Kingdom Come
Kingdom Come ★★ 2001 (PG)
The death of an African-American family's patriarch brings archetypical relatives from near and far for the funeral. There's the wise, saintly widow (Goldberg), the stoic, hardworking son (LL Cool J) and his eager-to-please wife (Fox), the ne'er-do-well son (Anderson) and his shrewish wife (Pinkettt-Smith), the Bible-thumper (Devine), and the gold-digger (Braxton). Throw in an over-officious and unfortunately flatulent preacher (Cedric), let simmer, and bring to a boil. Most of the humor comes from the over-the-top renditions of the characters, as well as the aforementioned gastrointestinal distress, but it keeps getting in the way of the serious, and well-done drama between the at-odds family members. The swings in tone and mood are jarring, but the ride is made easier by the stellar performances, highlighted by LL Cool J's breakout as the eldest son. 89m/C VHS, DVD . US LL Cool J, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox, Loretta Devine, Anthony Anderson, Cedric the Entertainer, Darius McCrary, Whoopi Goldberg, Toni Braxton, Masasa, Clifton Davis, Richard Gant, Doug McHenry; D: Doug McHenry; W: Jessie Jones, David Bottrell; C: Francis Kenny; M: Tyler Bates.