Todd Anderson is chosen as the #1 NBA draft pick by the New Jersey Nets and signs a contract for thirty million dollars that instantly changes his life. Whether he likes it or not his mom, Lady Em played by Jenifer Lewis, is not going to let her son forget his roots. Todd is at a crossroads and with his new found wealth becomes vulnerable to the influence of other people.
Todd buys a new house and mistakenly invites family from the old neighborhood for a cookout on the same day he scheduled an endorsement interview. The Cookout is a family tradition more extravagant than the typical American dinner gathering because it’s like a giant reunion and all havoc breaks loose for the feast of Southern home cooking.
As the new black man living in a stuffy white neighborhood, Todd attracts a lot of attention. Queen Latifah is the eccentric security guard that makes matters worse for Todd. She’s poised to bust him if any of the neighborhood association’s myriad of rules gets broken. Unfortunately for Todd as the family arrives, the rules get broken. Peeping neighbors are drawn to and gawk at the group of Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and wild unidentified babies in diapers. One particular neighbor ‘ a conservative Republican Judge Crowley, played by Danny Glover, fears the worst with Todd’s arrival.
Todd becomes so focused on his image that he is embarrassed about his family. Meanwhile, Bling Bling and Wheezer two good-for-nothing tough crash the party and hold Todd’s girlfriend at gunpoint in order to get him to autograph his sneakers. Little do they know this family is so determined to eat that they are fearless of the criminals that invade The Cookout. The chaos caused by the hoodlums helps Todd realize how much he needs his family support and it’s clear that The Cookout is a family tradition that always brings the right people together.
About the Film
Long time friends and business partners in the successful company Flavor Unit Entertainment , Shakim Compere and Queen Latifah decided it was time to explore other creative avenues. Latifah explains, “Shakim and I have been wanting to do films for a while. Not really expensive films, just films geared towards the inner city, something that people from urban areas could relate to. We want to champion those types of films.”
Armed with the concept for The Cookout and several other story ideas, Latifah and Compere met with executives at Lions Gate Films. The company loved the idea for The Cookout, bought it, and urged the duo to continue developing the story. They didn’t need much encouragement. Each had a wealth of experience from which to draw. “We know a lot of NBA players and athletes in the NFL and baseball. We’ve heard their stories about becoming successful, and about the thugs who have tried to extort them along the way,” says Compere.
Latifah is clear that the situation in which the character Todd Anderson finds himself applies equally to rap artists, actors and business people – anyone who starts out in poverty and goes on to make a success of their life. It’s a story to which she and her partner can easily relate. “Anytime someone who grows up in a humble neighborhood, who’s used to a lot of love and support from their family but not used to having a lot of money, suddenly gets 30 million dollars, ten million dollars, five million or a million, it changes their lives. Everything changes around them. That’s something that I can relate to. Shakim can relate too because he went through it. We don’t play professional basketball, but we did go from rags to riches in a way.”
On the surface, The Cookout is a comedy about a young basketball player who strikes it rich on the NBA draft and must learn to deal with the consequences of his success. However, The Cookout is also a movie about family, and the value of family. According to Latifah, “You only get one, and you need to appreciate them.” Compere makes the point again. “This film is unique because it’s not a basketball movie and it’s not a movie about a dysfunctional family. It’s really about a family that has to find a common place to understand each other. Every character reminds you of someone in your family or of someone you know in someone else’s family.”
To help actually write the script, Compere and Latifah brought in one of their friends and collaborators from Flavor Unit – Ramsey Gbelawoe. “Ramsey is from where we’re from. So we’re all on the same page. He came in with a great idea on how to get it done. There are so many interesting characters. They were put together so well, and it was such a complete idea.”
Gbelawoe found he could apply much of his personal experience to the writing of The Cookout. “A lot of this stuff is based on my family,” he says. “Everyone has that uncle who drinks too much and decides to become the philosopher.” Gbelawoe worked in partnership with two other writers, Laurie B. Turner and Jeffrey Briand Holmes, who were both equally excited to work on the project. “There are so many small supporting characters who have really funny stories,” says Holmes. “I also liked the main idea that we’re all the same and we all look for acceptance.” Turner adds, “The movie’s about recognizing the value of family, which is something we thought would appeal to a range of audiences, regardless of ethnicity.” A few drafts later, the script was ready to go.
“To me, a cookout is an inner feeling. It’s like a spiritual uplifting. They’re memories that I’m gonna always take with me each and every day. Whether it was getting dressed up cause you knew pretty girls were gonna be there, or knowing that you’re gonna see your cousins from down South you haven’t seen in years, or knowing that you’re gonna see your grandmother fight with your aunts and uncles, cookouts were special. When you leave them, you’re happy.” Lance Rivera
Compere and Latifah turned to another long time associate, Lance Rivera, to join their creative team as the director of the project. Like them, Rivera had blossomed in the hip-hop world – as a producer, manager and video director. A former partner to Biggie Smalls, Rivera had a long history in the hip hop world, but he was dissatisfied with some of the aspects of the business. He wanted a greater sense of autonomy, and a greater piece of the pie.
Rivera recalls the process that led to his collaboration with Compere and Latifah. “We were selling millions of records, developing great talent and we weren’t reaping the rewards. So we sat back one day and said, ‘Let’s come together and form something that allows us to be independent.’ They had a music background; I had a music background. We both had a common interest in TV and film. So one day I showed up at the office, and I’ve been there ever since. We’ve been forming new companies together and developing projects. One of those projects was The Cookout.”
Neither Compere nor Latifah had any doubts about giving him the opportunity to make his feature film directorial debut. “Lance has been down with us for a while through the hip hop game, and he’s directed a bunch of videos. We felt this could be something Lance might be able to direct. We decided to give him a shot, because we like to see new talent come up as well,” explains Latifah.
Rivera appreciates the support. “It opened a lot of doors. Suddenly people were open to my ideas. That would not have happened without having the success of Shakim and Latifah behind me.”
The Cookout (2004)
Directed by: Lance Rivera
Starring: Storm P, Eve, Frankie Faison, Farrah Fawcett, Jennifer Lewis, Danny Glover, Meagan Good, Tim Meadows, Queen Latifah, Wendy Williams, Jamal Mixon, Gerry Bamman
Screenplay by: Queen Latifah
Production Design by; Anne Stuhler
Cinematography by: Tom Houghton
Film Editing by: Patricia Bowers, Jeff McEvoy
Costume Design by: Misa Hylton-Brim
Set Decoration by: Amanda Carroll, David Hipschman
Art Direction by: Roswell Hamrick
Music by: Camara Kambon
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for drug content, sexual references and language.
Distributed by: Lionsgate Films
Release Date: September 3, 2004
Visits: 82
