“Boat Trip” is silly, but IR well-handled
RK
There is nothing on TV at 5:00 on a Sunday afternoon, I realized this weekend. Which is how I came to find myself watching “Boat Trip” (2002). Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., the basic plotline is two straight guy-friends who go on a cruise to meet lots of women. However, having offended their travel agent, they set sail only to find he has taken revenge by booking them on a gay cruise.
Easy comedy? Yes. A bit puerile? Even that too… Jerry (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and his pal Nick must pretend to be gay for the duration of the trip, but when Jerry develops a magnetic attraction to the onboard female dance instructor, the tangle between lies and truth gets really complicated.
I almost didn’t notice– it was SO natural and such a non-topic– that BOTH straight Jerry and gay Jerry are in mixed relationships! Female love-interest is played by Roselyn Sanchez (Rush Hour 2), with male “love-interest” played by Horatio Sanz (SNL). The movie is mostly ridiculous, but it was nice to see the leading couples, straight or gay, handles with such natural ease and not spotlighted for being mixed-race relationships.
That, and it’s SO worth putting up with the rest of the movie, just so see Cuba Gooding Jr. in drag, lip-syncing to Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out”. SO worth it…
Racial Compromise wrote:
“I almost didn’t notice– it was SO natural and such a non-topic– that BOTH straight Jerry and gay Jerry are in mixed relationships! Female love-interest is played by Roselyn Sanchez (Rush Hour 2)”
That’s cuz Hollywood meticulously calculated it precisely that way as a racial compromise. They tend to now pair Black men with brown women (typically Latinas) because they are more European-looking than Black women (and thus appeal to more viewers), while still being “ethnic” enough to not hack off too many anti-IR types.
“Will Smith says moviemakers were afraid to cast him in love with either an African-American or a white woman, so selected Cuban actress Eva Mendes.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7019342/
“Newsweek” article mentions Will Smith’s “Hitch” co-star Eva Mendes, who called the practice “lame” and wished “the mentality wasn’t so closed.”
Self-described black-Latina actress Zoe Saldana was also mentioned in the article for her pairing with Nick Cannon in “Drumline”; and Mexican actress Jessica Alba was noted for her role as Mekhi Phifer’s object of desire in “Honey.”
http://www.eurweb.com/story.cfm?id=19476
Looks like you 2 got taken hook, line & sinker and missed the “boat trip” on this one…suckas!
Posted 20 Dec 2005 at 11:04 am ¶