Remember White Chicks? The 2004 film centers around two brothers going undercover in the Hamptons as two…well, white chicks. The comedy was trashed by critics, citing offensive humor, hideous undercover disguises as white girls, and horrible social commentary as the reason the film fails to be funny. Currently, the comedy stands at 15% on rotten tomatoes. However, the film remains a fan favorite as several memorable moments are still talked about to this very day. It may not be a perfect movie, but it’s a low-brow comedy film that does a good job of pulling out some laughs based on its subject.
There have been rumblings for years about a sequel. Shawn Wayans has spoken about the possibility and given hope that a sequel will come out someday. However, Terry Crews has made it extremely clear that a sequel WILL happen in the future:
“You know what, I actually got with Shawn [Wayans], and he was like ‘man we doing it, we getting it going…’ responding to a caller on Watch What Happens Live. “Fifteen years ago, you have to understand. Fifteen years ago as of this month. I’m staying in shape just for that movie.”
Shawn has yet to confirm that himself, but it does appear that the sequel is on the horizon based on the chatter surrounding it. The real question is: Is a White Chicks 2 even necessary?
The First White Chicks Somewhat Works
White Chicks isn’t for everybody. It’s a dumb film. However, the reason it works to some degree is because Shawn and Marlon Wayans understand that it’s a dumb film and play into those strengths. How could you not laugh at Terry Crews singing A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton? More importantly, the Wayans brothers commit to the film’s oddball premise and that helps carry you through the entire feature. It’s not perfect, but it does the job that comedies should do: provide laughs.
They’re also supported by a game cast who isn’t afraid to dive into the silliness. While it’s never believable that anyone could mistake Kevin and Marvin as a pair of young and pretty socialites (it has nothing to do with the white aspect), again, the movie knows that this is unrealistic and stupid and rolls with the punches.
White Chicks Works Best As A Standalone Feature
That said…there is simply no reason that a sequel needs to exist. This is similar to The Hangover, a classic comedy that was given a sequel to milk the premise dry. The respective films bombed critically and commercially. There was never any true purpose to make a sequel beyond making more money. Going back to White Chicks, what lingering questions are there for Kevin and Marcus to solve? They successfully found the culprit who was kidnapping the high-profile clients. Kevin even found love during his strange journey of posing as a white woman. White Chicks is simply a one-and-done movie as the only thing the sequel will do is capitalize on the white chicks gimmick.
The one-note joke loses its luster when it’s the same story again. The Hangover Part II wasn’t nearly as funny as the first because it had the same story beats but in a different country. If Terry Crews is returning, is he going to sing this generation’s popular white song to recapture the magic he had with A Thousand Miles? Or for Kevin and Marcus, is it going to the same low-brow humor of two black men masquerading around a rich society as white girls again? There’s simply no purpose in a sequel and Marlon and Shawn Wayans should move on from the 20-year-old film.
Can A White Chicks 2 Work?
Ignoring the fact there is no reason a sequel is necessary, there’s no denying that some gags or one-liners will amuse audiences here and there. On the flip side, the joke is simply: Two Black men going undercover as White girls. That’s it. It’s not like this is the first time men have gone undercover to play their female counterparts: Big Momma’s House, Mrs. Doubtfire, Tootsie, and all the Madea movies, there’s plenty of more films under this special sub-genre.
The key thing here is: what can White Chicks 2 bring new to the table? No offense to Marlon and Shawn Wayans, but they’re not exactly known for their originality, subtle, or high-brow humor. The premise itself has to bring a new perspective that has yet to be seen in this category, yet, White Chicks 2 will likely be another Hangover Part II: a film that repeats the same beats banking on the popularity of its predecessor.
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