The character of Pootie Tang, a blend of hip-hop star and blaxploitation stud superhero, is well played by Lance Crouther who simultaneously brings to mind both Rudy Ray Moore as Dolemite and Buster Keaton's hilarious stone-faced expressions. For its first 15 minutes, the film is an inspired series of jokes ranging from a parody of a fight scene in an action film to the unusual death of Pootie's dad, including maybe the funniest scene ever of an unfaithful lover being kicked out of his jealous girlfriend's apartment. Although the film is unable to maintain the humor and the energy throughout its rather short 75-minute running time, Pootie Tang does deserve to be mentioned alongside Hollywood Shuffle and I'm Gonna Git You Sucka as one of the few films to take a strong comedic look at the images of African-Americans in popular culture. Though unable to expand on its sketch-comedy roots, Pootie Tang has all the makings of a cult favorite.
by Perry Seibert
review

