The Film May Be ‘Foolish,’ But Star Eddie Griffin Isn’t

When comedian Miles “Foolish” Waise (Eddie Griffin) gets on stage, no one wants him to leave. Even the most uptight-looking people in the house protest when he’s forced by club management to curtail his nasty, fire-breathing routines so that other, lesser talents can get heckled.

That’s the way you feel watching Griffin whenever he gets a head of steam going. Though he shares top billing with rapper-mogul Master P, “Foolish” is Griffin’s vehicle. It’s a rickety, misbegotten vehicle to be sure. But Griffin floors it, pushes it well beyond its capacity to cruise or stay on the road.

It’s only when you don’t see him performing or cutting up that you wonder just what “Foolish” is or why it was made. On the one hand, there’s this plot involving Griffin and Master P as two siblings who are each chasing a Grail; Foolish in the comedy clubs, P’s Fifth Dollah on the streets, doing business with such shady characters as Numbers (Jonathan Banks) and El Dorado Ron (a saturnine, surprisingly scary Andrew Dice Clay).

Then there’s some conflict between the brothers over a woman named (honest!) Desiree (Amy Petersen), once Foolish’s girlfriend, now romantically involved with Fifth and trying to get a showcase for Foolish that will make him a star on his terms. All of which is seasoned with anecdotes of family strife, bathos, threats of violence, etc. No need to detail all this stuff because, frankly, it’s a mess.

It’s Griffin who draws your attention, making everything around him hazy and inconsequential. He risks making himself look, well, foolish, especially when he loses his temper for reasons both good (defending himself against Hollywood sharpies who want him to compromise) and bad (smashing his own car to get back at his lover).

At times, he shows himself capable of big-league movie acting, especially when his character slides into the void following the death of his grandmother (Marla Gibbs). He can even be a little frightening when he shows Foolish straddling the edge of sanity. As anyone who’s seen him live will tell you, the brother does have an insatiable appetite for nervous laughter.

Even “Foolish’s” more dismal patches are redeemed toward the climax by a riveting autobiographical routine that has more poignancy, suspense and rich characterization in its 5 to 10 minutes than almost anything that came before it. You have to believe that Griffin’s indomitable spirit will, sooner or later, push him toward far better movies than this one.

* Rating: R for strong language including sex-related dialogue, sexuality and some drug content. Times guidelines: the comic routines are pretty rough for all but mature audiences.

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‘Foolish”

Eddie Griffin: Miles “Foolish” Waise

Master P: Fifty Dollah

Jonathan Banks: Numbers

Andrew Dice Clay: El Dorado Ron

Amy Petersen: Desiree

Artisan Entertainment presents a Shooting Star Pictures production. Directed by Dave Meyers. Produced by Jonathan Heuer. Executive producer Master P. Written by Eddie Griffin. Director of photography, Steve Gainer. Editor, Chris Davis. Production design, Chuck Connor. Art direction, Brian Daniel Livesay. Running time: 1 hour, 26 minutes.

Now playing in general release