Review of:Code Name: The Cleaner (2007)
Director:Les Mayfield
Rating:PG-13 for sexual content, crude humor and some violence.
Starring:Cedric The Entertainer, Lucy Liu, Nicollette Sheridan, Callum Keith Rennie, DeRay Davis
If you’ve had the chance to watch Cedric the Entertainer in action the one thing you could say with certainty is that the man is funny. Not the type of funny that makes you roll out of your seat mind you, but funny, spill a bit of popcorn when you watch him in action. The movie Codename: The Cleaner does not venture far from what we have come to expect from the solid comedian (no pun intended).
Cedric the Entertainer (Barbershop, Johnson Family Vacation, Be Cool) stars as Jake, a seemingly regular guy who wakes up in a hotel room with a bump on his head next to a dead body and a briefcase containing $250,000 in cash. To add to his dilemma, Jake can’t remember how he got there or who he is. His newly acquired life complications are pushed to the outer limits when the mysterious Diane (Nicollette Sheridian) arrives saying that she is his wife, and when Gina (Lucy Liu), a waitress, claims to be his girlfriend. It doesn’t help matters any when Jake decides that he is a CIA agent codenamed: the cleaner. Can Jake find out who he is and save the day before this mystery surrounding him becomes his undoing?
Cedric the Entertain does a competent job as Jake, and we are left wondering throughout the whole film if he is really a secret agent or something a little less hip. The situations that he is put in are believable, and the director (Les Mayfield) seems to have a good handle on what works for Cedric, and what doesn’t. To his credit he directs Cedric to much more of the first. The addition of Nicollette Sheridian of Desperate Housewife fame was nice, although throughout the movie she looks aged beyond her years. Her portrayal of a hot wife is hindered a bit by this discovery (it became the main topic of conversation between me and my wife during her seduction scene).
Cedric seems to have a real rappore with Lucy Liu, and you can almost see the laughter in their face while they are trying to convince us of the seriousness of everything going on. The laughter in the film is spread evenly throughout which allows for no dull moments.
If asked about the film I would say that it was good, although I suspect that it would play better on regular television. For your hard earned money this is the type of film that should be seen at matinee time. Don’t buy any popcorn or drinks because the film keeps you laughing.
