| 1 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/undercover_brother_8.jpg]] |
| 2 | |
| 3 | ''Undercover Brother'' is a 2002 American satirical action comedy film, based on a WebAnimation series of the same name. It spoofs the {{Blaxploitation}} genre as well as SpyFiction, such as the ''Film/JamesBond'' series. It was directed by Creator/MalcolmDLee and stars Creator/EddieGriffin, Creator/ChrisKattan, Creator/DeniseRichards, Creator/AunjanueEllis, Creator/DaveChappelle, Creator/ChiMcBride, and Creator/NeilPatrickHarris. |
| 4 | |
| 5 | We start with a black U.S. Army general named Warren Boutwell (Creator/BillyDeeWilliams) who, in the beginning, looks like a good, respectable possibility for a black president. No scandals in his past at all. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | But a white [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] known only as "[[TheManIsKeepingUsDown The Man]]" (Robert Trumbull) and his evil organization use a drug on the general to brainwash him. Right when he's supposed to be announcing his candidacy, he gives up his dream of politics to run a chain of fried chicken restaurants. It's evil fried chicken, too, but we don't learn that immediately. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | The good [[TheMasquerade secret organization]], The BROTHERHOOD, needs to stop this before it goes any farther. But to do that, they must call the great {{Blaxploitation}} hero Undercover Brother (Griffin). Undercover Brother is stuck in TheSeventies, but he knows kung fu. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | Undercover Brother is asked to infiltrate the evil Organization undercover. He is given a watch that sprays hot sauce to fight off the potential evil of mayonnaise on white bread. But, once on assignment, he meets an [[{{Fanservice}} incredibly beautiful blonde]] (Richards) who appears to be trying to befriend him, and things go bad... |
| 12 | |
| 13 | A sequel starring Creator/MichaelJaiWhite, ''Film/UndercoverBrother2'' went DirectToDVD in 2019. |
| 14 | ---- |
| 15 | !Tropes: |
| 16 | |
| 17 | * SeventiesHair: Undercover Brother and Sistah Girl's afros and White She-Devil's long locks--though her hair is teased up so much it's more a hybrid of this and EightiesHair. |
| 18 | * TheAce: Undercover Brother himself: MasterOfDisguise and expert at martial arts and infiltration. |
| 19 | * ActionGirl: Both Sistah Girl and White She Devil (after she reveals herself as [[spoiler:TheMole]]) demonstrate exceptional martial arts combat skills, including beating up several trained male combatants. |
| 20 | * AffectionateParody: Of '70s {{Blaxploitation}} films and SpyFiction. |
| 21 | * AfroAsskicker: Undercover Brother |
| 22 | * AllAccordingToPlan: An alarm goes off at Multinational Inc. and reveals that the BROTHERHOOD agent Undercover Brother has infiltrated the building. Instead of being dismayed, TheDragon Mr. Feather says "The Brotherhood is making their move. Just as I expected." |
| 23 | * AnAesop: Undercover Brother's preaching about teamwork. |
| 24 | * AlienBlood: When Lance performs a ''Franchise/MortalKombat''-esque kill on the last {{Mook}} by crushing his head with his bare hands, the man's head squeezes out a green goo. |
| 25 | * AnonymousRinger: Warren Boutwell, a former general and Secretary of Defense who was thought to be considering a Presidential run. AKA General Colin Powell. |
| 26 | * ArsonMurderAndLifesaving: DaChief gives the title character a piece of his mind. Considering that almost every one of those dollars of damage was [[spoiler:a) caused by Conspiracy Brother and b) done to The Man's property and plans]], it's doubtful that the Chief was too upset and just wanted to invoke this trope. |
| 27 | -->'''Chief:''' Didn't you cause about a bazillion dollars worth of damage? And I sure as hell ain't covering for you! I don't give a damn how sexy you look floating down in your little pants! And as for the rest of you... I just want to say how very proud I am of all of you. Undercover Brother, the world is safe once again thanks to you. |
| 28 | * ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Smart Brother's interrogation of White She-Devil and Conspiracy Brother's listing of black people not given proper credit. |
| 29 | * ArtisticLicenseGunSafety: After Undercover Brother grabs a shotgun away from Conspiracy Brother, he carelessly swings it around, pointing it at Sista Girl, Conspiracy Brother and the Chief. As an expert and experienced combatant he should have known better. |
| 30 | * AscendedFanboy: Undercover Brother must be a huge fan of Creator/BruceLee, such as his screaming GoombaStomp. |
| 31 | * AsHimself: Music/JamesBrown, actually [[spoiler:Undercover Brother in disguise]]. |
| 32 | * AsideComment |
| 33 | ** While Undercover Brother is talking to Sista Girl in his apartment: |
| 34 | --->'''Undercover Brother:''' Nothing relaxes a brother after a hard day of going undercover like a little piece of the cookie.\ |
| 35 | '''Sistah Girl:''' My cookie would break you in half. |
| 36 | --->'''Undercover Brother:''' Maybe, but that would be some long division. [looks at the camera] Long. |
| 37 | ** While Undercover Brother is at a golf course: |
| 38 | --->'''Sistah Girl:''' This is strictly an observational mission. We are not authorized to take action. |
| 39 | --->'''Undercover Brother:''' Well, observe this. [looks at the camera] Action is what Undercover Brother's all about. |
| 40 | ** After White She Devil's first HeelFaceTurn: |
| 41 | --->'''White She Devil:''' Oh, Undercover Brother, you're too much man for me. |
| 42 | --->'''Undercover Brother:''' Baby... [looks at the camera] sometimes I'm too much man for my own damn self. |
| 43 | * AsideGlance: |
| 44 | ** While the title character is flying through the air toward some enemy {{Mooks}}, he briefly turns his head and looks at the camera. |
| 45 | ** In the end credits. After Undercover Brother takes his car through a car wash and several female attendants are flirting with him, he turns his head and broadly winks at the camera. |
| 46 | * AssShove: Undercover Brother sticks his foot inside an opponent's ass, complete with X-ray camera shot. |
| 47 | * BackToBackBadasses: Sistah Girl and [[spoiler: White She-Devil]] late in the film. |
| 48 | * BaitAndSwitchGunshot: [[spoiler:White She Devil]] shoots two enemy Mooks after the motorcycle chase. |
| 49 | * BattleTrophy: Mr. Feather feels this way about [[spoiler: Undercover Brother's medallion]]. |
| 50 | * BecomingTheMask: Undercover Brother becomes his mild-mannered secret identity Anton Jackson through White She-Devil wooing him. |
| 51 | * [[BerserkButton/{{Film}} Berserk Button]]: |
| 52 | ** Conspiracy Brother - [[EverythingIsRacist Words and phrases he thinks are racist]], [[InsaneTrollLogic like "Hi" and "Good morning"]]. |
| 53 | ** Mr. Feather, when he realizes that he's being subconsciously influenced by black culture. |
| 54 | ** Don't call Lance a sissy. |
| 55 | --> '''Lance''': "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XymelxbVpA&NR=1 I. Am not.]] A '''SISSY'''!" |
| 56 | ** Don't mess with Undercover Brother's hair. |
| 57 | --> '''Undercover Brother''': You mess with the 'fro, you got to go. |
| 58 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: Lance is a meek NiceGuy, but when called a sissy he ''tears one man's heart out with his bare hands''. Followed by tearing a second man's head (and spinal column) ''off his body'', and squeezing a third man's head so hard with his hands that ''it bursts''. |
| 59 | * BigBad: Mr. Feather. |
| 60 | * BigNo: A {{mook}} does this as Undercover Brother is about to stamp down on him. [[spoiler:He lives, but his potato chips weren't as lucky.]] |
| 61 | * BigRedButton: Conspiracy Brother foolishly pushes a large red button labeled "Atomic Core" and starts a SelfDestructMechanism that will destroy The Man's headquarters. This forces the Brotherhood's infiltration team to flee for their lives. |
| 62 | -->''"Let's see what this so called ''button'' does!"'' |
| 63 | * BladeBelowTheShoulder: Mr. Feather during the final battle with Undercover Brother. |
| 64 | * BlandNameProduct: GFC/General's Fried Chicken (KFC/Kentucky Fried Chicken) and Khaki Republic (Banana Republic) |
| 65 | * {{Blaxploitation}}: With a modern twist. Somewhat [[{{Reconstruction}} reconstructed]]. It's all in good fun, though, as the target demographic this time was white people. |
| 66 | * [[BookEnds/{{Film}} Book Ends]]: Undercover Brother does a parachute jump at the beginning and end of the movie. |
| 67 | * BreakingTheFourthWall: Undercover Brother looks directly into the camera as a car chase starts and asks, "Can you play something funky for a brother to drive to?" "Jungle Boogie" immediately kicks in. |
| 68 | * BrickJoke: When Undercover Brother is first revealed, Conspiracy Brother shouts "It's Macy Gray with porkchop sideburns!" After the bank job, a news report mentions that singer Macy Gray was arrested in connection with the job, but released due to lack of evidence. |
| 69 | * BringIt |
| 70 | ** Lance gestures to a guard and says "Come on!" to a guard before killing him. |
| 71 | ** Also spoofed during the pre-fight posturing between Undercover Brother and Mr. Feather. They both resort to increasingly elaborate gestures, trying to one-up the other. Undercover Brother wins. And all to the sound of "Beat It". |
| 72 | * CallingShotgun: Conspiracy Brother, as the group runs to the hovercraft. |
| 73 | * CharacterCatchphrase: Undercover Brother has one, "Solid." |
| 74 | * CatFight: White She Devil vs. Sistah Girl. In slo mo. In a shower. Causing the men to stop fighting and [[PassThePopcorn grab a bag of popcorn]]. And condoms. Can't say the movie didn't advocate safe sex. Can you really blame them? [[GirlOnGirlIsHot Some things transcend one's affiliation.]] |
| 75 | * ChangingClothesIsAFreeAction: The title character changes his clothes while '''jumping through a window'''. At other times he, Sistah Girl and Penelope Snow change their outfits by having their outer tearaway clothing ripped off of them (or ripping it off themselves). |
| 76 | * ChekhovsGun: Music/JamesBrown in the introduction, the rear-view mirror balls, and "Don't touch the 'fro". |
| 77 | * TheChessmaster: The Man |
| 78 | * ChewingTheScenery: Chris Kattan as Mr. Feather. And how. He ends up having better moves than even Undercover Brother. |
| 79 | * CodeName: Undercover Brother, Smart Brother, Conspiracy Brother, Sistah Girl, The Man. Mr. Feather might be one. |
| 80 | * CodenameTitle: Spy ProtagonistTitle. |
| 81 | * CombatHaircomb: Combat Afro Picks! |
| 82 | * CompensatingForSomething: Sistah Girl accuses Undercover Brother of this, citing the afro, car and medallion. |
| 83 | * ConspiracyKitchenSink: All conspiracies relating to blacks are true, except the one that OJ is innocent. |
| 84 | * ConspiracyTheorist: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Conspiracy Brother]], to the point that, even though there actually ''is'' a secret conspiracy to undermine black people, he still comes across as a paranoid lunatic who may think that EverythingIsRacist. |
| 85 | * CoolCar: The title character's 1970s Cadillac [=DeVille=] Convertible (mistakenly called a Coupe deVille). |
| 86 | ** With Cadillacs, the 2 door models were Coupe while the 4 door were Sedan. The convertibles were two door but didn't use the Coupe part of the name, so the mistake is understandable. |
| 87 | * CowboyCop: Undercover Brother, after joining the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. |
| 88 | * CrashIntoHello: Undercover Brother (undercover as "Anton Jackson") and Penelope Snow [[spoiler:AKA White She Devil]] |
| 89 | * CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: A villainous version. Despite his goofiness, Mr. Feather is a very effective [[TheDragon Dragon]] to The Man and can handle himself very well in a fight. |
| 90 | * CrazyPrepared: Undercover Brother is always ready with for action. |
| 91 | ** At the beginning of the movie, before he goes into the bank he wears a parachute under his shirt so that if he has to jump off the top of the building to escape, he'll survive the experience. |
| 92 | ** He wears two combs in his hair, which he throws at the security guards at the golf club to pin them to the wall. |
| 93 | ** At the end of the movie, he has to jump off a cliff to avoid being blown up. Sista Girl says "he forgot his parachute", indicating that he will be dashed on the rocks below. However, he deploys mini-parachutes from his pants, saving himself. |
| 94 | * CurtainCamouflage: The title character comes home and thinks there's someone hiding behind a curtain because he sees their shoes under it. He pulls the curtain aside to expose them but finds the shoes are empty. Then Sistah Girl shows up from offscreen and puts a gun to his head (she used her shoes as bait to distract him). |
| 95 | * DaChief: The leader of the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. |
| 96 | * DesignatedGirlFight: When Undercover Brother and Sista Girl square off against White She Devil and two male {{mooks}}, Sista Girl fights White She Devil and Undercover Brother deals with the {{mooks}}. |
| 97 | * DistractedByTheSexy: Parodied. Undercover Brother is fighting with two mooks while White She-Devil and Sistah Girl are [[CatFight duking it out.]] When the cat fight turns into clothes-tearing and ends up in the shower, not only do the three men stop fighting, [[PassThePopcorn they set up seats and popcorn]]. And because they're so distracted by the two women's impending kiss, Undercover Brother is able to punch out the other two while Sistah Girl is able to do the same to White She-Devil. |
| 98 | * DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: "The Fatty". Actually causes one businesswoman to have an [[TheImmodestOrgasm Immodest Orgasm.]] |
| 99 | * DontCreateAMartyr: The reason why General Boutwell isn't simply killed to keep him from being President. |
| 100 | -->'''The Man''': Now Boutwell might be President?!... I want the White House to stay white. Eliminate him! |
| 101 | -->'''Mr. Feather''': But, sir, if we kill him, we'll only be making him a hero. |
| 102 | * DoomedDefeatist: Lance wigs out while he's in The Man's headquarters. |
| 103 | * DopeSlap: Conspiracy Brother to Lance after he makes a racist comment. |
| 104 | * TheDragon: Mr. Feather to The Man. |
| 105 | * DragonInChief: Mr. Feather is the primary threat in the film despite being subservient to The Man. |
| 106 | * DramaticNecklaceRemoval: Undercover Brother's medallion. |
| 107 | * DreadlockRasta: Undercover Brother disguises himself as this at one point, even quipping "[[UsefulNotes/{{Jamaica}} Ja Mon. Rasta!]]" |
| 108 | * DressedInLayers: Undercover Brother when masquerading as a janitor, and White She Devil before her reveal. |
| 109 | * DumbBlonde: Subverted in that White She-Devil is only pretending to be this. |
| 110 | * EasilyForgiven: [[spoiler:White She Devil]], much to Conspiracy Brother's chagrin - [[spoiler: ''especially'' when she's made an official Agent]]. |
| 111 | -->'''Conspiracy Brother''': What the ''[[PrecisionFStrike fuck]]''? Chief! I ain't never seen this bitch in my secret agent classes! [[ADegreeInUseless I'm still paying the loans off, man]]! I sleep on a pissy mattress! I ain't got good food to eat! I borrow money for my weed! I quit! That's it. Y'all ain't got Conspiracy Brother Jones to kick around no more! Give me a pillow case... I'm joining the Klan! |
| 112 | * ElaborateUndergroundBase: The BROTHERHOOD has an extensive base located beneath a barber shop. |
| 113 | * EveryCarIsAPinto |
| 114 | ** Parodied when a pair of {{mooks}} drive a golf cart into a gas main. |
| 115 | ** During a chase scene a {{Mook}}'s motorcycle crashes and immediately bursts into flames. |
| 116 | * EveryoneHasStandards: Combined with TakeThat: nobody in the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D., not even Conspiracy Brother, believes O.J. Simpson is really innocent. |
| 117 | * EverythingIsRacist: The belief of Conspiracy Brother. It's really something that he's in a movie where there ''really is'' a white conspiracy run by The Man to keep black people down, and he ''still'' comes off as crazy. |
| 118 | -->'''Undercover Brother''': Hi. |
| 119 | -->'''Conspiracy Brother''': "Hi"? What you mean "hi"? Like "high-yellow-wanna-be-white"? "High" like the ''white man'' wants to keep us? Wait, [[HypocriticalHumor you don't smell no weed on me]], do you? |
| 120 | * EvilCounterpart: Mr. Feather to Undercover Brother. |
| 121 | * EvilElevator: The cliche of the [[BottomlessPit endless elevator going down]] to an ElaborateUndergroundBase is spoofed when the hero starts screaming hysterically as he drops, only to stop when he realises he's only traveled a single story. |
| 122 | * ExitPursuedByABear: [[spoiler: ...or devoured by a random but conveniently placed [[ThreateningShark shark]] as the case may be.]] |
| 123 | * {{Expy}} |
| 124 | ** It's pretty obvious that the General was a stand-in for Colin Powell, right down to the rumored Presidential run. |
| 125 | ** The Barbershop secret entrance to The BROTHERHOOD's Headquarters was previously used in Issue #136 of Marvel Comics' "Strange Tales" (1965), a [[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/shieldbarbershop.htm Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. storyline]]. |
| 126 | * FaceHeelTurn: Undercover Brother, after he falls in [[strike:love]] lust with Penelope Snow. That ass of hers would turn any man and woman astray. |
| 127 | * TheFaceless: The Man's head is always hidden in the shadows or kept out of the frame. |
| 128 | * {{Fanservice}}: Sista Girl, Penelope Snow/[[spoiler:White She Devil]] |
| 129 | * FelonyMisdemeanor: When Undercover Brother smashes a bag of chips, a {{Mook}} guard says that he just bought them! Undercover Brother apologizes. |
| 130 | * FemmeFatale: White She Devil. [[spoiler:Ends up reformed at the end]]. |
| 131 | * FunnyBackgroundEvent: Sistah Girl can be seen looking visibly annoyed at how Smart Brother instantly begins fawning all over White She-Devil. |
| 132 | * FunnyBruceLeeNoises: UB breaks this out when taking down some guards. |
| 133 | * GadgetWatch: It spritzes hot sauce. |
| 134 | * GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: When Lance panics over the impending detonation of a SelfDestructMechanism ("We're gonna die! We're all gonna die!"), the title character repeatedly slaps him to bring him to his senses. |
| 135 | * GirlOnGirlIsHot: Parodied. Sistah Girl and White She Devil get a DesignatedGirlFight that somehow manages to end up in the shower. Undercover Brother and a pair of {{Mooks}} stop fighting and pull up some chairs and popcorn to watch. |
| 136 | * GloveSnap: One of Mr. Feather's minions does this repeatedly, greatly to Mr. Feather's annoyance. |
| 137 | * GoshDarnItToHeck: Undercover Brother as Anton Jackson after White She-Devil manages to make him [[BecomingTheMask behave caucasian]]. "If I hadn't read that article in ''Vanity Fair'' on anger management, I'd put away this guava-mango-broccoli smoothie and put my foot in your patootie! Now maybe you guys don't like my new me, but I don't give a GOSH DARN! For all I care, you can all get the beejeebies out of here!" |
| 138 | --> '''DaChief:''' White girl or no white girl, I wanna know where the hell have you been?\ |
| 139 | '''Anton/UB:''' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quvdtYe86O4 Not there, because that's where people who swear go,]] thank ''you'' very much. |
| 140 | * GotMeDoingIt: Again much to his great annoyance, Mr. Feather just couldn't keep himself from getting into that thang. |
| 141 | * GreaterScopeVillain: The Man, a racist Caucasian who wants to rid the world of African-Americans. |
| 142 | * GroinAttack: The title character does it to himself with a pair of nunchucks during his fight with Mr. Feather. |
| 143 | * HairTriggerTemper: Conspiracy Brother, who breaks into a rant at the mention of various innocuous words. At one point Undercover Brother semi-sarcastically asks if he can just get a list of the words that set him off so he can avoid the rants. |
| 144 | * AHandfulForAnEye: Mr. Feather does it to Undercover Brother during their final battle. |
| 145 | * HandshakeSubstitute: The security check to enter the BROTHERHOOD is a robotic arm which measures blackness of user by their handshake. Undercover Brother does a whole routine that passes the test. |
| 146 | * HandSignals |
| 147 | ** White She Devil uses them to give orders to her henchmen during the motorcycle/car chase. |
| 148 | ** During the final confrontation between Undercover Brother and Mr. Feather, the antagonists make exaggerated "Come here" gestures to each other. |
| 149 | * HeadCrushing: |
| 150 | ** Lance goes into a berserker state when three guards make the mistake of calling him a "sissy". He kills one of them by crushing his head. |
| 151 | ** Subverted while Undercover Brother is fighting several of The Man's {{mooks}}. After a {{mook}} screams out a BigNo, Undercover Brother is implied to crush the {{mook}}'s skull offscreen by smashing down with his foot, resulting in a SickeningCrunch. However, the next shot reveals that he actually crushed a bag of the {{mook}}'s potato chips. You can watch the scene [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gX02fvtOeo#t=55s here]]. |
| 152 | * TheHeavy: Mr. Feather is a much bigger threat than his boss, as he is shown frequently throughout the film. |
| 153 | * HighHeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:White She Devil]], after she experiences Undercover Brother's lovin'. |
| 154 | * HiroshimaAsAUnitOfMeasure: The spy camera scans people for levels of "Rhythm" and "[=401Ks=]". |
| 155 | * HollywoodGlassCutter: PlayedForLaughs when Undercover Brother breaks in through a window. He slices a circle in the window and then taps on it. This causes the entire rest of the window to shatter, leaving the cut-out circle intact. |
| 156 | %%* HumiliationConga |
| 157 | * {{Hypocrite}}: |
| 158 | ** Conspiracy Brother claims that EverythingIsRacist, but his interactions with Lance, the Brotherhood's Caucasian intern, displays that he is equally bigoted/narrowminded. [[CharacterDevelopment He lightens up later]] [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools when Undercover Brother stresses the importance of teamwork and how equality isn't something that can be achieved by blacks alone, and Lance becomes an accepted part of the team.]] |
| 159 | ** Mr. Feather [[spoiler: and The Man himself]] want white society to dominate over black society. Both are revealed to use quote-on-quote 'black' euphemisms, showing that they partake in the culture they are trying to subjugate. |
| 160 | * HypocriticalHumor: The only reason Lance (a Caucasian) is a member of the BROTHERHOOD is Affirmative Action. |
| 161 | * IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight: Happens twice. Sista Girl does it to Undercover Brother and Undercover Brother does it to General Boutwell. |
| 162 | * ISurrenderSuckers: Undercover Brother to the golf course guards. |
| 163 | * ImmodestOrgasm: The female cigarette executive during Anton Jackson's demonstration of "The Fatty". |
| 164 | * ImprobableParkingSkills: The title character, in the last scene of the movie. |
| 165 | * ImprovisedParachute: At the end of the final battle, Undercover Brother jumps from a high altitude but lands safely by pulling cords that turn his bell-bottom pants into a double ParachutePetticoat. |
| 166 | * InLoveWithTheMark: Penelope Snow [[spoiler:AKA White She Devil]] |
| 167 | * InsaneTrollLogic: Conspiracy Brother. See ConspiracyTheorist and EverythingIsRacist. |
| 168 | * InstantCostumeChange: Undercover Brother jumps out of a window while dressed in what can be best described as a nerd disguise. On the other side, he comes out in his normal attire, complete with afro. |
| 169 | * InsultBackfire: When Sistah Girl accuses Undercover Brother of CompensatingForSomething, he plays into it by pointing out that she forgot to mention his "big, black, fuzzy balls" -- a rearview mirror decoration, which he then fondles to complete the joke. |
| 170 | * IntimidatingWhitePresence: Parodied when, in order to go undercover and investigate by pretending to be TheWhitestBlackGuy, the titular hero is made to watch a ton of film footage of white people by [[BlackAndNerdy Smart Brother]]. By the end of it, Undercover Brother is panicking about "CAUCASIAN OVERLOAD!" and how "That's too much white for a brother to have!" |
| 171 | * IntimidationDemonstration: Undercover Brother with his nunchucks and Mr. Feather with his BladeBelowTheShoulder claw. |
| 172 | * IslandBase: The Man has his secret fortress built on an island with a giant M-shaped rock formation. |
| 173 | * ItsRainingMen: Undercover Brother, once with a parachute and once with bell bottoms. |
| 174 | * JanitorImpersonationInfiltration |
| 175 | ** At the beginning, Undercover Brother dresses as a janitor (complete with LatexPerfection mask) to infiltrate a bank. |
| 176 | ** The B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. agents pose as the Island Fortress Cleaning Service to infiltrate The Man's IslandBase. |
| 177 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Da Chief. He may have a tendency to yell his head off at his employees at the drop of a hat, but he's not afraid to tell them how proud he is of them. |
| 178 | * JiveTurkey: Most of the good guys, but notably Mr. Feather, who, to his own horror, keeps lapsing into ghettospeak. |
| 179 | * JustLikeRobinHood: Before being recruited to the BROTHERHOOD, Undercover Brother was known as "the Robin Hood of the Hood" and was discovered by the BROTHERHOOD while he was deleting bank records to prevent foreclosure on people's homes. |
| 180 | * KaraokeBondingScene: After the black Undercover Brother (in his Anton Jackson role) meets the white Penelope Snow, they spend the night at a karaoke restaurant where they sing the song "Ebony and Ivory" together as a sign of their growing love for each other. |
| 181 | * {{Kiai}}: Parodied, as Undercover Brother shouts the names of black celebrities/musicians while fighting. |
| 182 | * KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: The title character does it to guard {{mooks}} twice. |
| 183 | * KnuckleCracking: After killing three guards with his bare hands, Lance does a neck crack. |
| 184 | * LargeHam. Mr. Feather, but since he's played by Chris Kattan, it's sorta expected. |
| 185 | * LastRequest: Mr. Feather to James Brown before injecting him with the MindControl drug. |
| 186 | * LatexPerfection: Undercover Brother, when posing as a janitor and [[spoiler:Music/JamesBrown]]. |
| 187 | * LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Mr. Feather becomes nauseated after a camera-swirling effect. |
| 188 | * LeParkour: While fighting Mr. Feather, Undercover Brother briefly jumps up on and runs along a wall to escape being sliced by Feather's BladeBelowTheShoulder. |
| 189 | * LostInTranslation: The movie is notable for being a pain to translate for foreign audiences since many jokes used in the movie only had sense for American viewers, but '''not''' for anyone outside the U.S., like the infamous mayonnaise scene.[[note]]The whole reason this joke sticks like a sore thumb for non-Americans is because, unlike other jokes that make fun of black people stereotypes, this one gives the impression African-Americans don't like to eat mayonnaise for many unexplained cultural reasons, while the whole point of that scene was to imply any respected African-American will not eat mayo because it's ''white'', considering the whole point of the film. To be completely fair, even some African-Americans were as confused as the foreign audience about this part.[[/note]] or, in less degree, the whole fried chicken plot.[[note]]The whole joke about this part is regarding the infamous racist stereotype that African-Americans like to eat too much fried chicken. For other black people outside the States or Canada, or anyone else for that matter, the whole gag sounds like a really dumb joke about how a president traded his job in order to work in a [[BurgerFool cheap fast-food restaurant]][[/note]]. |
| 190 | * LowSpeedChase: Undercover Brother and Sista Girl are chased by security guards on a golf course, with both groups driving electric golf carts. |
| 191 | * TheMasquerade: The general public has no idea that two secret groups are locked in a war over racism in the United States: The Man's organization, which promotes white supremacy, and the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D., which supports racial equality. |
| 192 | * MasterOfDisguise: As an elderly janitor, a Rastafarian golf caddy, business executive Anton Jackson and [[spoiler:James Brown]]. |
| 193 | * MayContainEvil: the drug added to the General's Fried Chicken to make black people act white. |
| 194 | * MeaningfulName: A white woman named Penelope Snow. |
| 195 | * MegaCorp: Multinational Incorporated |
| 196 | * MindRape: Undercover Brother (who is black) must infiltrate Multinational Inc., a corporation controlled by The Man's white supremacist organization. To do this, he must become familiar with white culture in order to fit in. Smart Brother uses a technique he calls "Caucasiavision" on Undercover Brother: using electronic goggles to make him watch film about white society. After watching for a while, Undercover Brother freaks out. |
| 197 | -->'''Undercover Brother''': Make it stop! Make it stop! I see white people. It's too much! Too much! Caucasian overload! Caucasian overload! Caucasian overload! That's too much white for one brother to take. |
| 198 | * TheMole |
| 199 | ** [[spoiler:White She Devil]], while going by the name [[spoiler:Penelope Snow]]. |
| 200 | ** [[spoiler: Played twice, as for one moment during the final conflict, she appears to have been a double agent, before being revealed to be firmly on the Brotherhood's side.]] |
| 201 | * MookChivalry: Sistah Girl and [[spoiler:White She Devil]] in the Communications Room. |
| 202 | * NobodyCallsMeChicken: Lance goes off the deep end when he gets called a sissy. |
| 203 | * NobodyTouchesTheHair: Undercover Brother is very protective of his Afro, including telling Sista Girl, "Don't touch the hair!"; telling Conspiracy Brother, "Don't touch the 'fro!", and beating up Mr. Feather when he cuts off a piece of it: "You mess with the 'fro, you got to go." |
| 204 | * NoPartyGiven: An in-universe discussion of this takes place when the characters muse what party the General will run for President as. |
| 205 | * NonActionGuy: Conspiracy Brother. When Lance has frenzied murders of enemy mooks, Brother can only lamely say they were lucky ''he'' didn't get ''his'' chance to act. |
| 206 | * NotMyDriver: When Mr. Feather kidnaps Music/JamesBrown. |
| 207 | * NWordPrivileges: Conspiracy Brother (who is black) uses the N-word when talking to the other black characters. None of the members of The Man's white supremacist organization (Mr. Feather, The Man himself, White She-Devil etc.) ever use the word, even though, being out-and-out racists, they logically would. |
| 208 | * OffhandBackhand: Sista Girl, to Undercover Brother and a golf course security guard. |
| 209 | * OutrunTheFireball: Undercover Brother does this at the end of the movie. |
| 210 | * ParodySue: Undercover Brother ''doesn't even spill his full Big Gulp'' when in an uncontrolled tailspin. |
| 211 | * PassThePopcorn: UCB and White She Devil's {{mooks}}, during her CatFight with Sistah Girl. |
| 212 | * PistolPose: The poster and DVD art for the film version have Undercover Brother posing with a gun. Star Eddie Griffin (who plays Undercover Brother) complained about this, noting that the character never uses a gun. |
| 213 | * PistolWhipping: A security guard at the golf course to our hero, and Conspiracy Brother to Mr. Elias in the island fortress communications room. |
| 214 | * PoliticalOvercorrectness: Lance is the token white employee of the BROTHERHOOD, thanks to affirmative action laws. |
| 215 | * PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: The Man and his organization are on a mission to undermine black society in favour of white supremacy. |
| 216 | * PreAssKickingOneLiner: "You mess wit' the 'fro, you gots to go!" |
| 217 | * ThePrecariousLedge: While infiltrating the MegaCorp Multinational Inc., the title character must make his way along a ledge high up on the outside of a building in order to reach a room where he can download information from a computer. |
| 218 | * PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy |
| 219 | ** White supremacist Mr. Feather constantly seems to have to battle to suppress an urge to be one of these. This causes him some stress. |
| 220 | -->'''Mr. Feather''': ''You see what's happening, don't you?! How we're being corrupted by their hipper-than-thou fashion and cool slang you can't help but use?!'' |
| 221 | ** At the end [[spoiler:The Man as well.]] |
| 222 | * ProductPlacement: Several times in the movie Undercover Brother is shown drinking a Big Gulp (a beverage cup sold by 7-11) full of orange soda. |
| 223 | * PunchCatch: Sistah Girl to Conspiracy Brother when he tries to punch Lance in the face. |
| 224 | * PunchedAcrossTheRoom: White She Devil to Sistah Girl and Undercover Brother to Mr. Feather, both times with a kick. |
| 225 | * RageBreakingPoint: Lance, the Brotherhood's only white employee (and ButtMonkey) accepts all of the jokes at his expense with calmness and mild snark, but at the climax some of The Man's goons call him a "[[BerserkButton sissy]]" and the resulting CurbStompBattle involves Lance murdering the lot of them with moves that are best described as live-action ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' fatalities. |
| 226 | * RasputinianDeath: [[spoiler: Mr. Feather]] loses his grip and falls off The Man's helicopter over the ocean in response to Undercover Brother throwing {{Combat Haircomb}}s in [[PainToTheAss his bottom]]. Just before falling hundreds of feet (the impact alone of which would've killed him instantly) a large ThreateningShark leaps out of the water and [[SwallowedWhole swallows him whole]]. |
| 227 | * SayIt: A RunningGag involves Mr Feather struggling to resist the subversive influence of African-American culture. When he kidnaps singer James Brown, the inevitable happens. |
| 228 | -->'''Mr Feather:''' ''(PlayingWithSyringes)'' So, Mr Godfather of Soul, life as you know it will soon cease to exist. Any... final requests? |
| 229 | -->'''James Brown:''' Say it loud. |
| 230 | -->''(OhCrap look from Mr Feather. Brown gets to his feet)'' |
| 231 | -->'''James Brown:''' Say it, loud! |
| 232 | -->''(Feather starts twitching, throwing away his syringe)'' |
| 233 | -->'''Doctor:''' What are you doing? |
| 234 | -->'''James Brown:''' ''(dancing)'' SAY IT LOUD! ''(everyone stares at Feather as he convulses madly)'' |
| 235 | -->'''James Brown:''' ''([[GivingSomeoneThePointerFinger pointing at Feather]])'' SAY IT LOUD! SAY IT-- |
| 236 | -->'''Mr Feather:''' [[WaxingLyrical ARRRHM BLACK AND ARRRHM PROUD]]! ''([[HandGagging slaps hand over his mouth]])'' |
| 237 | * SchmuckBait: The BigRedButton labeled "Atomic Core". |
| 238 | -->'''Conspiracy Brother:''' "Atomic co-ray", huh? Let's see [[WhatDoesThisButtonDo what this so-called "button" does]]... |
| 239 | * SecretTest: Sista Girl pointing a gun at Undercover Brother to test his courage. |
| 240 | * SelfDestructMechanism: The Atomic Core on The Man's island fortress. |
| 241 | * TheSeventies: Undercover Brother's character is based on this era. |
| 242 | * SexFaceTurn: As mentioned, [[spoiler:White She Devil]] switches sides after sleeping with Undercover Brother. |
| 243 | * ShoePhone: Two pairs of TrickedOutShoes and a GadgetWatch. |
| 244 | * ShoutOut: |
| 245 | ** During the opening narration, clips from ''Film/{{Shaft}}'', ''Film/FoxyBrown'', ''Film/{{Wattstax}}'', ''Series/FamilyMatters'' and ''Series/TheATeam'' are shown. |
| 246 | ** Da Chief says "[[Film/LethalWeapon I'm getting too old for this shit]]" before looking at a framed picture of Creator/DannyGlover. |
| 247 | ** At his apartment, Undercover Brother watches a scene with Jim Kelly from ''Film/EnterTheDragon''. |
| 248 | ** Shortly after, Sistah Girl holds him at gunpoint and mockingly calls him "[[Film/TheLastDragon Bruce Leroy]]". |
| 249 | ** Conspiracy Brother brings up Music/{{Cher}} winning an Oscar, referencing her role in ''Film/{{Moonstruck}}''. |
| 250 | ** Upon being told to watch a movie to relax, Conspiracy Brother rants referencing ''Film/ForrestGump'' and ''Film/JurassicPark'' as movies in which the black character meets a bad end. |
| 251 | ** Smart Brother's "Caucasian Vision" procedure, which consists in strapping Undercover Brother onto a chair and force his eyes open is a possible spoof of the Ludovico Technique from ''Film/AClockworkOrange''. |
| 252 | ** During the Caucasian Vision, Undercover Brother sees various clips of 'white culture', among these ''Series/MurderSheWrote'', ''Series/MajorDad'', ''Series/LeaveItToBeaver'' and ''Theatre/{{Riverdance}}''. |
| 253 | ** Undercover Brother mutters "[[Film/TheSixthSense I see white people... !]]" before freaking out from the 'caucasian overload'. |
| 254 | ** After the procedure, Lance gives him a pop quiz question about ''Series/{{Friends}}'', and he passes for getting it wrong. |
| 255 | ** Mr. Feather refers to White She-Devil as "Black man's [[ComicBook/{{Superman}} kryptonite]]". |
| 256 | ** Lance favorably compares General Fried Chicken's jingle to [[Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir The Fresh Prince]]. |
| 257 | ** Brainwashed Undercover Brother excuses himself before leaving to go watch ''Series/{{Frasier}}''. |
| 258 | ** A newspaper announces that Creator/JohnSingleton (under the mind control caused by GFC) is going to remake ''Theatre/DrivingMissDaisy''. |
| 259 | ** Watching ''Series/Roots1977'' is what motivates Lance to volunteer in Undercover Brother's team and fight bigotry. |
| 260 | * SickeningCrunch: Subverted. Undercover Brother is about to stomp a {{Mook}} who's lying on the ground. We see him stomp and hear a horrible crunching sound as he twists his foot but we don't actually see the stomp connect. Just when you think he's smashed the {{Mook}}'s head in, the camera looks down and we see that he actually smashed a bag of potato chips. This doesn't make the mook any happier, as he moans that he had just bought them. |
| 261 | * SissyVillain: The other joke with Mr. Feathers. |
| 262 | * TheSmartGuy: Smart Brother, naturally. |
| 263 | * SoBeautifulItsACurse: White She Devil's lament. |
| 264 | * SpinningPaper: The aforementioned news about Creator/JohnSingleton are presented via a spinning paper. |
| 265 | * TheStoner: Conspiracy Brother. It's strongly hinted that his paranoia is due to his drug use. |
| 266 | * StormingTheCastle: The B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. infiltrates The Man's secret compound at the end. |
| 267 | * StrawmanPolitical: Parodied like everything else. Conspiracy Brother snaps, "Name one thing the Republican Party has done for black people. ONE!" Smart Brother uses a lengthy "Lincoln was a Republican" rebuttal and seems ready to continue; Conspiracy Brother pauses for a beat, only to continue with "[[WhatHaveYouDoneForMeLately All right, name two things]] ''[[WhatHaveYouDoneForMeLately lately]]''!" |
| 268 | * StylisticSuck: Anton singing karaoke. |
| 269 | * SuddenlyShouting: A member of a trio of security guards [[BerserkButton calls Lance a sissy]]. Lance shrieks "I am not A SISSY!" and opens up a can of whup-ass on the guards, including ripping out one guard's spine ''Franchise/{{Predator}}'' style. |
| 270 | * TakeTheWheel: The title character has Sistah Girl do this during the golf cart chase. |
| 271 | * TapOnTheHead: Undercover Brother to two {{Mooks}}, Sistah Girl and [[spoiler:White She Devil]] to a group of {{mooks}} in the Communications Room. |
| 272 | * TokenWhite: Lance, who was hired because of affirmative action. Later [[spoiler: White She Devil]] joins as well, over the objections of Conspiracy Brother, who was ''still'' paying off his student loans for the training he'd needed to get employed there. |
| 273 | * TrailersAlwaysSpoil: One of the trailers specifically said that Penelope Snow was [[spoiler:White She Devil, AKA "Black Man's Kryptonite"]], which was a major reveal/surprise. %%* TrapDoor |
| 274 | * TrickedOutShoes: UB had two pairs -- one takes you up, one sends data. |
| 275 | * TheUnseen: The Man's face is always hidden in shadow. |
| 276 | %%* VertigoEffect: Right after Anton bumps into Penelope. |
| 277 | * TheVillainMustBePunished: The Brotherhood foils The Man's plan to use General Warren Boutwell and Music/JamesBrown to destroy the black community. When [[TheHeavy Mr. Feather]] tries to flee his secret base, Undercover Brother insists on going after him to stop The Man from getting another chance. The Man does escape, but Mr. Feather is killed by Undercover Brother. |
| 278 | * WhatDoesThisButtonDo: It's the SelfDestructMechanism for the "atomic co-ray". |
| 279 | * WhereDaWhiteWomenAt: Penelope Snow, [[spoiler:AKA White She-Devil, aka Black Man's Kryptonite]]. The other guys at the BROTHERHOOD ask UCB whether his "first time" with her was really that good. |
| 280 | ** "She had pink nipples, didn't she?" |
| 281 | ** Of course Lance was doing it, too. |
| 282 | * WigDressAccent: Undercover Brother, as the Rastafarian golf caddy and Anton Jackson. |
| 283 | * XRayOfPain: As part of his EstablishingCharacterMoment as a JustLikeRobinHood raider that fights TheMan, the Undercover Brother fights off two security guards of an evil bank and literally puts his foot up the ass of one of them. The movie cuts from the Brother delivering the kick to an X-Ray animation of his foot going up the man's pelvic bone complete with ''Matrix''-style swivel so we can see it from multiple angles. |
| 284 | * YouHaveFailedMe: The Man to Mr. Feather after he fails to kill Undercover Brother. |
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