In the Mix (2005) User Reviews

Not that bad really

[quiltedporcupine · 4/10 · 8 July 2012]

After watching In the Mix, I can safely say there's no way this belongs on a list of the bottom 100 movies. Sure, the plot is lame, and Dolly spends the first half of the movie being incredibly naive about the danger she is in, and I was able to guess the movie's bad guy after his very first line of dialogue, but it's not that bad.

For those of you who are giving this one star and saying it's the worst movie you have ever seen, try watching some of the other bottom 100 films (particularly try ones that don't contain a non-actor celebrity trying to break in to acting) and you'll see what a bottom 100 movie really is.

I'm not a fan of romantic comedies but the odd mix of romantic comedy and crime drama makes the film more bearable.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think this is a good movie, but it's certainly not as bad as everyone seems to think it is.

I thought the best part was Rufus the bulldog.

[Movieguy_blogs_com · 2/10 · 23 November 2005]

'In the Mix' has Usher playing Darrell, who happens to be at the right place at the right time. That depends on how you look at it. He takes a bullet for Dolly (Emmanuelle Chriqui), a mafia princess. As a result, he becomes her bodyguard. Then the trouble starts happening.

This movie was not especially great. It is fun at times, but not by much. The acting is not great and the plot is very predictable. None of the characters have much personality. Anthony Fazio who plays Dolly's brother is annoying. It is kind of like 'My Bodyguard' meets 'The Sopranos', only a little milder and not nearly as good.

I thought the best part was Rufus the bulldog. He was the funniest part of the movie and he is only in three scenes. I would not go to this unless you really want to see Usher.

Someone punch me

[iop98422 · 2/10 · 11 July 2006]

You can't possible give higher than 2 out of 10 for this movie. To make it short, this movie is strawberry shortcake dipped in a pot of sewage water.

Some of you might know a movie named "From Justin to Kelly" inspired by the successors of American idol show. Words cannot describe how terrible that movie was. I don't know what inspired these movie makers to produce another horrible music artist related movie but oh boy...this genre has got to be burned down.

This movie isn't bad, this movie isn't terrible. This movie is a war-crime.

How Not To Make A Movie...

[IDislikeBadMovies · 1/10 · 27 November 2005]

Not Since Vanilla Ice's "Cool as Ice" and Britney Spears' "Crossroads" has such schlock been put to celluloid for no other purpose than take advantage of a pop music star's success and try to cash in on it.

At least Rob Van Winkle and Mrs. Spears can claim that it is not their fault the movies were bad, but instead the script was bad to begin with. Usher on the other hand gets Executive Producer credits for this gem.

In an interview he explains his role as executive producer...

"Well, I didn't put money behind it. That title comes from being involved in the creative process from choosing the people to act opposite, script supervision, selecting people who are a part of the production team. It's pretty easy."

Note to Usher: Executive Producing SHOULDN'T be Easy...

Maybe if you spent more time supervising the development of characters and plots, instead of supervising an onslaught of racial stereotypes and lines that serve no purpose but to praise your physical aspects, you might be able to star in a movie that will be in the top 8 at the box office in it's opening weekend.

Note to Self: Never trust the judgment of the person who dragged me to this ever again.

OK...I'm sorry, this movie is just plain BAD

[sanjana_rajan1 · 1/10 · 6 December 2005]

Let me just say that I was surprised when I saw "In the Mix" settling down in the Bottom 100. Surprised, but not in a bad way. I'm just glad that people see this movie as what it is, and not "how famous Usher is" or "how good we WISH this movie was"

Because, to put it bluntly, I went in the theater expecting junk, and junk is what I got. I don't think that there is anyone out there who expected great things from Usher, but I most certainly did not expect the worst movie that I have ever seen.

So, let's go over why this movie was so bad. Firstly, the acting is quite dreadful. Usher acts like a robot, and sometimes almost forgets to show emotion. Emmanuelle Chriqui is not half bad, and neither is the supporting cast, but Usher's artificial acting spoils all of their efforts. The plot is nothing original, but nothing incredibly awful. With some different acting, hey, I might actually be able to sit through 95 minutes of it without getting close to crying at the pathetic attempt at a movie.

So, here's what I recommend:

Don't watch the movie at all (unless you're one of those people who try to watch really bad movies just to see how bad they are)

If you MUST watch it, wait for it to come out on DVD, and rent it. Or wait for a stupid friend of yours to buy it, and borrow it. Make sure that you do not waste any money on this piece of junk. If you want what's best for you, spare yourself, and don't watch it at all.

I got a confession to make......This is actually worse than Alone in the Dark

[duffyboy666 · 1/10 · 7 December 2005]

The contender ship for my worst movie of 2005 was poised on a knife edge between two truly appalling movies. Deuce Bigalow and Alone In The Dark. It truly was going to be a tough one to decide between a bad comedy, and a bad horror film, both are two evils that take some effort (or cocaine) to pull off.

However that debate is now finally settled. Because thanks to RnB star, Usher Raymond, or better just known as Usher, we now know which out of those two movies will win my award for worst movie of 2005.

Neither.

In The Mix, Usher's screen debut is a movie that I will only ever watch again if stapled to the floor with a gun pointed into my head and my eyelids forced open. Bar Gigli, it is the worst pop star movie ever created on this earth and gives some of my top ten all time worst a damn good run for their money.

As I told you in my review of Gigli, Pop stars can not act. There's a whole shelf on Blockbuster Video chock-full of evidence of this. And in this case, this is not just any old pop star we are talking about folks. This is the dark world known as Usher, a man whose entire CV is living testimony to the fact that talent, quality and decency are not needed to become famous on this earth.

So it's now time to ask John Raymond (the director of this joke) the £1m question. "What in the sweet blue living hell were you smoking when you allowed Usher not just to act in this movie, but be an EXECUTIVE PRODUCER in it also?" OK, so even if Usher wasn't on this team the movie would still suck anyway but we really need to draw the line at Pop Stars directing their own dreadful movies as well as acting.

And speaking of the acting and role play. Lifeless, and so unbelievably stereotypical and unoriginal that it actually features a gangster CALLED Fat Toni! Where's Normski when you need him! It's boring, poorly conceived and just plain painful to look at and suffer.

But what I hate the most about this movie, is the same thing I hate about all of these type of movies. Self Indulgence. It's bad enough with the likes of Carey and J'Lo pushing these vanity projects just to make some more cash, but when the celebrity is as truly awful as Usher is it's beyond hate. It's vitriolic rage.

If you must watch this trash, please, please find some way of doing so for free. Even if your intent is to heckle it, make sure that you don't give either a cinema ticket booth or a DVD retailer even dime. Because your money is going to Usher. And if you in any way knowingly give your money to this talentless imbecile, then you are a dead set moron. Better still.....

Don't watch this film.

PS: To those who gave it good reviews. Get A Life.

Very possibly the worst movie I have ever seen

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 1/10 · 5 August 2006]

And that's pretty sad, because I've seen a bunch of horrible movies, but this one is in a class of it's own. Now, I'm going to be honest, I wanted to see this film when it was first released in the theaters. It looked kinda like a fun movie, but I decided to wait until it was for rent. I knew this movie had a bad rating on IMDb, but I figured it was just because Usher was one of the biggest stars at the time and people were just trying to trash him. Boy, I apologize for doubting the views of the IMDb users.

First off, what was the screenwriter on when he wrote this? Or was he simply reading "Screenwriting for dummies"? What the hell does he or the director take me for?! I grew up in friggin' little Italy/Chicago! I'm not stupid. Now, not to sound horrible, but this movie was totally inaccurate on how a mafia boss would let an African American watch his daughter. Never would happen in a million years. Not to mention the horrible stereo types in this film! It was horrible. The two lovers had no chemistry and the plot was.... ahh! Just never see this movie ever ever ever!

1/10

Wait for the DVD, in fact borrow a friends who was dumb to buy it

[bonk73 · 1/10 · 10 November 2005]

Not only was this movie poorly written, it goes to show us what most of us knew already. That is the simple fact that Usher can not act. Some films of this nature, have a borderline cute plot or fun story, this completely lacks both. This is yet another attempt from a pop-star(if you deem him worthy of that title), trying to make the transition from music to film and failing miserably. Do not waste your ten bucks going to see this movie as , box office attendance will plummet the DVD should be on the shelf by Christmas. It is pretty sad, that only because the fact of someones popularity in a certain arena, that they are automatically pushed into another and we are suppose to accept it. I would hope that this movies target audience(which is i'm sure 13 year old girls) would reject it as I had.

I should have stuck with my instincts and stayed on the toilet instead of going to the movies to see this

[thomas_hocker · 1/10 · 3 January 2006]

This movie is about as good as what would have been found in the toilet anyway! Perhaps the most racist movie I have seen in my life. Examples: 1. Usher's favorite restaurant is a fried chicken place, where he orders "the usual", which turns out to be...you guessed it, fried chicken and collard greens

2. Although neither Usher nor his friends are gangsters in the movie, it seems that the only things black people use as currency during card games are guns.

3. "I heard black men can dance" 4. All Italians are mobsters. 5. I like Usher's little minstrel show dance at the end of the movie. Overall, I was disappointed with myself for donating any money to this racist cause. I will never again watch an Usher movie unless he puts on blackface and admits that In the Mix was about as racist as the KKK would hope it to be.

ouch!

[Kosinus · 1/10 · 27 March 2006]

what a waste of time! I guess there was one remarkable line in the whole movie... if I only could remember it... I got to watch this movie in a sneak-preview... well... you have to watch 10 movies there to get a single good one but this movie was even far below average... Some movies are just made to prove that you can even earn some money with nothing... sad for those talented ones among the movie-makers... save the admission and spend it on a movie that deserves your money... hm... so I'm really supposed to write more about such a movie? come on, it does not deserve it... still not enough lines? well... be fair: you can't judge the acting-skills of anyone by watching such a movie: there is simply nothing in it to be judged...

Excellent escapist tosh

[eric-1722 · 8/10 · 29 May 2010]

A lot of the reviews for this film have been negative, which I am guessing is because a lot of those who are drawn to watch are likely to be fans of Usher, R&B & RAP. Never having seem Usher and not being a fan of that kind of music I didn't bring that baggage with me when I watched it. I found the film to be formulaic, predictable escapist fun. The script was OK but the acting was solid and I found Usher to be extremely watchable. In the Mix is more '13 Going 30' or 'Freaky Friday' - the kind of film I can enjoy with my late teen aged daughter. For those of you wanting a serious, gritty film as vehicle for your musical heroes, go for Boyz N The Hood, not an escapist comedy such as In The Mix - it is a very watchable film.

Not THAT bad...

[kayla-67953 · 6/10 · 25 November 2021]

I have seen this movie a few times...I am surprised it has such bad reviews on here. It's not the greatest movie by any means, but it's different and worth watching every once in a blue moon. The mobster bit isn't something you often see in most romantic comedies. Like I said...not the greatest, but it's not THAT bad. Frankie JR definitely gets on my nerves, but he's not in very many scenes and easy to forget about. Usher isn't a terrible actor, and he holds his own in this movie...Kevin Hart isn't bad either. It's worth watching at least once in my book.

Worse than awful.....

[NHe · 1/10 · 24 July 2006]

.....For a while this was ranked the #2 worst film of all time. What more do you need to know? This one is a muddled mess, thanks largely to an absolutely atrocious script (from what I can see, the writer is mostly to blame here) which puts forth the story in clichés, racial and ethnic stereotypes and purely unimaginative writing. It's not even good bad writing. It's bad bad writing. If you really watch this film --- for as long as you can ---- you can see that the acting isn't so bad, the music is okay (or great depending on your POV) and the direction is passable to good. And Usher is...well...Usher is Usher, okay? So what makes this one such a clinker? Watch and listen for ten minutes. Try not to laugh at the insipid dialogue and plotting. Then you decide where this turkey went off track. Then continue along to something better....which shouldn't be difficult to find.

Last night a DJ killed me with a bad movie

[Newsense · 1/10 · 6 December 2008]

Entertainers are always trying to succeed in other areas other than the one they are known for(like rappers trying to be actors or actors trying to be singers etc) but very few have made it successfully in other endeavors other than the one they are known for succeeding in. Usher is the next person to make this mistake in this disastrous bore called In The Mix.

The story: Darryl(Usher) is a local DJ that saves the life of a mobster called Frank(Chazz Palminteri). He save Frank's daughter Dolly(Emmanuelle Chriqui) also ends up falling for her. Frank disapproves, stops them from seeing each other and later on Darryl stumbles on to a plan by one of Frank's henchmen to betray Frank.

I wholehearted disagree that the only thing that sucked about this movie is Usher's acting. The whole cast sucked right along with Usher. Chazz Palminteri phones it in and Emmanuelle Chriqui is so wooden all she's missing is the woodpecker. The love scene with her and Usher is so heavy-handed and laughable that I broke out into hysterical laughter immediately. These two have zero chemistry together and as a matter of fact, Morticia and Gomez of the Addams Family has more chemistry than these two. The plot was corny and it seemed like something somebody came up with on the spot. Plus if I see another wegro in these movies I'm gonna scream! Usher can sing but he sure cant act and it shows. He looks like he's playing himself the way he delivers his lines and the action scenes suck. Nothing about this movie is redeemable and I mean nothing! Even if you a lover of bad films(like myself)I suggest you try something else. This is not even bad enough to make fun of. Its a boring mess that plops itself on the screen and dies there. On a positive note this movie is perfect for insomniacs because it's literally visual Nyquil. If In The Mix was a record it would clear every dance floor from coast to coast.

Godfather 4: The Next Generation !

[elshikh4 · 26 August 2009]

Well, first things first: Usher Raymond is smart to begin in a simple romantic comedy as this, so if he failed, it wouldn't be a big deal since the movie was that small anyway! Emmanuelle Chriqui is sensitive and convincing. Chazz Palminteri is Chazz Palminteri, and that's not a bad thing by the way. It's only Ron Underwood who was disappointing; after promising movies such as (Tremors - 1990), (City Slickers - 1991), and (Heart and Souls - 1993), he became so far from dreams that he gave to me about excellent Hollywood director who doesn't execute inasmuch as feel and create.

However, the movie isn't that bad. It's just ordinary. Watchable but as something between average and weak. The low points come basically from that script. There is no effort that has been done. The girl loves the boy, so the boy doesn't need much to impress the girl. The father loves the boy, so the boy didn't suffer much getting the father's approval. And so on..

Now for the very provocative points: the girl knew one night about the boy's previous girlfriend, or girlfriends, though she throws herself in his arms AND in the same night! The girl goes to the boy's home to find another girl - classically accidentally - with him, so she understands - always and forever - the situation wrong; which's ancient boring stuff, it's unbelievable that anyone still uses it as dull as this! And to sum it all up, let me say: "..and so on with the easiness and the triteness"! There are no fine special details, meaning: the matter of "We've seen all of that before, and better too!". Furthermore, while dealing with gangs and assassinations, why this script lacks the action badly?! I know it's clichéd, but this movie needed a car chase desperately!

But the biggest bugging point about it is its ending. The girl, the boy and all the characters got no problem at all towards the business of the father who's a crime lord, a mafia boss, in a word: another Italian godfather! The moralities weren't missing like this in a harmless romantic comedy like that before. It even gets bigger and bigger when the boy, after joining the Mix, is happy of all the money that he got with his bride out of the invited people's pockets!! So it doesn't totally matter if it's dirty money or not; it's just enough to marry your love, living wealthy and influential, while forgetting about trivial things like stealing and killing. Just get in the mix even if it's filthy or bloody. Sure this could have been Vito Corleone's favorite movie!

It's not The Godfather, where the family is ruled and infected in the same time by crime. It's maybe the next, more cool, generation, where the girl, her lover, so their story's makers too, don't concern much about that! I think this apathetic indifferent ending pushed the viewer, even unconsciously, to turn a cold shoulder to the whole movie.

It really wasn't that bad

[dashielle89-425-132181 · 5/10 · 18 May 2013]

I caught this movie on TV recently, and I am a little surprised at all of the awful reviews it has. Was it a great movie? No, of course not. But really it isn't as horrible as it is being made out to be.

It is a pretty typical romance story about two people who fall for each other even though they come from very different families and daddy doesn't approve. The girl's (Dolly) father is an Italian mob boss and our main character (Darrell) is a young DJ who, it seems, escaped a ghetto-like lifestyle along with his father because of the mob boss (Frank). Frank asks Darrell to protect his daughter from an unknown hit man that is after him and his family. He agrees, and you have your story.

Now, I will admit, the acting is not very good, the plot is old news, the characters are a bit dull, it is predictable and cliché, and over all it is not a very high quality movie. But does that mean it is one of the worst movies ever and deserves a rating around 2/10? Not in my opinion. I have seen a lot lot worse out there, some movies I don't even want to finish, and some of them get pretty good ratings on here (even with bad critic ratings).

This movie at least managed to keep me watching until the end. Actually I really didn't think much of it, I didn't like it or dislike it. It is a movie you can watch without having to think, it will follow the path you think it does- it is an easy watch. Sometimes those kinds of movies are good when you're bored and maybe want to do something else simultaneously while watching. To me it seems like any other mediocre/low-quality movie, nothing horrible, but nothing great either. So I give it a 5.

Worst movie of all time

[BigKevster12 · 1/10 · 7 May 2006]

Yes, my fellow ladies and gentlemen, I hereby declare this as the worst movie of all time. Nothing happens... at all. There is not a climax in this movie, nor is there a rising action, it just keeps going and going and going.

I guess I'm being a little bit harsh though, I'm sure TONS of people want to see the everyday life of... themselves. WOOT, we get to watch people eat at the KFC, Ya-ay! That brings me to another point, this movie is very racist. I guess I shouldn't be complaining since I'm a tad racist myself, but this movie is just plain horrible.

I hear black men can dance, Itallian girls are always in trouble, are a few of the things said in the movie. And don't even get me started on the actions of the characters, I'd be here all day.

Do NOT buy this movie, do NOT rent this movie. This isn't worth a coke addicted, stray-dogs, feces' time.

Number Two On The Worst Movie List?

[leighabc123 · 5/10 · 17 December 2005]

Yes! This movie was extremely horrible! It was a total waste of my $6.75! I fell asleep during parts of the movie. But number #2 on the worst movies list? That is a bit of an exaggeration. Any movie with fly KD Aubert in it cannot be that bad! If Usher would have ended up with KD instead of that Italian girl, then this movie wouldn't have even made it on the bottom 100 list! I'm still upset at a scene from the beginning of the movie when Usher's little sister spoiled his fun and made KD walk out on him. It was cool to see Kellie Williams (Laura Winslow) playing the fitness instructor in this movie. I wish she would have had more lines. This movie was too violent to be rated PG13. It should have been rated R.

An awfully dumb premise, a dumb leading lady and a dumb finale make for one dumb film.

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 19 February 2010]

While I would not place this film on any "worst of" list, I certainly can understand why it is now on IMDb's Bottom 100 list--the 100 lowest-ranked films which have received at least 1500 votes. The film has absolutely horrible writing and it's a shame because it could have been a halfway decent film.

The hip-hop artist Usher stars in this film. I read a lot of very nasty comments about his inability to act, but this really isn't the problem here. While he was TOTALLY unbelievable in the film (mostly because at 5'8" and a slight build, he was just physically wrong for the part), his acting wasn't the problem. The problem, first and foremost, was the writing. It was as if they gathered some actors and equipment but really didn't bother creating a comprehensible script BEFORE the shooting! There are just too many dumb clichés and logic problems to make this anything other than yet another failed vanity project.

Here are some of the very dumb problems with the film:

1. A serious attempt has been made on a mobster's life. It's obvious someone wants to kill him and/or his family. So you'd think they'd hire professional body guards in a case like this, right?! Instead, they make little Usher the bodyguard even though he's NOT tough, can't fight and doesn't carry a gun.

2. There is an overly petulant girl--you know, the spunky/plucky girl cliché. Despite this very, very serious attempt on the family, she insists she does NOT need a bodyguard. Young lady...your father is a mob boss....what part of "mob war" don't you comprehend?!?! Like the super-annoying lady from "Van Helsing", despite being in very, very deep trouble she again and again snarls that she needs no one's help and won't change her life one bit!! Can anyone be that stupid! And, when attempts ARE made on her life, she STILL is a hot-headed moron!! 3. You are a Black man who knows that the mobster and his clan will never allow you to marry within the family and that you could die on their behalf even though they are scum. So, again and again, you risk your life for these ungrateful and dangerous folks. And, you also decide to get it on with this Italian princess even though it could mean getting your head blown off your body.

4. You give every Black man in the film a semi-automatic pistol EXCEPT the hero. First, giving them so many guns is an awful stereotype. Second, it implies that Usher and his friends are tough--come on, it's only Usher! Third, Usher is the bodyguard--see #1.

5. You include a comic relief son of the godfather--a White guy who is a walking, talking idiot hip-hop wannabe. He is simply there to scream out "I'm a poseur and you need to laugh at me". He is simply annoying and a caricature. Plus, having him use his hip-hoppy skills to defeat the baddie at the end is just sad.

6. You put Usher in many situations that would alienate his potential Black audience.

Overall, the biggest problem about the film is believability. Not once is there any in the film--the plot, the characters and the chemistry all seem so contrived. Not good but also not quite bad enough to be funny--it's just bad.

Ushers mafia wet dream

[ciaranwhitston · 1/10 · 20 July 2016]

Oddly the worst thing about this movie wasn't Usher's acting. It might have been that this entire film is one giant ego trip on the self adoration train and sadly their are many many stops. We are forced to watch as Ushers character Daryll is painfully irresistible to the opposite sex and the movie piece by broken piece dismantles Dolly's seemingly strong relationship with her fiancé Chad and then carefully constructs a new relationship with Usher. At no point did I think of the main character as anyone but Usher. He played himself in a world were he lives out his Italian crime sex fantasy.

This film is 911 disaster porno bad. 95 minutes of vanity peppered with the most annoying character in the history of cinema, Frankie Junior. I begged for mercy every time he made any kind of contribution to the story. Strangely Kevin Hart was good. A shining beacon in a sea of feces.

Mixed up?

[dee.reid · 4/10 · 12 August 2007]

There was a time one Sunday afternoon that because I had nothing else better to do, I was flipping through the movie channels and all of a sudden "In the Mix" comes on. And what do I do? I watch it. By no means a classic or even a particularly memorable or otherwise "good" film, it's a good distraction for an hour and a half.

Basically, the setup goes like this: a hip DJ, Darrell (Usher), saves a New Jersey mob boss (Chazz Palminteri) from an assassin's bullet one night. Palminteri's character, Frank, fearing for his beautiful daughter Dolly's (Emmanuelle Chriqui) safety, has Darrell escort her around town as her bodyguard. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that opposites attract - hip spinster Darrell and the Italian Dolly get together, which is under the table of course and Darrell, who's used to dodging groupies, now has to dodge bullets and her old man.

From the get-go, you know what's going to happen before it happens. The script by Jacqueline Zambrano doesn't click a whole lot, and the direction of Ron Underwood seems amateurish at best. "In the Mix" also combines (more like, mashes together) several distant film genres, including the mob movie and the romantic comedy, and the film ends with a shootout. Yes, a shootout. Are there ANY movies left nowadays that don't end with a huge special effects finale? But maybe I'm ripping into this movie more than it deserves.

What does keep you watching this title despite its many predictable elements, is Usher and Emmanuelle Chriqui. They both make the best of a lousy screenplay, and it's their on-screen chemistry that at least kept me watching, if not somewhat interested. Not too many movies like this will pop up on my radar, but at least "In the Mix" was good way to fill in a lonely afternoon.

4/10

the best movie EVER!

[jimmyspdes · 10/10 · 22 January 2008]

This movie is just plain great. I loved it more than I love life itself. Usher is probably the best actor in the world, bar none! I'm amazed that Daniel Day Lewis didn't make an appearance in this cinematic gem. His loss I guess. I saw this in theaters the day it came out and I couldn't sleep until it finally came out on DVD. Now I can watch this timeless classic over and over and over again. I like to sit on the couch and chew tinfoil while I spoil myself to multiple viewings of this blockbuster hit. Sometimes I call in sick and stay home just so I can watch this movie. (Even the credits are a treat) I cancelled cable and sold all my other DVDs as I'm just to engrossed with this movie at the time. I'm watching the movie right now (YAY!!!!). I made my own quiz game based on this movie, I play it when I can't watch the movie , like when I'm driving or at weddings and other unimportant things. My only complaint is that the movie is to short, I wish it would never end and IMDb only let me give ten stars when it deserves at least 36.1.3333333333 stars...YAY!

A kindler, gentler Bodyguard.

[Nightchild7 · 7/10 · 23 November 2005]

Have you ever saw "The Bodyguard", where Kevin Costner protects Whitney Houston from a psychotic stalker and romances her? Then the similarities are there. Take out the dark atmosphere, suspense, thriller, and brutal violence, and you have a lighter side of that film which is not an actual sequel to the 1990 classic, but more of a side story with a dance/romance theme. Though the film does has romance and some violent scenes and some of the dialog may make you snicker, but it doesn't ruin the entire film. There are some references to past films; a dash of Driving Ms Daisy, Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, and Othello. But in the end, the film is mostly about interracial dating and culture clashes with some good humorous and touching moments, although I wish that the film could've explored those themes a little more coherently. But in the end,it's just a nice little movie that isn't excessively violent or vulgar, just something to have a decent time at the theaters.

Major waste of time, awful movie

[Shellhamilton · 1/10 · 27 November 2007]

If you are even thinking about watching this awful excuse for a movie, please don't. You will be mad that you wasted your time on this garbage. Plot is ridiculous. The acting is horrible. The writing is cliché. Usher needs to stick with his singing career. There should be restrictions on what can be passed off as a mob movie. I feel sorry for anyone who wasted their time and money on this. I have a better idea for a title, how about, "in the dumpster"? OK, IMDb guidelines state I have to write ten lines. I am starting to feel like the people who must have written this movie. I can fill it with empty mindless dialogue. The best part of this movie was when it ended.

Poor star vehicle that is uncomfortable, unnatural and clunky

[bob the moo · 15 October 2008]

Darrell is a club DJ who agrees to do a private gig for the birthday of mobster Frank's daughter. Of course there no way that Darrell could have foreseen that there would be a hit on Frank at that point, but that is what happens and Darrell's quick actions saves Frank's life. Frank needs more protection for his family but finds that his daughter is not too keen on the idea of having a fat Italian bodyguard accompany her to yoga class and lunch with the girls. Dolly picks Darrell as her guard, who accepts the job. With the ever present threat of attack, Darrell focuses on protecting Dolly, but neither of them thought that they also needed to protect their hearts.

It should have warned me when this film had its UK terrestrial premier in the wee small hours of a weeknight, but I dipped into it anyway. Others have already slated this saying how terrible it is but I will say that if you watch it from a distance it does look professional enough and it is clear that money has been spent putting it all together. The problems begin far below the surface though, in particular the material. What we have is an uneasy mix of genres with gangster, music, comedy, forbidden love and action but none of it functions either together or individually. So the overall sweep just doesn't flow and is the cinematic equivalent of a socially awkward man trying to fit in at a party but never once looking comfortable or like he belongs. The plot just doesn't work and while a mafia plot is on the back shelf we get Darrell flirting with girls, going to yoga, meeting the family etc. It is all clunky stuff ad is as dull as it is pained.

The cast are a mix of those that should know better and those who probably couldn't have done more with a better film. Raymond is good at what he does but "what he does" should not include acting. He is in this for his name to market it to his fans but otherwise he is a wooden presence without any screen presence charisma or delivery. Palminteri plays a good sport but like Davi and a few others he should not be in this dreck. Chriqui is pretty but that is where it ends here. The script makes them all look good though by handing a terrible "w*gger" character to Fazio, who makes it as embarrassing and horrible as it was on paper. It is not an actor's film and it was a mess long before they turned up on set.

In the Mix is a poor star vehicle that thinks consistency just means having the same people on the screen for the whole film. The tone and style is all over the place and none of it works, feeling uncomfortable and unnatural throughout. If you're an Usher fan then don't bother – listen to an album instead, everyone else without this hook should know to avoid.