Coffee & Kareem — Movie Review
by KJ Proulx
Although there is more content being made than ever these days, comedy seems to be the genre that’s dying out the most. Aside from some great niche indie comedies, most are pretty bad. Well, here’s another weak film to add to that long list of bad comedies over the last 10–20 years. Netflix has just released the film Coffee & Kareem and if the title itself doesn’t seem plain enough, then the movie will make it seem even plainer. It has its moments here and there, but this is ultimately a huge miss for me.
Young Kareem (Terrence Little Gardenhigh)hates his mother’s new boyfriend Coffee (Ed Helms), so much so that he stages a plot with a group of criminals in order to scare him off. Well, he happens to be a police officer that these criminals want to kill, so this plan backfires for Kareem. This then leads to the two of them, who already dislike each other, to work together in taking down these criminals. Every way you think the rest of this film will play out, it does. There are zero surprises here and the emotional core of this movie has been done better a thousand times before.
The first act of this film sets up a premise that (although very tired) could’ve lent itself to some great comedy beats. While Ed Helms and Terrence Little Gardenhigh share some funny moments, most of this movie falls flat on its face. Since The Hangover, Ed Helms has struggled to find a role that people love. I actually believe he has some solid talent in terms of comedy, but he hardly ever gets presented with a great project. I would love to see him branch out and try a meaty dramatic role because if this is all he can get for comedy, I would hope he passes on some of these in the future.
Speaking of good performances, I believe this deserves its own topic. Taraji P. Henson, particularly in the film Hidden Figures, is one of the best actresses out there today. I’m usually blown away even by the little screen time she’s given in films like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button or even the lacklustre Proud Mary. I kept asking myself why she was in this movie every time she was on-screen. She is honestly a world-class actress that stood out as being far too good for a film like this. There is one scene in particular that feels like she’s in a powerful role, but when you look back on what this film is, I was just shaking my head. She was easily the best part of this entire movie, but she really didn’t have much screen time.
In the end, Coffee & Kareem tries very hard to make you laugh and although there are moments of emotion between the two titular characters and a chuckle here and there throughout the 88-minute run time, it’s just not a good film. From the resolution to the over-the-top villain twist that felt forced, nothing worked for me here. If you’re looking for a Netflix movie to watch, there are many better ones than this. I really don’t think you're missing much by skipping this one.
Rating: 1.5/5
Check out the trailer below:
