DETROIT (WWJ) – I don’t think I’ve ever gone this long without going to the movies, so while I’ve been on lockdown like everyone else, I’ve been browsing the streaming sites looking for something to watch. On Netflix, I came across the feature film “Coffee & Kareem,” starring Ed Helms, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Little Gardenhigh, Betty Gilpin and native Detroiter David Alan Grier as Captain Hill. And it made for a very entertaining movie night at home.
Gardenhigh stars as 12-year-old Kareem Manning, who hires a criminal to scare police officer James Coffee, his mother’s new boyfriend. As for Coffee, played by Ed Helms, he’s not very happy about it when Vanessa, Kareem’s mom and his girlfriend, asks him to pick Kareem up from school. But, as any good boyfriend would, he agrees to do it, and that’s when things start to spiral out of control; and I mean, way out of control. When Coffee unknowingly drops Kareem off at the Detroit Boxing Gym, Kareem just happens to walk in when another police officer is being terrorized at the hands of three gang members. When the situation goes from bad to terrifying, Coffee & Kareem find themselves on the run, and not just from the gang members but from the police.
There are a lot of over-the-top moments in this movie, but that’s precisely what the filmmakers were going for. It carries a mature rating for good reason, because in addition to a relatively mild sex scene, there is some language that might make you squirm. And no, it’s not the adults who use it. It’s 12-year-old Kareem. I’m willing to bet that if most parents heard their kids talking like that, there’d be a serious price to pay. So, no, this movie is not for anyone younger than 17.
Oh, and one more thing: the movie is set in Detroit, but any Detroiter will tell you, it definitely was not filmed in the Motor City. One obvious giveaway: the palm trees in the opening scene! And the Manning’s house is one you definitely would NOT see in Detroit. But, aside from that, it’s still a fun movie!
Follow Terri on Twitter @TerriJLee
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