DysFunKtional Family (2003)

Up to this point, Eddie Griffin's film resumé hadn't exactly screamed quality. His talent is undeniable, but it took his autobiographical concert film, DysFunktional Family, to show just how riotously funny he can really be. Picking up the mantle where Richard Pryor left off and the once funny Eddie Murphy after that, Griffin pulls no comedic punches with his racially fumed, fierce act. To be sure, this is raw material through and through -- but what's different here is the extraordinary personal family arc which shines through not only his performance, but in the scenes filmed during a brief visit back to his home in Kansas City. Dysfunctionality came into the media spotlight during the heyday of daytime talk TV, but rarely would a family like Griffin's ever get this kind of attention. All characters in their own right, most of Griffin's material comes straight from his hilariously eclectic family members, who together make up the different parts of his acidic sense of humor. Who can argue that his raunchy focus on sex doesn't come from his uncle who doubles as an amateur pornographic actor? In fact, kudos goes out to Griffin and crew for devising such a backbone for a standup comedy film -- it not only delivers heaps of laughs, but a ton of heart in the process. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide