(Halle Berry) She's Fine!!!

This movie just brings back so many memories. It has such a feelgood vibe to it. I remember when I first watched it a little over 30 years ago now.

The movie stars Joseph C. Phillips of The Cosby Show fame, as Waymon Tinsdale who’s a lawyer that’s doing his very best to navigate through the treacherous waters of the corporate world whilst being surrounded by a sea of sharks.

Those “said” sharks don’t even come at you as sharks but as friends in one facet but and in the other would tear your body apart limb by limb at the blink of an eye just so they can move up half of a rung up that corporate ladder.

That’s right, folks! These morons are willing to sell him out just so they can get a name on a building which they never will own.

Ain’t corporate greed grand?!

He has to do what a lot of has been indoctrinated to do and that’s to, “put on that tired, old blue suit” and “play the game” to the best of his abilities.

This means he has to dress and talk a certain way. He even has to date a certain woman who he doesn’t really love and she doesn’t love him either just for the optics.

The lady in his life, Diedre pronounced Dee-drah and portrayed by Anne-Marie Johinson, makes her feelings or lackthereof perfectly known with this quote in of the earlier scenes in the film when’s she chatting it up with her girlffriends saying:

“Now I may not be in love with Waymon but I know we make a damn good team”

This movie contains a who’s who list of entertainers that have or would go on to do a lot big things in some form or fashion in the entertainment industry.

You have cameos by entertainers such as Denis Leary, who plays Halle Berry’s character, Natalie’s partner in this film. Also, a young Isaiah Washington has a small cameo in this movie and does an excellent job.

It also features a young Tommy Davidson who plays a mail clerk who desperately wants a chance to climb up that corporate ladder.

It sounded like he had a cold in some of these scenes. They might’ve dubbed his voice over in certain scenes because he sounds a little different at times in other scenes of the film.

I like how they had the music in sync when Bobby & Waymon took that ride to Harlem.

Since I’m on the subject of stars, how could I forget about the one and only Halle Berry. There’s not one star that shines brighter or more beautiful then Ms. Berry’s.

Berry plays Natatlie who’s a struggling business owner/waitress with the worst of luck ever since she ends up getting fired from her waitress job and loses her business damn near simultaenously.

Anne-Marie Johnson played her character to the t.

Sad to say this but there are some women like her and her friend, Millicent (played by Kim Coles from the hit tv shows, In Living Color & Living Single) which is an interesting name by the way, out there unfortunately.

Speaking of Kim Coles, she was looking absolutely, insatiable during this time period.

Bobby arrives to Waymon’s place playing loud music and is confronted by Millicent telling him to turn that music down. His reply at the end of the dialogue was hilarious as he tells her,

“Yo, baby! Your weave too tight.”

One of the best scenes in the film is when Tommy drives Waymon away after he breaks up with Diedre.

As Bobby’s driving Waymon away from his place, they have a conversation in the car about how controlling Diedre is in the bedroom.

Bobby: “She’s probably one of them military bitches too. Waymon: Military? Bobby: Yeah, you know Military. LEFT! RIGHT! IN! LEFT! IN! OUT! IN! HUMP HALF HUMP FULL HUMP.”

And he was speaking nothing but truth because that’s exactly how it went down during intimacy with that woman.

What I wouldn’t give for just one night with Halle Berry and I’m not talking just any Halle Berry. I’m talking about the one in 1991 with the short cut.

Poor Natalie. She gets her club foreclosed on in this scene while her partner left her hanging high and dry. Those greedy sons-of-a-guns!

Natalie just uttered those words that any man would love to hear Halle Berry saying to them. “Can you give me a ride?” I sure the hell can.

Now they got Waymon and Natalie going out for a walk in this next scene. Didn’t she just say that she wanted to go for a ride?

Don’t get wrong! I don’t mind hearing about her problems and her dreams and all but she did say she wanted to go for a ride.

Cues up the next scene right on time. The music in this movie is scored perfectly. That’s pretty much a lost art in films made these days.

This would be something you would actually play for setting the mood right with that special lady for a very scintillating evening.

Shoot! It’s Halle Berry! We could get down off of some N.W.A.-Straight Outta Compton. It wouldn’t matter one iotta.

This movie also tells another valuable lesson.

Never judge a book by its cover.

Waymon receives jealousy and eventually gets screwed over by people he considered friends.

These guys wore expensive suits and had their own personal chaffeurs whereas Bobby dressed like he was headed for an after hours club but proved to be the most trustworthy of the bunch.

Snakes just don’t appear in reptillian form but also in the human variety as well.

Waymon’s so-called friend along with his flunkie are getting ready to sabotage Waymon’s deal so he won’t make partner in his firm. Waymon ends up blaming Bobby for the mistake.

What started up as a great week for Waymon ends up going off the rails. He blows the Savoy Tower deal and then he blows the Natalie deal. You can always get more money but a Natalie only comes only once in a lifetime.

Did I mention that Sam Jackson was in this movie? I think this man has been in every movie that’s ever been made.

I know you’re thinking; Who in the hell is Sam Jackson?! It’s the award-winning actor Samuel L. Jackson.

That’s right! Before he was Samuel L. Jackson, he was just merely Sam Jackson which means we all gotta start somewhere but we don’t have to stay there.

Waymon gets schooled by his secretary about who really messed up the big deal. She informs him that Bobby couldn’t have changed the figures on the reports.

Waymon goes searching for Bobby to apologize while trying not to get his ass whooped in the process. Nice n’ Smooth makes a cameo in this scene along with a young R&B group that would rise to prominence in the 90’s music scene named Jodeci.

Waymon makes amends with Bobby, takes his advice and gets out of Harlem before he gets his ass whipped.

Before he leaves, Bobby tells Waymon that he can help find a buyer for his bank.

Bobby introduces him to the Halloran brothers who own the Harlem National Bank. They close the deal and then Waymon runs into his friend David Barnes, played by the actor David Marshall Grant.

David’s flunkie played by Sam Rockwell, comes clean about setting Waymon up so that he would blow that big deal.

Waymon KO’s the scumbag who he once called a friend as the newly anointed partner in the firm receives a series of handshakes and congratulations for the new deal and for that right jab.

Oh! He also gets Natalie back too. Now he has to get on his knees and gravel for a bit but she eventually takes him back.

The late Andre Harrell also has a small cameo in this film. I didn’t even know who he was back then.

That was back in a time where the “industry figures” played in the shadows and pushed somebody else to the front as a figurehead.

Stephanie Mills “I Just Want Love” beautifully, captures the reunion of Halle Berry & Joseph C. Phillips characters along with the excellence of the ending of this movie also. The soundtrack was extremely well-done.

All in all, this movie was just as good seeing today then when I first saw it all those years ago.