Not good....Period.


After 10 years, I actually sat down to watch this film. I remember how my best friend kept saying you need to see this. I really found nothing positive in this film. To be a film produced by any studio, it was not very good. However this was the first attempt at production for the "Edmonds". Outside of "Soul Food" the series, the "Edmonds" have not done much serious production. "Soul Food" the film and "Light It Up" did look better, but that's it.

Back to this plot stricken film that lacks continuity and direction. Simply put "What The *beep* Is He Saying?" What is the storyline? What is he trying to say? I just watched it with my wife and 14 year old daughter. All three of us kept saying throughout the film what is the point? Where is it going? Why does he love this girl? Why does this girl keep him around? Why do the women berate him, then turn around and act like he is the second coming? Does he wash his clothes once during this film? Hell, he only washed his a$$ once in the film over a seemingly 3 day period! It says "A Year Later". It really looks like it took place a year later, because he put on a lot of weight.

Where was the character development? Are all middle class black people just a bunch of bourgeois, pretentious, no-direction fools? These people are made to look similar to the Huge Stereotype of all British people being a bunch of clueless, simple, middle-class eccentrics, with the only difference being that this group is quite foul with their language.

I did not laugh once. To call this a Love Story....Whatever!!! Go see Love Jones and get back to me. Hell the movie even had the gall to crack on Jason's Lyric. It wasn't an Oscar film either, but it is watchable. This film had "SOME" elements of "Sprung" by Rusty Cundieff. I know they both are around the same time, so did he "get inspiration" from or give it to that movie. Either way "Sprung" even with its over the top humor was easier to sit through and much better overall.

He kept saying that this is a true story...if it was, he should have wrote the TRUTH or told someone what happened and let a REAL screenplay person develop the story. He sold out only a little to get the girl and the movie, he says. If so she is just a gold-digger!!! Where is the love in that?!!!

I "HAV PLENTY" more to say, but I know I "HAV" said enough.

PS If you want to know why I don't Like "Soul Food" the movie, see the "The Itis" episode of the Boondocks. Now that was real.

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After 10 years, I actually sat down to watch this film. I remember how my best friend kept saying you need to see this. I really found nothing positive in this film.>>>>>>>>

Where was the character development? Are all middle class black people just a bunch of bourgeois, pretentious, no-direction fools? These people are made to look similar to the Huge Stereotype of all British people being a bunch of clueless, simple, middle-class eccentrics, with the only difference being that this group is quite foul with their language.>>>>>>>>>>>

I did not laugh once. To call this a Love Story....Whatever!!! Go see Love Jones and get back to me. Hell the movie even had the gall to crack on Jason's Lyric. It wasn't an Oscar film either, but it is watchabable.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I agree with the points you made above. I too had a friend who 'raved' about this movie ten years ago, I never got around to seeing it. I just saw it last week on encore and was really disappointed. I felt nothing for any of the characters. This movie came out at the the end of the 90's when there was a resurgence of black middle class themed movies like 'The Best Man", 'The Wood', 'Love Jones'.
It fell short. One of my favorite black love stories is 'Love and Basketball' great character development and good story, Hav Plenty was PLENTY disappointing.

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The lack of character development or the dialogue? I say both.

And am I the only one that can't empathize with any of the characters, mainly the passive, unmotivated, one-dimensional lead character?

This movies sucks...

Million Dollar Baby Academy Award® Winner for Best Picture of 2004

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[deleted]

I can't deny the admiralty of the making of this picture either.

Million Dollar Baby Academy Award® Winner for Best Picture of 2004

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I agree. I Just saw the movie again (after about 10 yrs or so), and I must say, I have a better appreciation for the overall movie itself, as opposed to when I originally saw the movie (on cable also) back when it seemed like all our "Black films" were either about coming of age films, (boys in the hood, ink well, The Wood) or the romantic comedies (Love Jones, Booty Call, Woo, Poetic Justice, etc.). Back then, in the early 90's there was a surge of minority produced films, and/or film-makers, taking advantage of the public's interest in a story of Black life in some capacity. This story was one persons tale of a wild time during the New Year Holiday, with someone whom he's obviously had a crush on for sometime. Instead of feeding us with the typical antics and dialog that comes with the avarage low budget booty chasing type movie, we got clever, realistic dialog, that somehow kept you intrigued with all the characters involved.
Would it had been better accepted if Tyler Perry wrote, directed, and edited the film and had Shamar More, Nia Long, Mekhi Phipher, Lauren Hill starring in the actual movie as depicted in the Movie within the movie? Or even produced and stared with Will Smith, who could have easily did the role of Lee Plenty, if it got in those hands first?
Bottom line, it was a movie. It wasn't supposed to change the world. I've seen worse on the Indepent Movie Channel. Hell, even the reality shows are crappy now, which ironically, I read Mr. Cherot directed a few shows for BET, with College Hill.
Movies are designed to entertain. If you were bored, then hey, that's o.k. But let's give those involved a little credit for not "going there" for the sake of a Buck.

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I agree... This has become my NEW least favorite movie...

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Gotta disagree with everyone. It is a non-traditional love story written from the perspective of a man who is in love with the wrong type of woman. The women kept on throwing themselves at him because he seemed like he couldn't be seduced, therefore he was a challenge to them. Despite Hav's personality, Lee was undeniably in love with her. He could see right through her, and she could see right through him. It was a very subtle love story with the games they were playing with one another. I really like this movie. To each his own.

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Okay, I'm a big softie so I loved HAV PLENTY! LOL!

Okay, yeah I had the biggest crush on Lee Plenty and Hav's baby sister's husband (lmao), but I still thought it was good. When Lee wrote that poem, "Havilland's lips I am thinking..." Damn, I was too through. I still wish someone would write me something like that! haha.

Yeah, Havilland is BEAUTIFUL (Chenoa Maxwell). And so was the girl with no titties. The little sister looked like Chili from TLC (ironically chilli played her in the movie within the movie...lol).

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Hav Plenty is my favorite black oriented movie, period. The reason is because it departs from the stereotyping plots and characterizations that plague black movies, even ones supposedly about middle class characters. It's also refreshing that there wasn't an out of place white character crow-barred into the main cast.

"Love Jones" "Soul Fool" "The Brothers" and other movies of that ilk have always disappointed me because the characters in those movies (Doctors, writers, lawyers and other professionals) didn't talk like educated professionals. Nor did they seem to exhibit any of the sensibilities or interests of educated professionals. Those movies are dumbed-down and "urban-ed up" in keeping with how white hollywood perceives black movie going audiences.

In fact, my only critique of the movie is the score/soundtrack. I think that a jazz score would have been more fitting. However, I don't blame Chris Cherot for that. I'm sure that Babyface and company pressured him into including their "musical" acts in the theatrical release.

Edit: I actually have one other complaint, and I'm sure this is attributable to the banality of Babyface and company as well. The film should have ended as the festival version did, i.e. without the tacked-on "happy ending."

"Hav Plenty" = "Black Annie Hall," end of story.

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I love Babyface but I'm wondering what the film was like before they added music. Although, I thought a few songs fit pretty well.







There is no "i" in tiem...oh wait.

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EXCELLENT POINT, on target

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