Bebe's Kids

Grew up watching this movie..I wish it gets a remake with real characters one day..the film is funny from beginning to end with a good story line.

Robin Harris is captivated by the beautiful Jamilka, and her son seems pleasant enough. But when he he invites them to the local amusement park, they bring along the three hellions of Jamilka's absent friend Bebe.

It's based on one of Harris' monologues -- he's shown giving it at the beginning -- and plans were made to do a live-action version. Then Harris died, and what was to be done? Cancel? Recast? Neither. Instead, they did the body of the story as a cartoon, with Faizon Love doing a good imitation of Harris, and Vanessa Bell Calloway voicing Jamilka.

I was not looking forward to this movie, because it violates one of my prime rules about animation: never do animated what you can do live. I needn't have worried; under the direction of Bruce Smith, characters and action are exaggerated cartoonishly, offering some real comedy and ending on a serious note that is well set up. The artwork is also good; it's not elaborately designed, but it is fully animated. There may have been no cartoon wabbits, but this is a fine feature-length cartoon.

Because so many children's animated films are actually only thinly disguised morality lessons and/or merchandising gimmicks, it's refreshing to find an acerbic, often tasteless cartoon feature willing to promote a little healthy skepticism instead. The basic premise, suggested by what had been a familiar routine by the late stand-up comedian Robin Harris, might resemble typical Saturday morning TV fodder: the gruff but (almost) lovable Harris (a kindred spirit to W.C. Fields) is conned into chaperoning a trio of pint-sized troublemakers to Fun World, a local amusement park. But underneath the rap soundtrack padding and heartfelt, homeopathic preaching about the virtues of self-esteem is a good deal of subversive, post-Rodney King cynicism. Fun World itself is analogous to White America in the 1990s, complete with secret police, remote surveillance, and a robot Richard Nixon (sounding not unlike Jimmy Stewart). The film was originally planned as a live-action comedy, but it probably works better as animation, where the cartoon exaggeration can be an advantage. Favorite character: little Baby Pee-Wee, with a voice "like a hundred packs of cigarettes" and a constant cloud of flies around his sagging diaper.

I saw this when I was about 13. I saw it again on Friday and had the time of my life studying the colors and humor created by the images. You'll laugh at what the characters say and do, and how they sound (especially Tone Loc as baby Pee-wee), but the funniest thing, really, is how over-the-top the action scenes are. It's also, surprisingly, a nice romance.

I wish I could warn the entire world about renting this *instead* of any "Problem Child" film; but hey, can't stop 'em all.

-Sep

As a child I loved this movie and couldn't stop watching. My friends and I made this movie part of our weekend routine. So I decided to watch it recently to see if it was as funny as I thought it was. It turned out it was even better. Now that I am older I can enjoy the more mature jokes rather than just the hilarious antics the kids get themselves into. I am curious though about all the African-American stereotypes in this film others have commented on. It certainly can't be the kids as all races have their "bad apples". I actually think it defies some myths about African-Americans. Such as the stereotype that black men don't care about kids. Here we see a black man not only taking care of children, but other people's children. This movie even depicts the real problem of racial profiling (The security officers paying close attention on one of the Bebe children just because of how he dresses. Even though he is only a child.) All in all I believe this movie and the experience along with it some of my best childhood memories.