Fifty Shades of Black (DVD)

Stars: Marlon Wayans, Kali Hawk, Affion Crockett, Jane Seymour, Andrew Bachelor, Florence Henderson, Jenny Zigrino, Fred Willard, Mike Epps

Director: Michael Tiddes

Wayans, doubling as producer and cowriter with Rick Alvares, is “millionaire control freak” Christian Black. That establishes his character and the intended level of comedy right from the start when he turns bag-snatcher, then runs off with an expensive suit and climaxes by stealing a car.

Enter virginal student Kali Hawk who, described by one of Wayans’ minions as “The college bitch”, arrives to interview him for her school newspaper and ends up being drawn into Wayans’ lurid, lewd life of sex and sadism.

Wayans’ early line “Who wrote this shit – a third grader?” is as good a review as any of a sleazy, smutty and painfully unfunny farrago whose ingredients (in no particular order of offensiveness) include a series of increasingly witless gags triggered when Hawk is trapped in a sex machine and various locksmiths are called in to try and free her.

Alan Frank

USA 2016. UK Distributor: Vertigo. Colour.
87 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 3, Violence/Horror 2, Drugs 2, Swearing 1.

Review date: 07 Jul 2016