I love the Wayans’ family, and I honestly don’t think they get enough credit for how wide their impact was/is, despite writing, producing, and starring in some of the best '90s movies centered on Black characters.
Of course you have In Living Color, and the potency of their stellar cast (which of course included Jim Carrey, who’s one of my, and many others, most important actors), but their influence extends much further than that.
Members of the Wayans’ family have individually starred in multiple movies, but this list concerns films with direct connections to the family. So, without further ado…
12. Dance Flick (2012)
Directed by Damien Dante Wayans, and starring multiple members of the Wayans’ family, Dance Flick actually isn’t terrible as long as you know the movies that it’s parodying. Flicks like Footloose, Flashdance, Bring it On, etc, all get nods, and the cast is enthusiastic enough.
However, when it comes to their parody films, Dance Flick just seems the least inspired. And, it’s not like I don’t love dance movies - I actively miss the Step Up series, for instance. But, out of the few parody films they’ve done, this just feels like the weakest.
11. Little Man (2006)
Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, and starring (as well as co-written by) Shawn and Marlon, Little Man is pretty bad, but I enjoy it all the same. It’s about a diminutive jewel thief (Marlon Wayans) who poses as a baby in order to retrieve a diamond. But, he ends up getting adopted, and actually enjoys being a baby.
Yes, that’s the actual plot. The gag wears thin rather quickly, and a lot of the jokes are pretty lame, but I still like it since it almost feels like a The Wayans Bros. (one of my favorite Black sitcoms) reunion, as it stars Shawn, Marlon, and John Witherspoon, and that alone makes it better than Dance Flick.
10. White Chicks (2004)
Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and starring Shawn and Marlon again, White Chicks is an early 2000’s movie that probably wouldn’t be made in today’s climate. That’s because Shawn and Marlon don whiteface as they play two undercover FBI agents who foil a kidnapping plot.
White Chicks is only marginally better than Little Man, as most of the jokes center around two Black dudes playing into all of the rich white girl stereotypes that you might expect. There are a few humorous scenes, many of which involve Terry Crews, but overall, the Wayans’ crew have exhibited sharper wit.
9. A Low Down Dirty Shame (1994)
Written and directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, A Low Down Dirty Shame is part comedy, part action film, and it doesn’t handle either particularly well. The film centers around Shame (Keenen Ivory Wayans), a private eye who is out to clear his name after a botched takedown of a drug kingpin ended up getting many of his partners killed.
What makes the movie work, though, is his relationship with his assistant, Peaches, played by Jada Pinkett Smith. They play off of each other’s energy, and the film is fairly quick-paced, so even if it’s not the best, at least it’s mostly engaging.
8. Mo' Money (1992)
Directed by Peter Macdonald, but written by (And starring!) Damon Wayans, along with his brother, Marlon, Mo’ Money is an odd movie in the Wayans’ filmography. It involves a con man (Damon Wayans) trying to win the heart of a woman he just met (Stacey Dash, of Clueless-fame), and he attempts to go straight…sort of.
Because that’s the thing, Mo’ Money often doesn’t know whether it wants to be a drama or a comedy. I think it does a more effective job than A Low Down Dirty Shame in carving out an identity for itself (the jokes are a little better, for instance), but not by much.
7. Major Payne (1995)
Directed by Nick Castle, but starring Damon Wayans, front and center, I have a lot of fond memories of Major Payne. The story of a military man who wants to kill, kill, kill, but can’t because there aren’t any current wars at the moment, Major Payne gets discharged, but finds civilian life too hard. Fortunately, he’s given a bunch of youth cadets to train to win a competition, and he learns to love them in the process.
Mayor Payne is really silly, and Damon Wayans is hilarious. The film honestly wouldn’t work without him, and his ridiculous performance is one for the ages. I just wish everything else around him was nearly as good.
6. Blankman (1994)
Directed by Mike Binder, and starring Damon Wayans as Blankman, as well as David Alan Grier as Other Guy (which still makes me laugh), Blankman is utterly ridiculous in the best sort of way. Think Kick-Ass (which is getting rebooted, believe it or not), in that he's a makeshift superhero, but the film doesn’t have a serious bone in its body.
The story concerns a nerd in long johns who fights crime, only to get the attention of the mob on his tail. It’s full of silly gadgets, and jokes every five seconds or so, and I love this movie. I can understand how people might think that it’s not very good (the plot is pretty predictable), but this, Howard the Duck, and Big Trouble in Little China were usually on repeat in my household.
5. I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988)
Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans (In his directorial debut), the film’s plot is kick started when a man finds that his brother died from overdosing on gold chains. Yes, you read that right. Because I’m Gonna Git You Sucka is a parody film, this time riffing on blaxploitation films of the ‘70s.
The plot really doesn’t matter, as the gags come fast and furious. The thing is, though, unlike a lot of their other parody films, I’m Gonna Git You Sucka doesn’t so much parody any one film. Instead, it parodies an entire genre. This makes it feel more like it’s poking fun at stereotypes in general, which works, but not as well as some of the Wayans’ family's more film-specific parodies. It’s still pretty funny, though.
4. Hollywood Shuffle (1987)
Directed by Robert Townsend, but co-written by Keenen Ivory Wayans, Hollywood Shuffle is about an aspiring Black actor (Townsend) who struggles to find roles since he’s often seen as not being black enough. The film is told in comical vignettes (my favorite is a section where Townsend starts turning into Eddie Murphy), and it’s successful at showcasing the more race-based side of Hollywood.
I was actually considering leaving Hollywood Shuffle off this list since it’s much more a Robert Townsend film than a Wayans family film, but this movie, and Eddie Murphy’s Raw, were really the jumping off point for the Wayans’ family (plus, Keenen Ivory and Damon are both in it), so, I thought I’d include it here. It’s really sharp and funny, and gives off serious American Fiction-vibes, but decades prior.
3. Don't Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood (1996)
Another parody film – this time of gangster films of the ‘90 – Don’t Be A Menace…is my favorite of theirs. Once again, the plot is mostly inconsequential. What makes this one shine so much, though, is just how out there the comedy gets for this one.
Some of the films it parodies are South Central, Juice…pretty much all of the films referenced in the title! But, what makes this one more effective than I’m Gonna Git You Sucka is that it’s ten times funnier if you’ve actually seen those movies.
Shawn and Marlon are at their funniest (And Bernie Mac as well, in a short scene!), and I would put this at the top, if not for two other movies.
2. Scary Movie 2 (2001)
When I ranked all five Scary Movies, I put Scary Movie 2 at number 2, and I stand by that decision. The story centers on the surviving characters from the first movie going to a haunted house, and that’s pretty much it.
This one focuses on supernatural movie parodies this time, and since it uses both then-modern horror, like The Haunting remake and What Lies Beneath, as well as classic horror, like Poltergeist, and The Amityville Horror, all the jokes still hold up extremely well today. This movie definitely gets some of the Wayans’ family's biggest laughs.
1. Scary Movie (2000)
Here’s the thing. The original Scary Movie feels much more dated than Scary Movie 2, since its references were very of the moment when it came out (one of its best gags references the “Whaz-up?” Budweiser commercials), but every single line of dialogue is so funny, it doesn’t even matter.
Parodying slasher movies in this first film in the franchise, Scary Movie is almost abstract at times with its gonzo humor. Anna Faris makes for a perfect Jennifer Love Hewitt stand-in, and all of the actors are on their A-game with this one. Twenty-four years later, and it still makes me belly laugh.
What’s your favorite Wayans’ family movie?
