Who's the Man? (1993) User Reviews (9)

Great Compilation of Hip Hop Artists, Weak Movie

[view_and_review · 4/10 · 28 August 2018]

This movie was basically a poor excuse to put a lot of rap stars on screen. It was the biggest compilation of hip hop artists in a movie since Krush Groove or House Party. I guess they figured if they had enough big, well known names they wouldn't need to have a good story nor would they have to worry about anyone's acting ability.

There were legitimate actors thrown in there as well: Dennis Leary was one but he was horrible as the exaggerated police sergeant. Bernie Mac and Bill Belamy were also in it but they were there strictly for one-liners and coordinated zingers that I'm sure they hoped would catch on to become pop buzz-phrases like, "You got knocked out!" and other such phrases.

It was cool to see all of the various artists I know and loved when I was a teenager. A few of the iconic artists are now dead (Heavy D, Guru, Jam Master Jay, one of the Chrises from Kriss Kross, Bernie Mac, and maybe others). But gone are the days when I could be simply awed by my favorite artists and consider their movie good. I need substance, content, or at least quality laughs. This had none of that.

Decent Hip Hop Whodunit Comedy, that gave me a few chuckles, as it's an alright time waster but nothing more

[callanvass · 6/10 · 27 May 2006]

This is a decent Hip Hop whodunit Comedy, that gave me a few chuckles, as it's an alright time waster but nothing more. All the characters are alright, and the story is amusing enough, plus while it was amusing for one watch, I don't think it would be something I would watch again. I found this at a pawn shop for 1$ so i decided to buy it, and the performances are fun, especially Dennis Leary's hilarious performances, plus Ed Lover and Doctor Dré are fun as the two dimwitted Rookie cops!. It has a short running time so it's painless, and the ending was pretty funny as well, plus it's decently made and written in my opinion. The whole no donut's thing for Dr.Dre with Dennis Leary cracked me up each time, and This should at least be a bit higher then 4.6 in my opinion, plus it's got a couple of scenes with the famous Bernie mac as it was quite funny to see him in a film like this!. The title was amusing for me, and I surprisingly found a lot of the black humor very funny at times, plus there's not really a villain either. This is a decent Hip Hop Whodunit Comnedy, that gave me a few chuckles, as it's an alright time waster but nothing more, still worth the watch. The Direction is decent. Ted Demme does a decent job here with OK camera work, good angles and keeping the film amusing and at a fairly fast pace throughout. The Acting is pretty fun actually. Ed Lover and Doctor Dré are great fun together and brought most of the laughs to to the film as the two dim witted Rookie cops, they were likable and cracked me up I dug them!. Ice-T and Bernie Mac have very short roles but both do fine as it was amusing to see them. Denis Leary is absolutely hilarious in his role he had me in stitches a lot of the time, if only he had more screen time, because I loved him!. Rest of the cast are fine. Overall worth the watch. **1/2 out of 5

Classic 90s film!

[jellyneckr · 10 June 2004]

Nobody makes me laugh like Denis Leary so when I first heard about this movie, I was dying to see it. I kept trying to rent it at the video store, but every time I went, it was checked out so I gave up trying to get it for a while. A few months later, I caught it on TV and I laughed my butt off. Although Denis Leary wasn't in it as much as I would have liked, I loved it. It instantly became one of my favorites despite all of its flaws. The cast is great, especially Doctor Dre and Ed Lover in what are sadly their only starring roles to date. The supporting cast, which consists of some of the coolest people ever, is great as well. I thought there was a good chance that this movie would really suck, but I was wrong. This is a classic 90s film. Movies like this just aren't made anymore. ***

Hilarious

[MikeK-7 · 8/10 · 17 June 1999]

African-American comedies have always appealed to me. Movies like HOUSE PARTY, CLASS ACT, and DON'T BE A MENACE TO...... After seeing movies like I GOT THE HOOK UP and FRIDAY, I started to lose my feel for them. But I was going through my video library and came upon WHO'S THE MAN?. The movie had some down right funny jokes, fast paced, and good music. It was also interesting to see an all-star hip-hop cast. Give this one a try.

Always hits the spot.

[pmtelefon · 8/10 · 11 August 2019]

"Who's the Man?" is a very easy watch. It's a funny movie. It has a good story and it's filled with a lot of funny characters. It has a great running time (85 min) and a lot of good music. Ed Lover and Dr Dre are really funny together. If they were allowed to make a few more movies, they may have joined the ranks of the great comedy teams. Unfortunately, we'll never know. Everyone else in the cast is good/very good. Jim Moody and Denis Leary are two of the stand-outs. I should watch "Who's the Man?" more often. Honorable mention: the final shot.

Semi hip hop classic

[DunnDeeDaGreat · 17 November 2001]

This film was so funny back in the day. In their first film, Ed Lover & Dr. Dre are hilarous as bumbling cops trying to slove a murder. The film is full of hip hop cameo's and is a semi classic when it comes to hip hop themed films mainly for the cameo's.

EVERYTHING you could ever want in a Dre and Lover film. Flawless.

[wargo802 · 10/10 · 21 November 2004]

Anyone who is a fan of Dr.Dre and Ed Lover would have certain expectations for any film from the duo. "Who's the Man?" far exceeds those expectations.

And if you are a fan of music or rap in general it is still brilliant. If you are not a fan of any of these things then its brilliance is lost on you so go and watch Gone in 60 Seconds you ignorant fool.

"Who's the Man?" funny, silly, creative, relevant, full of cameos, and includes an impeccable soundtrack (including a complete performance of Naughty By Nature's "Hip-Hop Hooray"). I give credit to Ted Demme, it takes balls to direct a spoof with a straight face, but that's just what he did; and, for the most part, he succeeded (although some jokes do fall flat). An no film has ever gotten so much out of cameos. Everyone who was on MTV in the early 90's was included in this film (except for the disappointing exclusion of Jon Stewart). Over 50 hip-hop stars, and Colin Quinn, Dennis Leary, Kurt Loder, Bill Bellamy... This is movie belongs in the same company of A Hard Day's Night, Purple Rain, Gimme Shelter, High Fidelity, and The Commitments as a movie that perfectly blends film and music. A true cinematic achievement.

Good production, good laughs

[forwardlobe · 8/10 · 27 December 2006]

Cards on the table: I'm an old white guy. I don't know Dre or Lover.

I like some slapstick, and some I don't. For your reference, I never much cared for Abbott & Costello or the 3 Stooges, but I love Laurel & Hardy and the Marx Brothers. Dre & Lover got lots of personality and good humor. Love watching their comedy routine -- the best part of the movie.

Ice-T has a small part, must be one of his first on the screen. Would like to see him in bigger parts; he's on TV a lot lately and he's an interesting actor.

The closing credits are playing to some hip-hop. The lyrics use the "N" word, but it occurs to me that I don't remember hearing it in the movie's dialog. It's the end of 2006 and it's finally going out of style, but avoiding it 13 years ago was a touch of class.

I've got Cinemax playing on the TV. The next movie is coming on, which they rate "MV" for Mild Violence. If I were to rate "Who's the Man," I wouldn't give it any violence rating. A gun was waived around menacingly, once. Otherwise, they're too busy having fun. Bring the kids. (Apparently, the professional movie-raters disagree. Maybe society has changed a lot in 13 years. Either that, or professional movie-raters are fuddy duddies.)

Yeah, it's dated, but aren't we all?

[elbaker75 · 3 February 2004]

Come on, people! This is when hip-hop really started to appeal to the masses, and if it's dated, then so am I! This film has moments that make the entire experience worthwhile. There are some jokes that are still genuinely funny, and the "message" continues to be timeless: do good by people and do good by your neighbors and your neighborhood.

If you are at ALL a fan of hip-hop (hell, I'm a white girl from the midwest, so if I call myself a fan, I should think that everyone who ever drew breath has to be *something* of a fan), you're going to enjoy this one, if for no other reason than the innumerable cameo apperances! You can see some favorites who have sadly left this realm (Run DMC), or those who started in hip-hop and found their way to the Academy Awards (go ahead, Queen Latifah!). And this is where I might be dating myself a bit, but has hip hop been as good since these days? I put this DVD on and find myself rump-shakin throughout the house. Yeah, I might have mentioned -- white girl from the midwest. :)

American Beauty this ain't. But if you want some giggles on a Friday night, and it's a cheap rental, I can't say a bad thing about this flick. It makes me wish "Yo! MTV Raps" was still on the air, and that's one helluva statement.