It's okay. It's all right.
[00:12:03] I really wished I didn't have to watch it, but you know. We all make sacrifices. Great. It's out there for someone. I'm glad they're enjoying it. It's me. Hi. I'm someone. But before we get into the cast and crew, let's hear a message from our pod pals. Hey, it's John Francois. Hola, y'all. I'm AJ Vanderton.
[00:12:32] And have you ever licked something and thought, that's delicious? Well, that's us. We're the Delicious Recap. We're putting our tongues on all kinds of media. Family Matters. We're putting our tongue on nine years worth of content that is sometimes good, sometimes not so good. But you know what? All around, it's childhood lovely goodness that is worth a taste. It really is. I wonder what a snort would taste like. It tastes like mango. We're recapping Family Matters from beginning to end. I mean, we've done season one.
[00:13:02] We're currently on season two as we're recording this. We interview cast and crew from the show. We interview like-minded 90s loving podcasters. Come join us, The Delicious Recap, wherever you get your podcasts. So cast and crew. This was Halle Berry's first leading role in a comedy. Nailed it. Yeah. So good.
[00:13:28] Like, so many people who said that they were on this set or who did this movie with her said she was just so down to earth. Some of the critics that wrote stuff about this movie talked about it was a waste to have her in this. It was a waste because she's so beautiful. How did they- And I was just like, she's an actress. Yeah. What are you talking- Why? What waste and what? She was hilarious. And the physical comedy- Yes.
[00:13:57] That she did, her and Natalie were so good together. That bidet scene. Like, work at- I believe you were slip sliding all over that bathroom. Yeah. The way they're like propping each other up against the wall to try and get to the intercom. My bag. Girl, that's my bag. How do they say they didn't laugh? I don't know. I guess. Yeah. Natalie DeSalle's first leading role.
[00:14:26] This was right after her film debut and set it off, which came out a year earlier. And Jackie, the very next year, she was in your movie, How to Be a Player, which was also directed by Robert Townsend. Which, I just want to just take a moment. There's just so many icons involved in this movie, but Robert Townsend, like, we wouldn't have as many-
[00:14:54] The black directors we have without him. Like, he- When he did Hollywood Shuffle and he self-funded that movie and directed it, that opened the door for the Wayans brothers. That opened the door for so many other people. And I just love to see when he is attached to any of these movies. I thought he did a good job.
[00:15:19] It sucks that Byer, I think it's her name, didn't like what he did. I want to see the script to see how he messed it up. Like, I want to hear why she was mad about it. But there are several cameos, like the artist Heavy D and professional basketball star Dennis Rahman. Also, my beloved LL Cool J shows up. And he's so nice to them.
[00:15:48] I'm like, oh, look at LL. Keep looking at their lips. When that's- I know we're not there, but that scene where every time these two see a celebrity, I said, oh, I know Jackie's like, this is Danielle. Quit touching him. But I wouldn't- He's a person too. I wouldn't jump on them. Like, she legit jumped on- Grabbed her legs around them. Right.
[00:16:14] Can you imagine just being on set and they're like, okay, we got LL to do this cameo. Just go for it. I'd be jumping in his arms too. Like, 100%. She did the right thing. What I love is that she says, I know you've got a wife at home, but if things don't work out. She was respectful that he had a wife, but she was also keeping her options open just in case. Exactly.
[00:16:45] Well, I know I said we were talking about icons. Another icon that's a part of this movie is Ruthie Carter. If you don't know, she won an Oscar for her costume designs in Black Panther. And she's done so many, many movies other than that. But she was the costume designer for this movie.
[00:17:07] And like you said, Jackie, like, even though you haven't seen this movie, you see so many people, like, replicating these outfits. They have their own life outside of just the movie itself. So she killed it with making those costumes. That's cool. I did not know that. So let's jump into BAPS. We meet Niecy and Mickey.
[00:17:35] They both work at a diner. Mickey is the cook. Niecy's a waitress. They're best friends. They live together. Niecy really loves to do hair and be really creative with her hairstyles. And Mickey's down for a new hairdo. Whenever. You can tell, like, they're kind of really big personalities in this really dull, mundane life.
[00:18:03] And so they're trying to find their way out of, like, this dead-end job. Their dream is to open up a salon slash restaurant. I think that's the best idea ever. Because going to a black salon is a whole, especially back then, the whole day experience. I would love to eat while I'm going through this process, you know? Like, they had it separate.
[00:18:31] But I think they could have totally, like, have me under the dryer. Have, like, a table, a tray so I can eat while I'm going through this thing, you know? Yeah. Buku money. So Niecy really believes in, like, the spirit of three. So if something happens or is mentioned three times, she sees it as a sign.
[00:18:57] And so while she's working, she hears this open audition for Heavy D's music video on the radio. She gets home. Mickey sees an ad in a magazine. And they see a commercial on the television. So she's like, someone's telling me I need to go to Beverly Hills. This is what I need to do. Because the prize is $10,000, which she wants to use to open up her salon. And Mickey is just ride or die. She's just like, sure.
[00:19:25] Let's get out of this apartment. And let's just go. So they decide to head to Hollywood. But first, it's ladies night. And so we need to go over to the gold tooth where cover is free. I just want to say one thing. Yes. This movie came out in 97.
[00:19:48] And I think there is a white movie counterpart sister movie that got a totally different feel. Like, people, the reaction from critics, totally different. But I think they're very much in line with each other. And that's Romy and Michelle's high school reunion. I was about to say that. I was going to say, is it Romy and Michelle? Yeah. That was, yeah. Tell me these two aren't like on the same path. Yeah. Very unique clothing.
[00:20:18] Very unique, like, friendship pair. Speaking their own language to each other. And they both want to open some sort of business at the end. Yeah. There's even dancing. There's even dancing. Yeah. Sorry. I just, it popped in my head. Had to get. So there, there is a really funny gag at the, at the club because it's ladies night.
[00:20:48] And they're like, cause they have no money. They're like, okay, let's go to ladies nights free cover. And then we'll drink for free. Cause the guys will buy a strings. And so they're like flirting with the, these two guys. They order a round of drinks and it's like, like a stare down of like, who's going to crack and pay first. And the, the, the ladies are not budging. They're like, no. And the guys are like, well, you didn't have to pay cover. So we just figured you buy us beers. Also.
[00:21:17] $16 for four beers. Can we get back to that place? Right. I wish it was that now. I know. I'm like, that's one cocktail. Yeah. Barely at this point. Yeah. In a short glass. And this is the scene that I noticed Mickey. I love when she puts on her big smile throughout the movie and she's just like.
[00:21:49] Like you go, you smile big. I love it. So I love seeing her smile throughout the movie. That's where I first noticed it. I was like, I love her so much. And I, I need to rewind just a little bit as the ladies are walking home. Their, their boyfriends were supposed to meet them and walk them home from work. They didn't show up. And so they kind of have a fight on the street and Nisi calls her boyfriend out for not having ambition and drive.
[00:22:16] He wants to open up a limousine company or a taxi company, but doesn't have a driver's license. She's like, what the fuck, man? Like get it together. So that's why in the club, they're flirting with these other guys. Those guys leave because no one pays for the hurricanes. And then the boyfriends walk in. And so it's the whole thing over again, where that poor bartender just keeps pulling out hurricanes. Uh-huh. And then putting them back in.
[00:22:46] They say to him, oh, they're good for it. They're good for it. No, they're not. No. Y'all should have known your men were just as broke as y'all. Yeah. Mm-hmm. I did like that. We didn't get that gag just once. We got it. Yeah. And the guys doubled down. They awesome. And they're like, you guys got in for free. It's ladies night. You can pay.
[00:23:11] So that kind of reaffirms that Nisian and Mickey just need to do something different. They need a change. And so they head to LA, but they have their best hair for the airplane flight. This brought back so many memories because I totally forgot that we didn't have movie screens in the 90s behind each chair like we do now.
[00:23:39] It would be one screen, one in-flight movie, and you're watching it. Like sometimes they would have different monitors in different rows, but like most likely you're getting that one in the front and their hair was so high that it was blocking the monitor. But at least they didn't like argue when people were like, bitch, we can't see. Yeah. They just slumped down in their seats. Yeah.
[00:24:08] And I love how she like turns at one point and like her hair pokes the guys in the eye. And he's just like, just any other seat, please. And then the flight attendant is the lady. She was on MADtv. Yes, she was. Deborah Nelson or something like that. Yeah. I was like, oh, I remember you.
[00:24:31] I love that Misi is a really good hairstylist and like she does Mickey's hair. That one hairstyle where it's two ponytails and there's like all the curls and stuff like that. I was like, I can hear the crunch from the hairspray with that one. But they were super cute. Like I would totally wear that right now. Yeah, it was really, really cute. I kind of wish she didn't leave long pieces. I would have liked a more cohesive everything curled.
[00:25:00] But other than that, so cute. So now we're in L.A. They have exactly enough money for one night at a motel. So they got to get in, get out. And Nisi is convinced. She's going to walk in. Heavy D is going to be like, yes. And then that's going to be it. When she steps out of line, this scene, of course, is iconic. And she makes this noise.
[00:25:28] She's like, like, it's not even music. And she's. So, Danielle, you won't get this reference until the end of the year when you finally watch Emperor's New Groove. But there is a scene in it where Kronk is humming a little tune to himself while he's doing something. And the voiceover, which is Kuzco, goes, is he singing his own theme music? And that's exactly what I thought when Nisi was dancing.
[00:25:57] I'm like, she's singing her own theme music. Yes. It was, it was, it was something. Just like right on the back of the door, like. And like, just so to Lulu, like, I've got this in the bag. And what I love the most about this, it's not just that Nisi thinks she has it in the bag. Like, it's the fact that Mickey 100% is down for her best, her best bestie.
[00:26:27] Like, that's my best friend. We got this. Booyah. I love that blind. Optimism. Just pure, like, that is the official ride or die. Yes. And I don't know if Mickey really believes that Nisi could dance or she just like, that's my dog, you know, like, whatever. Oh, God.
[00:26:57] I think she mentions it. So I thought she mentioned it. Like, you don't even. I thought she mentioned, like, you don't even dance. And she's like, yes, I do. But in the end, I guess she was like, I'm going to back her up no matter what. I love that. I love that. And as they're in line doing that, this Rico Suave dude, Antonio. Like, comes out of nowhere. Like, these girls are not suspicious of this at all.
[00:27:26] He's like, I have this great offer for you. And they go with it. Yeah. Sure. Right? It's a music video back at my house and we'll pay you $10,000. Like, there were no, no red flags. No, like, maybe we're going to get murdered. They almost got put into the sex trafficking. That's what it felt like.
[00:27:54] But she had passion and a dream. Right? So they take them to this rich man's house in Beverly Hills and they meet his, who's the nephew guy? Isaac. I don't know. That he's got a sick uncle who's dying and he only has a little bit of time.
[00:28:18] And that there was this woman that worked for him named Lily that he wants them to pretend that they're Lily's granddaughter. Well, actually, he doesn't say both of them. He's just really talking to Niecy. Yeah. Yeah. Essentially. But that he wants them to, like, pretend and then he'll pay them. And, again, they don't find any of this suspicious and they're like, let's do it. Yeah.
[00:28:48] So that's where, and Niecy isn't quite on board at first. Mickey really has to hype her up and be like, girl, we're getting money for this. Just fucking do it. So even off the bat, like, you can see Niecy is just really good hearted. She doesn't want to have to lie to this old man. And she's kind of conflicted about her goals versus how to get, how to accomplish her goals.
[00:29:16] I love how she was on the plane, too, with, like, I'm trying to learn about manners. Like, we're going to Beverly Hills. But then before they, like, ring the doorbell, she's like, okay, when they ask us, how are you? Living long in the church. I die every so much. See that scene. But it's great.
[00:29:39] Like, I felt like, you know, man, if I was thrown in a mansion in Beverly, my first thing is, like, when I see a butler, oh, that's Alfred. Yes. That's totally what I would do. This is, like, I'm going to be a fish out of water. Like, they're just trying to figure it out. And that they are introduced to Donald Blakemore.
[00:30:05] Side note, we totally forgot to mention that Bernie Mac was in the very first scene as their boss, Mr. Johnson. R.I.P. R.I.P. R.I.P to him and to Natalie, who died in 2020, which is so sad. Yeah. Oh.
[00:30:22] I did kind of a deep dive when I found out that she passed, and it just seemed like she was beloved by the acting community, and everyone had really heartfelt things to say about her when she passed. so we meet mr blakemore but he's kind of taken off guard and like is very
[00:30:47] like he's upset because like he they just he just surprised it just surprises him with these women and he's like what the hell but he's still nice to them like he doesn't yeah try to kick them out or anything like that yeah and then we get the they're so rich they got two toilets
[00:31:11] yes the so they meet the butler who is mr manly manly and they keep calling him alfred and so he takes them to a room and then in the room there's the bathroom so they try to use the bathroom and they don't know about the bidet and chaos ensues it's so good i love how they're like that one's
[00:31:38] for the number two and that one's for number one and then they both sit on it when it's shooting water and they both have a similar to react reaction to i what i had when i first used a bidet like it was so good and i do really love that you're on my back
[00:32:01] yeah the physical comedy in this scene and i have to give props to hallie berry and to natalie that they like really went for it but especially hallie and i love that she has never talked bad about this movie i mean she got a hard time for this and cat woman cat woman she's like i get it it was trash but she loves this movie she has always spoken up for it and i i think she's happy to see like people
[00:32:28] really it's a beloved film and it's not as hated as she felt originally i think i saw too that she filmed this during her divorce from david justice and she said it just it really lifted up her spirits like being on that set and just having fun so yeah i was really sad when they divorced and then even sadder to find out like that david justice was a shitty guy because i was obsessed with david
[00:32:57] justice i don't even like baseball and i was going to baseball games for david justice oh daniel yeah it was bad it was real bad so i think the next scene is dinner and they get the saddest palest chicken put in front of them and mickey's immediately like the fuck is this like
[00:33:22] this is why you're dying is because you have no flavor and she goes to the kitchen and she's like i'm gonna cook for you and she cooks like an amazing soul food spread and it just like instantly turns his spirits around like you can tell the people around him notably isaac have kind of just been
[00:33:46] subduing him and just waiting for him to die yeah like it not trying to bring any joy to his life at all look if i'm gonna die i'm gonna eat all the good food yeah you know what's the point now in making him eat broccoli and chicken breast like right order the man a pizza he deserves it exactly
[00:34:12] so the girls and and mr blakemore start to develop a friendship they're they're hanging out and they're kind of opening up to him and he has gotten color back in his cheeks and like is as lively has he has been in a while and at the same time like the the help seems to notice too that there's been a
[00:34:39] change and he's up and out of bed and moving and in the pool in his 1940s polo jersey but he has that spark back and so they're really happy to see that what is happening behind the scenes is we have antonio who is the the guy that first approached the girls somehow he's involved in a scheme this
[00:35:07] scheme but he like woos mickey the fact that like off off the rip these two are like a thing the scene where mickey and nisi are in the bed and i what i love is that you know there's like a million bedrooms in this house but they the two of them decide that they're going to share the bedroom so they're in
[00:35:32] the bed they're talking about dreams and life and everything that's happening and then here comes antonio and him and mickey look like they're about to eat each other up essentially and i love that nisi gets up in the bed and is just watching like what's going on over there like what are you guys gonna do right and then mickey said i told you gonna take a cold shower like i i just love it and
[00:36:00] then i also love that mickey really she she does some dumb stuff that i'm like come on girl but also she sets boundaries when antonio starts to try to take his pants off at one one point i don't know if it's this scene but another scene he's like and she's like oh you better put a ring on this
[00:36:19] oh man and that that leads him or leads to him leading her to a safe he's he has gloves on mickey obviously he does not want to get caught doing something but she believes that he just has a ring in his safe to give her all of a sudden and then he can't get the safe open so she's like well let me
[00:36:46] try it and bare hands the safe i'm like girl what are you doing your prints are all over this now he has not really thought this through and so he says it's okay because he says mr blakemore gave him the code and he's like i'll talk to him tomorrow whatever so then she goes she she's like they part ways and she goes upstairs but in the middle of the night they hear like
[00:37:15] something is going on there's a scuffle and it turns out that mr manly was i guess he he heard something too so he comes downstairs and it looks like a robber is there and knocks him out and then the girls come downstairs and i love this scene because they don't fuck with the wrong ones and they're talking about how mike tyson would hit somebody
[00:37:41] and so they just keep going back and forth knocking antonio on his ass they pull the mask off and realize it's him and then isaac comes out of his bathroom and he's like what's going on and so antonio doesn't even try to play it cool he's like oh we can still do our plan though and isaac's like i don't know what talking about and then he tries to blame mickey and saying that she was trying to rob the safe
[00:38:09] but manly actually stands up for her and says it wasn't her and so isaac cuts his losses because he's like i'm not getting cut up in this and they end up getting rid of antonio yeah he didn't really think through his plan very well and didn't realize that isaac was using him i wonder if they had a thing
[00:38:30] together oh maybe i'm just curious we see a phone call when i think the girls are in the pool that isaac is talking to someone we don't know who it is i always assumed it was antonio i mean we know that but like the way i just meant like the way that he was talking to him you couldn't
[00:38:54] tell if it was like a girlfriend or just a partner like it was real sus just saying yeah plot thickens and then after that what i don't remember if it's they well it seems like mr blakemore is like good days and bad days some days he's like up and lively and then other days he's just
[00:39:20] asleep all day so they kind of know the end is coming near but they still the girls do really enjoy mr blakemore and so like he oh in the pool yeah in the pool mickey uh gets her hair wet and so he's like and i love how niecy's just like i told her
[00:39:45] where i was where where's where cap yeah i love that scene so much because let me tell you nothing is more i felt that okay and i your friend this long i felt that i have been around enough times and yelled at enough times like don't get my hair wet i like i know
[00:40:10] the rules and i know the repercussions for getting your hair wet man the dumbass white boys from high school not respecting the boundaries always trying to pretend they're gonna throw me in the pool i think it happened once one dude threw me in the pool and thought that shit was funny i wailed on his ass i just got my relaxer and you threw me in the pool
[00:40:39] dead if you want hands immediately touch a black woman's hair and see if you live yep or get their hair wet so mr blakemore's like no problem like let's book a little salon trip we'll take her get her hair done and then let's do a little shopping spree why don't we ladies and they're like say less
[00:41:09] i love this yeah good love a good shopping scene especially when you know reparations is happening because a white man is paying for it i love to see it it made the scene even better that's what i don't get about roger ebert's comments is that like i found nothing cringy or embarrassing about the montage where he's
[00:41:34] like having fun trying on clothes and stuff it doesn't seem awkward like it could very well have gone super awkward white man dancing around but it doesn't it seems like he's enjoying himself you know what the funny thing is if this movie had been made by white people it would have had like
[00:41:57] a totally different and i bet they would have loved it right right because we've seen versions of this made by like a white producer white writer whatever and instead of it being a call in for the community it's a like making fun of some a culture that you don't understand what's the one
[00:42:23] with steve martin and queen latifah bringing down the house now that's a black classic okay i i don't i don't remember enough about it i'm just trying to think of like the lady the old lady in that movie who was racist who made that she's like my my mammy used to sing me that song and that scene she died in real life and i'm literally seeing black creators on tiktok and instagram talking about really loved
[00:42:50] her and bringing down the house like this woman is like a bafta winning or nominated actress and black black people are like man she was great at bringing down the house because it's it's certified gold in a black household i watched that the other day with my grandma i couldn't wait for us to do it on the podcast manna was rolling a good ass movie can't wait for us to do that one
[00:43:21] so we see kind of the the facade crumble on isaac we know that he's scheming to get granddaddy's money and he's trying to frame niecy and mickey as befriending this old white man to get his money and his jewels and just kind of rob him blind before he dies and so isaac is stalking them while
[00:43:47] they're on their little shopping spree takes pictures which he claims is the proof he needs that he's senile because he's let these black women come live with him and they're spending all his money he's trying to essentially like if i don't what i don't understand is you know this you're his only heir right you know the money's coming to you there was no need for you to do this
[00:44:13] no none like i would have just lived in this fancy mansion and just waited that shit out like what is the problem he did he dug his own grave yeah so that's when we meet troy byer the actress she plays tracy who's the lawyer so we see this woman come in and she introduces herself to mickey and niecy
[00:44:40] as the lawyer and essentially now that all of this has happened because the lawyer receives the photos um mr blakeman blakemore like mr blakemore is weary of people and doesn't know who to like he's trying to see who to trust essentially so he gives the girls two checks i think fifty thousand dollars
[00:45:06] maybe and at this point they have become so fond of him they rip up the check they're like we're not in it for money but he does ask them if isaac offered any money to them and they lie and say no and all is good you know after this scene because if i'm remembering correctly he still doesn't know
[00:45:29] that holly berry like she's not lily's granddaughter like he's still thinking that right we in the audience yeah are thinking that yes yes he's it's still perceived that way yes yeah what were you gonna say jack sorry i was gonna say the same thing yeah so the the walls start crumbling around isaac
[00:45:53] he's being exposed for the shyster that he is and and they mr blakemore's having more like sleepy days where they can't wake him up and stuff so they kind of know the end is imminent and so they kind of have a last hurrah they go out dancing he's having a grand old time he gets a little winded but it's fine
[00:46:16] the soundtrack to this movie is fire by the way yes i was like dancing myself when that when they were playing that song i love that song i i'm like bringing me back to eighth eighth grade dance oh good times and but poor mr blakemore did a little too much he was out there having a good old time
[00:46:46] and he gets a little dizzy so they decide to call it a night and they go back and it's super cute because slowly but surely mr what's his name again manly yeah i'm just gonna call him alfred alfred is slowly falling for the girls too like he has you could see he has a soft spot for them because he cares about mr blakemore so much that it's nice to see him happy and i think before they even go dancing
[00:47:16] they go to dinner and this is when all the celebrity sightings happen and the girls go crazy i love how they hold one of the guys hostage and they're like sing me that song i like they won't let him leave until he sings a song did you feel that in your jellies danielle i was dying laughing at that scene
[00:47:40] and i love that they're like okay we've gone to this she she restaurant but like we could have had something better mickey could have whipped something way better than this this food so yeah then they go dancing then they get back to the house and when they get back to the house unfortunately mr blakemore takes a turn he's not doing well and they have to call the ambulance
[00:48:05] and take him to the hospital and when they get to the hospital he only has like enough energy to not say much but this is when niecy decides to confess and he stops her and then he dies i don't know how in my mind i forgot that he died in this movie and i was like oh my god i felt so
[00:48:34] it kind of threw me off i i don't know maybe it was traumatic when i saw when i was younger and i blocked it i got a little choked up when i when i watched it again because you just saw like how close they were getting and then when she even tells mickey like we gotta be honest like we gotta tell him and she's like no i'm just gonna write him a letter i can't do it yeah and then she's at the
[00:48:58] hospital trying like i need to tell you and he's just like no and yeah i was like oh oh and we totally missed that at one point niecy was like in the middle of the night one of the nights she was having like an argument with her her boyfriend and kind of ropes in alfred to be in the mess with her
[00:49:24] and secretly they send for him and also mickey's boyfriend so they both come i love that he finally got a haircut because girl that hair was given pimp daddy status i mean even niecy calls him out on it and she knows hair so right it's time to cut that baby it's bad when they did like the slow pan from
[00:49:52] his feet up and they're playing their song and you're just like oh okay so much better yeah so he they were already there so now mr blakemore is dead and so isaac is living on cloud he's like on cloud nine and he i guess he he must have bought them a plane ticket first class to get them the hell out because he did try to give them a check at the hospital and they ripped it up he was in for
[00:50:21] a world of hurt now in reality i can't imagine that he would give up so quickly like i could imagine that this money and everything would have been tied up into court for a long time because yeah i just don't see him folding that quickly and trying to say that his fault his uncle was not in the right state of mind
[00:50:44] yeah yeah but yeah um mr blakemore leaves them all that money like damn where is my old white man who thinks i'm their granddaughter i mean to this day i've i've wanted to know because you see them react and then you see manly he gets like bug-eyed and you're like okay he left manly something yeah i'm always like what did he leave him and how much did he leave him the house right and then when
[00:51:12] they show her and she's looking at isaac i'm like trying to read her lips and i'm like she's saying and isaac you don't get shit like right i know he's not getting anything it was an interesting choice not for her to read right well on camera like i could see like doing one of those things where it's kind of like as soon as she starts talking and like starts to say the the number like
[00:51:41] it like gets ringy in their ears because it's like so much money i could get that for them but then the rest of it and yeah it's kind of not satisfying because i want to hear what the fuck isaac does not get i i wonder if the uncle i feel like the uncle left him something but not as much and probably
[00:52:04] yeah like it's it's something but i was what i love the most is at the end when we are seeing them now opening their restaurant slash hair salon that alfred is still cool with like he is down with them you know helping it's almost like they went into business with him so i i love that but tell me y'all
[00:52:31] didn't laugh when you saw that their boyfriend started their own business with a pager pager cab rent a cab so right so they were like uber before uber and i was like how long did this business last because pagers were gone like the next year yeah i immediately thought that too i was like oh man i don't know how long did that last but they fulfill their dreams they they name the
[00:53:00] establishment lilies um after um mr blake moore's love and then they find out from the attorney that um mr blake moore knew all along that they weren't descendants of lily that lily had had no children so like rest assured he passed away knowing full well exactly who you were and he was still
[00:53:26] giving you this money because you had befriended him because reparations and reparations and that is that yes all right so i well troy buyer we talked about that she one of the reasons she wrote this film was because you know she'd been an actress for a long
[00:53:54] time and she just felt like she wasn't seeing roles or she wasn't getting the roles that she wanted so she wrote this film but she did say that she was disappointed by the final cut of the film and believed that her words had not honestly made it onto the screen she explained that this was the first time robert townsend had directed a film that he had not written she used her earnings from this film to direct her first film so she did get another movie after i forgot what it's called
[00:54:23] that's that's unfortunate yeah i wonder if she still feels that strongly today right but or i am curious like you said danielle to like hear what she how she envisioned it to be or like will she ever make maybe her version of it so yeah i i can imagine it being like it is a very
[00:54:49] female-centric movie and to not be directed by a female and have even what little male voice spin on it maybe kind of altered the intention of some of the scenes yeah true what else do we got in 2020 playwright and producer jacarius johnson adapted the film into a theatrical play
[00:55:16] uh natalie de sal reed who portrays mickey in the film was cast as mickey and prepared to play the role until the 2020 pandemic that caused everything to shut down and then natalie passed away in december of 2020 in 2023 johnson announced that baps is back in production on stage this time starring angela
[00:55:36] white aka black china as nisi and anaya lamas as mickey yeah i look to see what natalie passed away from and she passed away from colon cancer which by the way psa we're all of an age well they i think they moved to age i think it's 45 now but i believe they still say that maybe even younger you should
[00:56:05] get some sort of screening because it's growing as one of the number one um killers colon cancer is rough so yeah with that being said get checked everybody get checked get your booty hole checked
[00:56:26] yes like i said before hallie berry is like constantly talking about natalie and when the movie has its anniversary every year she will like post on instagram she very much loves this movie and um it's cool to see some of the interviews of her with natalie from back then so she said natalie
[00:56:53] represented actual black women not what black women are perceived to be for that she was often underrated passed over deprived of the platform she just truly deserved but her light continues to shine through the people who grew up watching her the people who knew her best and those of us who loved her oh sweet what else doja cat and rico nasty were similarly styled baps costumes for their video tia tamera
[00:57:22] and that's just showing how it's such a cultural icon yeah oh yeah okay well if you love baps as much as we do if you hate it keep it to yourself i don't watch you but if you love it or you have commentary or questions hit us up on instagram facebook tiktok twitter youtube threads blue sky at no more late fees
[00:57:49] we'd love to hear from you all right stephanie today's reading today's reading i'm still probably gonna go five day rental i it's just it's a fun watch and i love these two ladies and i still like quote this movie there's times i'll use the whole and a mozzarella and fettuccine to you too like i just yeah i love a lot of mickey's lines and
[00:58:19] it's just yeah it's always a fun watch so five day rental jackie hear me out i i'm waffling okay and that's because i don't have the nostalgia attached to this movie and i do feel like it it was it had a lot of heart and a lot of comedy but there were also moments where i'm like this scene really didn't need to be like there were it felt like a lot of filler and it's a short movie to begin with i think
[00:58:47] we could have seen a lot more dialogue between the girls and and the old man mr blakemore i just felt i wanted more that i didn't get i i wanted more character development and more like heartfelt happy scenes rather than like lots of montages or like going out to dinner things like that you know so i am waffling between a five and a two i i'm gonna go five but i like really it's like a three
[00:59:16] day rental like i don't think i'll probably seek it out to put it on because i don't have that nostalgia attached like it's not a comfort movie for me but i appreciate what i was trying to do i think it's still a five day rental for me i i probably will actually buy it eventually because it's just good to have but i don't know if i'll watch it like every day but it is it it does give me
[00:59:43] a laugh and it was it was a joyful watch for sure jackie maybe the troy bayer version will give us more dialogue maybe and that's probably what she meant that yeah i felt like i either needed more dialogue or i needed more slapstick within like the heartfelt moments like it just felt like it was missing just something hear you i think i thought that too re-watching it there were some scenes that i
[01:00:10] thought oh we probably didn't need this or yeah or like some scenes were just like a little too drawn out and i'm like we could have and then like gotten more more pool yeah something this just this movie just made me want for more black female-led comedies i'm really excited to watch what one of those days
[01:00:36] the new isa ray produced film with kiki palmer and sisa now shayla said she saw it and she just felt like it was a movie for young women like for like young girls youths yeah it's it's definitely like a female version of friday essentially kind of like a day in the life crazy slapstick stuff but i i this movie
[01:01:01] makes makes me want more of that and how we don't really have a lot of those you know again it's either dramas or romantic comedies there are girlfriend movies like where there's a group of girlfriends but not like slapstick comedy yeah again regina give me that like girls trip something like girls trip
[01:01:26] yeah that's exactly what i was thinking is like the scene where she was talking about in my booty hole like over and over again in the airport i was fucking dying like i need more of that like low brow slapsticky just fun yeah women empowering comedies if you have opinions about baps or anything else you
[01:01:52] want to talk to us about hit us up at our quick drop 909-601-6653 twitter set the twitters hemis at the threads and you can be featured on a future episode and join us next week as we head to hollywood with scream 3 it's it's a ride and steph it was so great to see you thank you for joining us and we just have a blast anytime you're on
[01:02:21] yep thank you of course thanks y'all and as always be kind and rewind