First Sunday Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
Durell and LeeJohn are best friends and bumbling petty criminals. When told they have one week to pay a $17,000 debt or Durell will lose his son, they come up with a desperate scheme to rob their neighborhood church. Instead, they end up spending the night in the presence of the Lord and are forced to deal with much more than they bargained for.
| David Arnold | Wheelchair thief |
| Michael Beach | |
| P.J. Byrne | |
| Paul Campbell | |
| Ice Cube | Durell |
| Antwone Dickey | Pirate |
| Calvin Harrison | Officer Perry |
| Trae Ireland | Himself |
| Roy Jackson | Boyfriend |
| Ken-Ali | Church goer |
| Chi McBride | |
| Tracy Morgan | LeeJohn |
| Clifton Powell | |
| Reynaldo Rey | |
| C.J. Sanders | Durell Jr. |
| David E. Talbert |
2.80 out of 10 (2891 votes)
Visitor Reviews
fun performances can't quite overcome uneven script
posted on 18 Aug 2009A very appealing cast is left with little to work with in "First Sunday," a manufactured comedy whose script fails to rise to the level of its actors. Desperate for some quick cash, Durell and LeeJohn come up with a scheme to break into a local church and carry off the fund earmarked for the construction of a new building. Unfortunately, this seemingly simple robbery quickly turns into a complicated hostage situation when a dozen or so of the most prominent church members unexpectedly show up on the scene."First Friday" does elicit a few hearty laughs, due, in large part, to its game cast and the occasional funny line scattered in and amongst the numerous clunkers. Ice Cube effectively plays straight man to Tracy Morgan's endearingly bumbling sidekick, and they, together with the other actors, help to comprise a fine comic ensemble. The problem lies in a screenplay which often goes for the obvious joke over something truly original or clever, and which pours on the syrup to alarming proportions near the end just to ensure the movie its status as a morally upright, "feel-good" comedy.It's a harmless enough little diversion if you have some time to kill, but the company is far more appetizing than what it is they're dishing up.
The Humor Is Found If You've Been Part of a Black Church
posted on 25 Jul 2009I got this movie because my wife likes movies that come out of the Black culture---I'd read all the reviews, which were uniformly negative. But we watched it together.I'm glad I did. I'm one of those rare White pastors who has had the honor of serving as pastor of an African-American congregation. The comments about how this movie is "stereotypical" reflect a very Anglo view of life that has never been part of a Black church. The movie lifted up the humor of how Black churches work, and the sort of folks often found in them.The Writer/Director grew up in a family of preachers. He was trying to show both the humor of what people are like in African-American churches, and how some positive male role models are needed in the Black community; men who care about their sons, may make mistakes, but will always try to do the right thing. To expect Ice Cube to be a "comedian" in this movie is to misunderstand his role: he was trying to do the right thing in the midst of craziness. He played the straight man, and left the comedy to others.Those who look at this movie in the light of the way most Hollywood stories are reviewed didn't get it. Those who have never been part of a church community didn't get it. THIS WAS A CHURCH MOVIE! Taken on its own terms, it was a joy.
Sad, sad little movie!
posted on 19 Jul 2009I was on my way to see Sweeney Todd but when I got to the theater,I had missed the show time. Instead of waiting for two hours, I decided to go with First Sunday, whose commercial were semi-funny. I sat in the theater for an hour and a half with an expression of solid boredom. This was a sad, sad excuse for a movie. I had better hopes for Ice Cube but he fell short. The only funny moments were of Katt Williams, and those few moments were featured on the commercials. I am not a bigot. According to the previous comment, I am. Sorry but I call it like I see it, and that was stupid stupid movie. I had to sit with a large group of individuals who, like me, obviously hated the film. None of my watch-mates laughed during the film and neither did I. It makes me quite sad to see what comedy has come to these days. I remember the days when a comedic film would have me in fits of laughter. What is the film world going to.
Shamelessly deeding stereotypes on screen!
posted on 23 Jun 2009With scenes pumping off like in a TV show, this film exposes an urban community with an appeal that's worst off than the dirty red-light districts in some cities. The film blares with loud music that seeming competes with noise from the loud-mouthed characters. The Writer/Director brings out a Baltimore community, inhabited by either dysfunctional characters or low-based folks – gangsters, masseurs, street alcoholics, homeless folks, macho men who can't resist glaring at female bottoms, and those who fill their time in an overheated church where the choir director maneuvers around like a court jester and any one dressed like a manicured, fruity dude could be troublesome! Even the court room has the appeal of a noisy street market! Hhhmh, what a pathetic way to portray a community… especially when it's so absurd to see Ice Cube's Durell – a man obviously with brains and talent – so easily becoming enticed to crime by his dysfunctional pal, LeeJohn, or having nothing better to do than be obsessed by a female's wriggling rear end.Boy, aren't we getting rather bored with film after film that makes excuses for irresponsible bums who turn into gun-trotting robbers just because they are short of cash or are being hounded by ugly loan sharks? Boy, it's even more freakish to have to watch misfits turning over a new leaf by some lonely old church ladies with ogling eyes! Absolutely a lame movie without any witty humor, but with lots of unflattering stereotypical clichés to attempt at drawing out laughs… and where events and characters flow and end at very predictable expectations. Yep, this film is simply overloaded with non-complimentary logic and ugly characterization of an urban community!
Funny, but only in very isolated parts.
posted on 15 Jun 2009So, it turns out "blaxploitation" films are still alive and well, and these days cast Ice Cube, Katt Williams and Tracy Morgan in the leading roles.This offensive film parades just about every stereotype about African Americans that you can get away with while still maintaining a PG-13 rating. That translates into a ghetto setting curiously devoid of drug dealers and crack whores. There is one character who dresses like a pimp, but I'm convinced that was because of a mix-up in wardrobe, rather than a deliberate attempt at authenticity.What is inexcusably absent though is a discernible plot. The screenplay seems to be a weak attempt to re-purpose the flimsy dramatic premise that powers "Die Hard", but relocating it in a church and mashing some Agatha Christie mystery elements for good measure.What emerges then, in place of a plot, is a severely frayed thread, ambitiously intended to link together a series of set pieces where the various performers deliver signature material - kind of like what you'd find at a school concert, only less coherent."First Sunday" does have some funny moments and to be fair, the family did chuckle about the movie for a couple of days after watching it. So think of this movie as a set of toppings in search of a (first) sundae.
What a piece of crap!
posted on 18 Apr 2009I went into the theater, sat down with my popcorn, saw 25 minutes and then left the theater. In fact, I should have left 15 minutes sooner. Where to start with this crap of a movie. First, the characters are so lazy that you have no sympathy for them. Whaaaa! I don't like my job! Whaaaa! Well who does?! Whaaaa! The boss orders me around. Whaaa! So of course, they turn to crime and surprise! They get caught. They get 5000 hours of community service from the judge instead of jail time. That's where all the fun is suppose to begin but none of that happened. It was just one long tedious boredom after another.Ice Cube: You better stick with Barbershop 3,4,5,... Or better yet, why don't you come out with a new album instead of scaring us with your crummy acting ability.Tracy Morgan and Kat Williams: It's back to stand-up gigs again!
Not bad.. but not that great...
posted on 15 Nov 2008This movie was like that one paper you wrote in high school. You stayed up all night working on it, but still could only pull out a C+..I don't know why this movie needs to be about white or black (say some of the peeps reviewing it) or if you rate it low you're a bigot or if you really like it, you're a minister @ a church etc.... I'm white and I enjoyed it, just not enough to give it a 9 or 10. And while I love Tracy Morgan, Kat Williams and I-Cube.. I thought the plot was not that interesting and the funny moments were few and far between.. Sure, it had its redeeming values.. but the movie didn't know whether to be a comedy or a redemption flick. So it tried to be both..The one part I absolutely loved and that really touched me was when Tracy's character says that he had never had a birthday celebration because the foster care place lost his birth certificate. Wow.. Talk about sad.. I actually almost started crying, because it was so emotional and I had never heard of anyone not celebrating a birthday ever.
church comedy: this one doesn't work
posted on 13 Nov 2008This movie was not entertaining in the least. It was quite bad, but I wouldn't call it one of the worst films I've seen. In this movie, Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan play two semi losers, whom keep getting in trouble with the law. Cube's ex is planning to move his son out of state because she can't afford the house payments. She owes thousands. Cube comes up with a brilliant idea to rip of a church to pay her bills to keep his son close by. He gets help with his rather dysfunctional partner, Morgan, whom one could call Tweedle Dumb. They hold some of the church members hostage only to find out someone has already stolen money from the church. They try to find out who has the money while trying not to feel so guilty talking to his son. As one would expect, the two realize ripping of a church is not such a good idea and it takes a lot of friends to get off on hostage charges. Is the money found, does Cube get to keep his son nearby. I say who cares because this movie has no surprising twists.FINAL VERDICT: Terrible, don't know how it even got made.
A Comedy Movie That Became Serious
posted on 26 Oct 2008Reynaldo Rey had the first line in this movie. You can't lose in a movie with fly Regina Hall and fly Melinda Williams. We all should have known that Michael Beach's character, the deacon stole some of the money from the church. This movie was zany and hilarious. Until some serious plots started to happen. The little boy who was with Loretta Devine's character said he was waiting for his mother who left him to come back. And Tracy Morgan's character never had a birthday party because the foster home lost his birth certificate. Plus Ice Cube robbing a church so his baby's mother wouldn't take his son to Atlanta. Olivia Cole from Roots acted for the first time this millennium in this movie!
HAAAAHlarious and touching
posted on 02 Sep 2008For me, the film not only presented the humorous side it needed to for the comedy genre but it also touched in some real issues which gives the dramatic style too. The strongest messages are about desperation, redemption, salvation and... love of thyself. The whole church robbery is just the backdrop and nothing more. People of all walks of life have escapes from whatever and will continually find to them no matter. The film is not preachy nor pushy. It's really very motivating if you've ever been frustrated with any given situation and how yow can/will impact it's outcome. Talbert & the cast's intention, seemingly, was to take one bad outlook on a few situations and tell a story of how it can be changed with a lot of hope and just letting go.Durrell & LeeJohn both have issues as seen but so do the other people throughout this film. Each church member and/or viewer could leave with a better outlook on life as well with the mere re-evaluation of values. The film's flow, delivery and continuity are almost 99.8% on cue. Sometime if you see someone else's pain, it can make you re-examine your own. If you plan to see this film, please do this. Clear your brain of all preconceived notions of the cast, the director, anyone's review(s) and of things like racism, church, politricks and social issues. Doing this may give you a whole new perspective of your own life. If you enter in bias, you will leave in bias. What a waste of your time & money, huh?
Hilarious just doesn't cut it
posted on 07 Aug 2008This has to be the funniest movie i have see in a long time. I have never seen a film that has had the entire auditorium laughing so hysterically from the beginning to the end. Katt Williams is the major contributor to the comedy but Tracy Morgan was a whole lot funnier than i expected, its been a long time since SNL, but its good to see he still hasn't lost his comedic touch. But IMDb wont let me post this unless its 1000 words so I'm just gonna copy and paste this sentence. But IMDb wont let me post this unless its 1000 words so I'm just gonna copy and paste this sentence. But IMDb wont let me post this unless its 1000 words so I'm just gonna copy and paste this sentence.
Few laughs and a lot of Camp.
posted on 22 Jul 2008First Sunday is about two losers played by Ice Cube and Tracey Morgan. The two guys go through life getting in trouble with the law again and again. The courtroom scenes feature a white prosecutor and a black female defense attorney, there's one funny moment between them in the first courtroom scene. Ice Cubes character tries to do good but Tracey Morgan keeps getting them into trouble, so in this clique ridden film what happens? They need to get money to buy themselves out of trouble and to stop Ice Cubes kid from moving. They decide to steal it from a church, thats when the movie finally takes off, halfway through the movie. Katt Williams is funny but he tries too hard. It becomes a whodunit for a few minutes. Long story short, the Deacon of the church was stealing the money anyways, so the Judge lets Morgan and Cube go, they reform blah blah blah. OK, I thought it could've been a lot funnier, it was too preachy and unoriginal. It really seemed like a Christian movie, which is who it was made for the Tyler Perry fan base. Williams, Morgan and Cube have all been better, this was a letdown and a waste of 5 bucks. If you're a bud head or a Christian you might like it. If you're a Republican or a Cineast you'll probably hate it.
My Review
posted on 20 Jul 2008"First Sunday" is a film about two down-and-out gentlemen living in the hoods of Baltimore. They've been to court several times, and the one is about to lose his son because he can't provide alimony for him.Then they come up with a totally hair-brained scheme...rob a church. So they do, but in the process they discover that someone else already robbed it, so they hold the congregation hostage until someone confesses to the crime.The humor in the film is lacking, but the heart is clearly visible. You feel for these criminals, and as their hostage standoff prolongs, they begin to realize what type of people they really are, and learn a valuable lesson in forgiveness."First Sunday" is a good, heartfelt comedy that delivers the laughs and the compassion.
not "friday after next" but definitely good old family fun
posted on 18 Jul 2008first of all i do not get some of the reviews here( probably because as some admit have not seen this feature to the end). well i did and overall i was pleased, actually the morality tale is very good just simplified probably because of the need to get a pg-13 rating. this however gets only 6 stars because the Rickey character ( ice cube's partner) which has some wacky lines at best unfortunately reminding me of the idiotic "scarry movie" franchise and alike. also in the church scenes there are some parts that are too soap-oprah, even if i can see the good intentions in that. i add an extra star because the original and refreshing flavor ice cube brings to the industry, with a blend of jokes that at surface seem very simplistic but combining them with the "other" ice cube gives those very jokes a new dimension , sometimes very deep ones and very sarcastic at that as well.then again, i consider sarcasm the best joke ever told because ,unlike just a "funny" one, it has generally a morality tale that might just teach(or preach) something, someone, somewhere...now there is another reason this movie did not do good. everyone probably knows ice cube for his "toughest persona" as i do, from his old school rap with hits such as ".... the police" or "gangsta rap made me do it". therefore "gangsta" fans would be probably disappointed by this. actually if one takes a closer look at ALL ice cube movies since barber shop, one can see that he really does not condone violence at all. better yet, ALL the "tough" "gangsta" characters in his features are made "fun" of as not being "cool" at all, sometimes outright "stupid" ones. but unlike the mainstream media ice cube does not blame violence be invoking FEAR, or disturbing behavior. just like in his very political songs , the fear factor is always played on only to invoke "rightfull" repression. and one familiar with his activism can see how skillful he is able to stay away from THAT "disturbing" behavior in itself.furthermore, while this feature is not as good as "Friday after next" when it comes to having hilarious jokes (i miss Mike Epps to be truly with you here,Katt Williams does not even come close to fitting his shoes)there is a bit more "soul" here. this is a very much family movie , quiet naive i might add but as i said before, simplifying issues does make it more on everyone understanding. but that requires that the viewer see it to the end. there is one scene i personally do not like it. the one that inserts an indirect commercial for play station...well i hope at least he got paid for it, and the viewers will know to "avoid" too deep thoughts on that one...as last words, i like ice cube overall. he is not a great actor, but he always gives me the vibe of being natural. after all, when you telling "hood" stories no "class" acting would help since this is about reality and not "art"( art being a subject of personalization and subjectivity, but not of that as reality is on the "ground"). this will entertain you, i might add "good old family fun". not one of my favorites( Friday after next remains the top one so far) but definitely a better one out there comparing it to the dumb "meet the Spartans" for example.
A good comedy
posted on 12 Jun 2008The movie can really touch with its emotional aspect, which consist of the old motive that money can't always buy anything. There are some good in the hood laughs, but not worth to remember. I personally think that Ice Cube can do better, and he can achieve something more great the "Friday" series.His acting is getting better and better, but he should try to change the plot of his movies or maybe a drastic change in his character.At all, this movie production is not something amazing,but this is not its main mission. It's just a good comedy, that can waste your time, without wasting its limit. By the way its worth nothing the fact that there are some really funny characters that are really moving the thing in this production. Like the chore director for example, or the priest.Actually this is the main element that makes me rate the movie at a more high score. It seems that almost everything was half-baked- the plot is good, but could have been better, and the actors a re funny,but could be funnier.
Not the worst movie I've seen
posted on 21 May 2008Well, I think the rating on here of 2.7 thusfar is probably a little low, but this movie certainly doesn't have much going for it nonetheless. It's not original at all, and in terms of being a comedy, did little more than make me smile at a line or two. But it is rather harmless, and it does try to have a positive message. Frankly, I think the writer/director was trying to imitate Tyler Perry, and did so rather poorly. There's even a character in one scene that appears to be a male actor impersonating an older female (though the character mysteriously disappears with no explanation). All in all, I wouldn't recommend this, but if you're looking for something to watch with the kids, they might enjoy it, and won't come away traumatized.
Subpar Comedy
posted on 19 May 2008Let me see: It's January, and a film is released with a recognizable star and an obvious audience. Should be a winner? Nah! Not for nothing is this called the "dead season" or the "dumping ground" because almost all the films released at this time are potential losers, films deemed by their owners weak for a variety of reasons, but most certainly heading for panning by the critics.First Sunday, a heist film set in a church, fulfills all the requirements for this notorious time of year: The plot is thin and almost silly: a couple of slackers decide to rob a local church in order to pay debts or salvage a family, mixing guilt with almost innocence; Ice Cube stars against his type as a robber with at heart and he produces, an act that guarantees this weak film distribution.Yet, I liked First Sunday well enough to keep it from my slag heap of grade F. I liked the sub-textual seriousness of kids without dads, dads dealing with unemployment and disrespect, and mundane church matters. In addition, Cube (Durell) has a solid persona, not varying much each film, of an intelligent, serious but secretly warmhearted guy, a working stiff who just hasn't had the right breaks.His sidekick LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan) provides the feckless, goofy, but lovable klutz, whose heart is bigger than Durell's. Beyond reasonable humor is Katt Williams' Rickey, a choirmaster with loopy observations and mannerisms. The women in the congregation serve as enablers for the errant crooks, and in one case, as major eye candy. Most of the characters in the film are shameless stereotypes.The responsibility for this sub par comedy rests with writer director David E. Talbert, whose more that a dozen successful plays with heavy social themes remind of the success Tyler Perry has had with a similar profile. But Talbert lacks Perry's refinement of style and substance that deftly mixes broad comedy with social concerns. Talbert may never reach the success of Perry, but he should keep trying because social comedy is a powerful part of our popular culture.
Not as bad as I thought it would be.
posted on 17 May 2008Ice Cube's films have been getting worse and worse over the past few years with the recent and incredibly awful 'Are We Done Yet?' being one of the biggest offenders of the entire lot. With that, I didn't go into this one with big expectations, and I actually got a little bit more than what I bargained for because of it. The film has a solid story that has a lot of heart, but it's in very bad need of a rewrite. The laughs aren't gut busting, but I don't think they were intended to be--I think this was supposed to be an emotional drama about personal introspection, community bonding, and individuals returning to God; but unfortunately, the script comes close but not close enough. This could have been a much better film if only a little more time and TLC had been put into it by it's creators. Instead, it ends up being better than a lot of Cube's other recent offerings, but not by very much. It's worth a one-time rental, and that's about it.
Ha.
posted on 07 May 2008Let me first start off by saying this movie kept true to the words of the bible and kept the sabbath day holy, as this movies plot was riddled with them. If you wondering why I have "HA." as my summary title that is because at the time i read that they called this movie a comedy under genre. This movie has about as much comedy as Roots (and no I did not find Roots remotely funny). So first let me start with the plot. This story is completely messed up. First off lets start with something i noticed off the bat while watching the movie. A man in the movie (spoilers) is blind and cleans the church at nights. This doesn't bother as much as the point that in one part of the movie he is able to walk by a gun within mere inches of his face and not notice it, yet later in the movie is able to find a bag of money which no one else can. Another thing in the movie that i only realized happened afterwards was that two characters were completely missing for half the movie. In one scene there is the character of a woman in a greenish shirt with black dots on her shirt played by comedian Rickey Smiley who is a man. Her character another character who is sitting next to her in a church meeting they are having, completely disappear within minutes. The director didn't even bother to show where they had gone. Another thing that i hated about this movie was the acting. Ice Cubes performance rivals Clitista Flockhart's performance when she stared in Ally McFeal. Not only were his drama scenes unconvincing, they were the funniest parts of this movie (not really a good thing). Another thing that bothered me was Tracy Morgan and Katt Williams. They are put in the movie for comedic relief and do not deliver. They act in this movie exactly the same way the acted in previous movies they were in such as Who's your Caddy? or Gone with the Wind. By now i hope you noticed that i hated this movie. The acting ability is equal to that of someone in a elementary school play, the plot has more holes than a pasta drainer, and the jokes aren't present. Im just hoping they called this movie First Sunday for some other reason than to open the possibilities for a Second Sunday. I would recommend this movie to no one unless you are a amateur in the movie industry, whether it be a director, actor, or even producer, and want to know what not to do. In that case this is a good movie to watch as i shows how not to act nor how to direct a movie. If you aren't one of mentioned people, Stay Away!!!.
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Entertaining
posted on 22 Aug 2009It was supposed to be entertaining. I doubt Ice Cube is crossing all fingers and toes that he'll get an Oscar nod. Lighten up! Big deal.Not every movie has to be a groundbreaking blockbuster hit. The inspirational messages (considered silly by some) might hit certain people that didn't anticipate getting a message from the movie. Momma T talking to Ice Cube at the end was a great message and the teens that might see this movie need to hear it. Lots of teens will see this movie I'm sure and they will walk away with a positive message, who knows. If you saw this movie and were disappointed in it, you must have had sky high hopes and it was CLEAR AS DAY what the movie was going to be like in the commercials. If you think you wasted your time, you need to pay more attention to commercials before going out to the theater. Come on man!But to me, Katt Williams made it worth while, he never fails me.