January 27, 2007
By Jae-Ha Kim
Amazon.com
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A reality series in the loosest sense of the genre, Jamie Kennedy's
Blowin' Up delves into the world of hip-hop by way of comedy. It's
not a bad effort either. The MTV series is equal parts ad-libbed and scripted,
but the actors on the show are so good that you'd swear they were just
a couple of clueless knuckleheads trying to become rap stars. Kennedy (Scream,
Three Kings, Son of the Mask) is no novice when it comes to comedy,
having hosted and performed in The Jamie Kennedy Experiment--which
was a cross between Punk'd and Candid Camera.
Here, viewers follow Kennedy and his sidekick Stu Stone as they try to land a recording contract, deal with a demanding Bob Saget, and hobnob with real rap stars such as Paul Wall, Snoop Dogg, and Ice-T. This isn't the first time Kennedy has tackled music. In 2003's Malibu's Most Wanted, he resurrected one of his popular characters, B-Rad Gluckman, a rich Malibu kid who wants to make it in the rap world. Here, his role is funnier because he's playing a less capable version of himself. Just seven episodes long, the set includes quite a few fun special features, the best of which may be the surprisingly good "Rollin' with Saget" music video. If this were a real reality series, with Kennedy actually trying to become a rapper, it would be an uncomfortably embarrassing addition to his resume. But as a comedic piece of work, Blowin' Up gets the job done. |
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