The Cookout

The Cookout

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Lance Rivera
Produced by Shakim Compere
Queen Latifah
Screenplay by Laurie B. Turner
Ramsey Gbelawoe
Jeffrey Brian Holmes
Story by Queen Latifah
Shakim Compere
Darryl French
Starring Quran Pender
Ja Rule
Tim Meadows
Eve
Danny Glover
Queen Latifah
Music by Camara Kambon
Cinematography Tom Houghton
Edited by Patricia Bowers
Jeff McEvoy
Production
company
Distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment
Release dates
  • September 3, 2004
Running time
 97 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $16 million[1]
Box office $12,009,070[2]

The Cookout is a 2004 comedy film, directed by Lance Rivera. It is co-written by and features Queen Latifah, and is also the feature film debut for her mother Rita Owens. This was the last film for Farrah Fawcett due to her death in 2009.

Plot

When Todd Anderson (played by Quran Pender) has just signed a $30 million contract with his hometown basketball team the New Jersey Nets, he purchases many new luxuries for himself and his family including a new house in a well established, high class neighborhood for him and his gold digging girlfriend Brittany (played by Meagan Good). Keeping with family tradition, he decides to host a regular family reunion cookout in his new place, however, not planning for it to clash with an important business meeting for an endorsement deal.

Meanwhile, Bling Bling (played by Ja Rule) is jealous that Todd has made it with his basketball contract after being insulted and embarrassed in front of the neighborhood when Todd did not recognize who he was. He plans to get many pairs of sneakers signed by the upcoming star to sell on eBay and become rich. Whilst on his way to Todd's new house, he crashes his car due to his clumsy friend and then tries to steal a new Mercedes from a car park without realizing the car belongs to Todd's girlfriend Brittany. After finding out he holds her at gunpoint and forces her to drive him there.

Although the meeting is scheduled to take place in the morning, and the guests are to arrive in the afternoon, one by one members of Todd's eccentric family begin to arrive before expected disrupting his business interview. The neighbors are drawn to the cookout, and Todd is concerned mainly about his image, as his family's antics are making a poor impression on his neighbors.

When Bling Bling and his criminal sidekick invade the cookout so they can get Todd's autograph, the ensuing chaos makes Todd realize how much he needs his family. He realizes that he loves the family for the way they are and gets a shock by the endorsement interviewer. Todd breaks up with Brittney and marrys Becky and scored 26 points in his debut in New Jersey.

Cast

The Music and soundtrack

While there was no official soundtrack commercially released for the film, there were original songs and remakes of R&B classics included in the picture.

The Cookout main theme "Family Reunion" performed by Noel Gourdin Produced by Kaygee & Terence "Tramp Baby" Abney & written by Balewa Muhammad, Keir Gist, Terence "Tramp Baby" Abney

The Cookout End theme "The Cookout" Performed by Treach (Of Naughty By Nature) & Duganz Produced by Kaygee & Terence "Tramp Baby" Abney & written by Nastacia Kendall, Anthony Treach Criss, Duganz, Keir Gist, Terence "Tramp Baby" Abney

"The Closer I Get to You" Performed by Barbara Wilson, and Romeo Johnson. written by Reggie Lucas and James Mtume Courtesy of Inflx Entertainment. Published by Ensign Music Corp. o/b/o itself and Scarab Publishing Corp. (BMI)

& Cheryl Lynn's "Got To Be Real" Written by David Paich, David Foster, and Cheryl Lynn

Box office

The film opened on 1,303 screens, and opened at #8 in the box office with a gross of $5,000,900. After seven weeks, it ended with a domestic gross of $11,814,019 and made $195,051 from foreign countries, for a total of $12,009,070 world-wide.[3]

Sequel

On September 3, 2011, a sequel, The Cookout 2 premiered on BET. Quran Pender, Ja Rule and Frankie Faison were the only cast members to reprise their roles. Despite the title, the plot itself is not about a cook-out at all. Talk show host Wendy Williams had a brief cameo as reporter Piers Gabriel in the original. In the sequel, she makes a special guest appearance as herself. Charlie Murphy co-stars in the film as Coach Ashmokeem, the brother of Bling Bling (Rule). Rapper Rick Ross also makes a special guest appearance in the film.

References

  1. ↑ "The Cookout Box Office". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  2. ↑ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=cookout.htm
  3. ↑ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=cookout.htm

External links