Common Sense Media Review
Martin Lawrence amuses in raunchy comedy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
What's the Story?
Inspired by Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, BLACK KNIGHT stars Martin Lawrence as Jamal, an employee of a run-down medieval theme park. After grabbing for a mysterious amulet while cleaning the moat, he falls into the water and comes up in a lake. It turns out that he's been transported back to 1328, and a usurper king mistakes him for a Moorish messenger. Jamal is astonished by the odd medieval world (They behead people! And they have awful bathrooms!), and the locals are equally astonished at his behavior. Jamal becomes interested in a pretty chambermaid who is a part of a conspiracy to bring back the real queen, and he's pursued by but the daughter of the usurper king.
Is It Any Good?
It's nice to see the material here coming a little closer to Martin Lawrence's considerable talents. Lawrence is a very funny guy who is usually a lot better than the movies around him, which tend to play as though half the script reads, "Martin enters and does funny things."
Black Knight is a classic comedy set-up that could easily have starred any movie comedian skilled in pratfalls, from Buster Keaton to Jerry Lewis to Jim Carrey. There is a lot of slapstick, a little romance, fights with swords, arrows, and a couple with fists, and it all moves along pretty painlessly, helped by some good gags and Lawrence's facility with physical comedy.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why we're drawn to stories in which a character finds themselves in an entirely different time. What other films can you think of where this is the premise? If you created a similar story, what century would your character land in?
Movie Details
- In theaters : November 21, 2001
- On DVD or streaming : April 16, 2002
- Cast : Marsha Thomason , Martin Lawrence , Tom Wilkinson
- Director : Gil Junger
- Studio : Twentieth Century Fox
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 95 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language, sexual/crude humor and battle violence
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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