The Honeymooners (2005)

black and white

i know everyone says "i'm not racist". to say it or not to say it has nothing to do with this review. if you are going to remake something, be historically correct. don't remake sanford and son with an all white cast. don't make the honeymooners with an all black cast. we will all be happier, black and white. and by the way i loved sanford and son, saw every episode, and i am white. :-) June 1, 2008

And Away We Go

The Honeymooners (DVD)

Cedric the entertainer resurrects the NY City bus driver character made famous by Jackie Gleason with his perpetual "get rich quick" schemes.

All-in-all an entertaining movie.

Recommended for Cedric the Entertainer fans and fans of Jackie Gleason.

December 2007
December 22, 2007

great remake!

Loved this remake of the old favorite Honeymooners sitcom. Always adored that sitcom. My husband and I would watch the reruns every New Years Day during marathons. It improved our marriage because we got to see the funny side of married life and a show where the couple was working class, poor and struggling just like us but, despite all that, they loved each other. The remake added another commonality by showing Ralph & Alice and Norton & Trixy as Black Americans. It kept to the show's intent of being humorous and that in a working-class marriage, love can survive. In this movie, finally, the Honeymooners show ends on a happy financial victory. Well somewhat victorious. As is typical, Ralph messes up with something. Don't we all. August 13, 2007

Pleasant - Not as bad as Prior Reviews Suggest

First the disclaimer - I grew up in NYC at a time when the original Honeymooners series was on WPIX just about every night at 11:00 pm. As such, I've seen every episode and have always loved the show. I had heard all the terrible things about this film and was prepared for a train wreck of a movie. Surprise - there is no train wreck here! (Although there is a buried Pullman car).

This is the first movie I've seen Cedric the Entertainer in, and I can't imagine a better choice. Chris Farley might have been able to pull it off if he were alive. And Kevin James is already playing "Ralph Kramden" on the King of Queens (think about it - that show is basically an updated Honeymooners, except "Ralph" drives a UPS truck instead of a bus, and has an obnoxious father-in-law instead of mother-in-law.) I was less thrilled with the Alice and Trixie roles here, but Cedric was perfect and Mike Epps carried off an acceptable Ed Norton. No, it's not the TV series, but it's far from the worst updating of a TV show into a movie you'll find.

Having read prior reviews here, I've been a little dismayed to see all of the negativity over the fact that this was cast with black actors and actresses. So what? There is nothing inherent in these characters to prevent this story being told with either a white or black cast. Working class blue collar NYC employees come in various shades and races, and a black NYC bus driver - a black Ralph Kramden - doesn't exactly stretch the boundaries of imagination or credibility here. What's more important is that they get the spirit of the characters right, and Cedric had that spirit, Epps had enough of it, and Alice and Trixie - although they could have used a bit more - are secondary players anyway. I never viewed this as a black Honeymooners. I viewed it as an updated Honeymooners.

This isn't a great movie, but it's decent entertainment, and - contrary to a previous poster's comment - light years better than the Bewitched updated film version.

Recommended for a light, fun night of popcorn on the sofa with your sweetie.

August 11, 2007

*The Honeymooner Crossover*

I thought the movie was quite funny. It had some great actors and actresses. I think the new modern Honeymooners added alot of soul, spunk and humor. It is a great family movie. April 11, 2007

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