Humour all the way in ‘Christmas in Compton’

The low-budget effort shot in its titular Cali­fornia location concerns the domestic strife between gruff Christmas tree salesman Big Earl (Keith David, supplying his usual gruff gravi­tas) and his underachieving son Derrick (Omar Gooding, bearing a strong resemblance to brother Cuba), who in-between working for his father is attempting to make it as a record pro­ducer, with little success.
He’s repeatedly taken advantage of by crooked white record executive Tommy Maxwell (Eric Roberts), who takes advantage of Derrick’s lack of attention to the fine print in his contracts to deny him his royalties and steal his acts.

Determined to prevent Tommy from co-opt­ing his latest find, the talented girl group trio Sugar Stuff, Derrick resorts to arranging a break-in at his house and stealing a diamond ring worth US$300 000 from his wife. Not so hilar­ious com­plications ensue.
Featuring stereotypical characterisations, for­mulaic ethnic humour (a Korean character is the butt of predictable laughs) and risibly unfunny dialogue, the film strains its way towards a would-be heartwarming,

holiday-themed con­clusion that one can see coming from a mile away.
There is some fun to be had, thanks to such tal­ented performers as David, whose character delivers a series of priceless comic diatribes about Kwanzaa, and Roberts, whose years spent toiling in B-movies has

prepared him to chew the scenery here with comic gusto.
Also highly appealing are Sheryl Lee Ralph and Porscha Coleman as the father and son’s respec­tive love interests.

But despite the talent involved, “Christ­mas in Compton”, whose end credits include the mes­sage that this is an exer­cise in “Conscious Film­making” designed to give back to the com­munity, has provided little other than employ­ment.
Cast: Omar Gooding, Keith David, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Eric Roberts, Miguel A. Nunez Jnr, Orlando Brown

Director: David Raynr
Screen­writers: David Raynr, Suzanne Brod­erick, Robert Fedor
Producers: Beth Hubbard, Michael Hub­bard, Marcia Cabral Penchel, Murillo Penchel
Executive producers: Ivan Ramirez, Joe Hub­bard, Re’Shaun Frear
Director of photogra­phy: Sandrea Valde-Hansen
Editor: Richard Halsey
Production designer: Shaun Motley
Costume designer: Mikel Padilla
Com­posers: James Poyser, Zukhan Bey, Luke Christopher­
Rated PG-13, 90 min.