Girl Takes Boy Home to “Meet the Parents” in Christian-Oriented Comedy
Just because a sitcom is faith-based, doesn’t necessarily make it recommended as family-oriented fare. Case in point, Keepin’ the Faith: My Baby’s Getting Married, a blackface version of Meet The Parents. With a plot that will surprise no one familiar with that Robert De Niro-Ben Stiller hit, this flick also revolves around an awkward guy trying to win the approval of the father of the woman he wants to wed.
Soon after the point of departure, we find Wayne (Zora Bikangaga), a recent law school grad, literally dropping to one knee to propose to his girlfriend, Michelle (Sophia Easely). The nerdy attorney wants to tie the knot even though she tends to tease him mercilessly, like calling him a “sissy boy” for shaving his legs.
At least Michelle’s gainfully employed, which is more than can be said for Wayne, given that he’s been taking temp work as a secretary ever since he flunked the bar exam. He’s hiding that fact from his fiancee, a fib likely to land the lad in trouble later with her when it comes out.
The plot thickens when she decides to take him home to get her parents’ blessing for their impending union. Unfortunately, her mother and father have diametrically-opposed first impressions of their future son-in-law.
Wayne isn’t macho enough for Mr. Wallace (Londale Theus), a veteran of Desert Storm who is worried that the young man might not only be a weakling but an atheist as well. Mrs. Wallace (Virginia Brown), by contrast, is so happy to see her daughter getting hitched that she goes along with the idea of staging an impromptu wedding that very weekend.
Fortunately, Michelle has a menagerie of supportive friends with free time to pitch in, a colorful bunch which includes sassy sisters, flamboyant gays and even an ex-lover (Ronnie Tisdale). Too bad all these characters are simplistically-drawn archetypes behaving in predictable ways we’ve seen a million times before.
All the scenes feel vaguely familiar as though lifted from Meet the Parents and other popular pictures. If “Keepin’ the Faith” includes keeping the Ten Commandments, especially the one about “Thou shalt not steal,” then director Marcello Thedford is going to have to answer to a higher authority for this blatant, blasphemous rip-off.
Repent!
Fair (1 star)
Unrated
Running time: 80 minutes
Studio: Vivendi Entertainment
To see a trailer of Keepin’ the Faith 2,