User reviews

All About the Benjamins (2002)

5 word summary

Enemies team up against criminal

A cool film. Ice Cube plays a similar character that he does in most of his films, the hard ass smart ass, but it works well with his role. Mike Epps also plays about the same as usual, but it also works really well. They both have pretty good comedic performances which along side the action directing makes a decent/ tolerable action comedy.

Its not a fantastic film by any means, and though I said they had good comedic performances, the acting wasn't that great. Personally I think Eva Mendes and Tommy Flannigan acted better, but they still weren't at their best. The directing and writing is also nothing special, it works here, but that's about all you can say about it

All about the Benjamins is a pretty average and predictable action comedy but it was fun and funny. If you are a fan of Next Friday and Friday After Next, you will probably enjoy this "fourth installment." It's very similar in style and definitely similar performances by Cube and Epps.

7/10

Though it may appear as a Friday style film, All About the Benjamins is far from the comedy franchise as possible. Instead of being a slacker, buddy comedy, it's an action cop film similar to 48 Hours or Beverly Hills Cop. It isn't necessarily bad, but it takes a path I didn't expect. How could you blame me for mistaking it was a straight forward comedy? It's in a four pack that includes all Ice Cube movies, and it stars Mike Epps as well. The same characters that portrayed Craig and Dey Dey are in a movie that is included in a Friday four pack. Can't be that far off.

Sadly, it takes the path and cliché of every cop movie out there. There's explosions, swearing, two friends, etc. It gets old very fast. There's not much new or fresh utilized here. If there is a low six star movie rating, this is the one. It's not a five star film, but it's not a seven or eight star film. It's kind of tilting on the edge.

Bucum (Cube) is a bounty hunter who's goal is to get money to open his own investigation firm. Reggie (Epps) is a con artist that somehow escaped Bucum's clutches three times. After winning big on the lottery, but losing the ticket in the back of a van with diamonds thieves, Bucum and Reggie have no choice but to work together to get the thieves and retrieve the lottery ticket so Reggie can claim his riches.

It reminds me of a film I watched not too long ago called Lottery Ticket that also stars Cube, about a young man trying to survive a weekend with a $370 million lottery ticket the whole neighborhood is aware of. The only difference is the ticket never leaves the man's possession. In this one they need to get it back.

The film has frequent chases and action moments, but I find them unappealing and just a little much. I would have liked less of the over exaggerated, played out action sequences and more of the witty dialog. Ice Cube and Mike Epps made a great duo in Next Friday and Friday After Next, and had numerous dialog scenes in the film that were utterly hilarious and clever. This film relies too much on action movie clichés, and a drawn out plot. You know they'll retrieve the ticket, and most likely fight towards the end. The suspense is none.

You may say it's my fault for comparing the film too much to Friday, but I'm not analyzing the film based on my first impression. I'm grading on behalf of the film's plot, characters action scenes, and suspense. The film had everyone of those in decent context. But so decent they were forgettable.

Starring: Ice Cube, Mike Epps, Eva Mendes, Tommy Flanagan, Carmen Chaplin, Valarie Rae Miller, Roger Guenveur Smith, and Anthony Michael Hall. Directed by: Kevin Bray.

I'm afraid it took two times of me watching this to actually appreciate the film. It was quite good for a buddy movie. The comedy was there and so was the action. Mike Epps is a very funny guy. Ice Cube is always good at his characters. The plot was so so. It is kind of like some that have been done before but as for entertainment value it was fun. I would watch this again in hopes that I would laugh even harder the next time.

I am becoming more and more a fan of Ice Cube's movies, he is really not a bad writer or a director. I am not however so much of a fan of Mike Epps. Don't get me wrong, he is pretty funny, but something about his voice just bugs me....kind of like Dave Chapelle ("Half Baked"). The movie overall though was fairly entertaining. My game ball for best acting goes to Eva Mendes who played Epps' character's girlfriend Gina who wins the lottery at the beginning of the movie. Unfortunately for her, Reggie (Mike Epps) loses the ticket while being chased by Bucum (Ice Cube). It becomes kind of a running "gag" thorough the movie that he is always looking for his missing lottery ticket. I heard ahead of time that Tommy Flanagan was supposed to play a different kind of tougher villain from Ice Cube, but frankly I was not impressed. With the exception of one scene where he cripples a guy, he didn't seem especially threatening, and his accent was just getting on my nerves. Enclosing, I wouldn't run out and drop $10 to see it immediately, but it's more than entertaining for you and your stoner friends to have a laugh on a Sunday afternoon.

Half the time when I don't expect much from a movie, I become oddly surprised as it turns out to be much better than I assumed. But the other half of the time, I'm exactly right and the movie turns out to be just as bad as I assumed. This is a case of the latter. I was looking to be oddly surprised, but unfortunately this clunker is just as lame as it appears in the trailers.

Prior to watching the film, I wasn't aware that Ice Cube co-wrote the script. After I saw his writing credit, I knew this definitely wasn't going to be topnotch material. Sure, I liked the first two "Friday" movies, but they're simply guilty pleasures. Cube may write some good rap songs, but he could probably never write a quality script. Also, this is an action movie. An action/comedy, yes, but comedy is what Cube specializes in. I'm not going to say it's his forte, because that would put him on parallel with Mel Brooks. Rappers can barely write comedies; they sure as hell can't write action movies!

I hope and pray to God that Mike Epps doesn't become the next overnight comedy sensation. After the film came out, I heard people raving about him left and right. One thing's for sure: he's no, and I repeat NO, Eddie Murphy. I tolerated him in "Next Friday" and "Bait," and even got a few laughs from him, but now he's really getting at my nerves! He's filled with comic energy, but he doesn't know where the hell to focus it. You watch Eddie Murphy's invasion of the redneck bar in "48 Hours" and you compare it to any of the low-brow antics Epps pulls off in this movie, and THEN look into my eyes and tell me he's the next Eddie Murphy! I'll go as far as saying he's the black equivalent of Pauly Shore! I wonder if he's related to Omar. If he is, the talent gene sure as hell didn't get passed on to him. Every one of his lame one-liners mirrors any lines you hear from every other black comic that appears on "Comicview" or "Def Comedy Jam." Nothing but stale white stereotypes and cheap sex jokes. I don't detect a lick of intelligence in his humor. And I'm not saying this because he has such a foul mouth. Murphy's mouth is ten times filthier than his, but his humor is often at least somewhat intelligent (if you watch the films of his hayday like "Coming to America" and "48 Hours," and not some of his lame recent work like "I Spy" and "Showtime").

I can't blame Ice Cube much in the acting department. He's not a bad actor, though certainly not a great one. However, I do have the right to blame him for the material since he co-wrote the script. There's even a gag in which two old ladies swear and try to speak ebonics. That gag is about as moldy as a loaf of bread 3 years past its expiration date. Old white people acting black: not funny anymore! Get with the freaking program! And since there's not much of a casting call for senior citizens, these old-timers will probably accept any role that flies their way. If that's not taking advantage of the elderly, then I don't know what is.

One of the film's minor saving graces are the appearances by beautiful Hispanic actress Eva Mendez. I remember her back from "Children of the Corn Part 5" which, needless to say, went direct to video. She seems to be appearing in more mainstream work (i.e.: "Training Day" and "Exit Wounds"). Hopefully, she'll receive much better scripts than these in the near-future.

I don't mean to stereotype, but if there's truth to it, then what the heck am I supposed to do? Shy away from it for the sake of political correctness? This movie recycles the same material from almost every predominantly African-American comedy in recent years. And I'm not insulting Afro-Americans; movies like these are insulting them! These movies are making us think that only low-brow comedies like this can make black people laugh. That they can only laugh at jokes involving sex, toilet humor, misogyny or crude racial/ethnic stereotypes. I'm pretty sure there are blacks out there with a more refined sense of humor, but not too many black movies cater to their kind.

My score: 3 (out of 10)

I saw this this movie in theaters back when it came out and it was entertaining then. I bought in on DVD and I have been entertained since. But last night I watched from a more critical stance than usual and found some flaws in this movie that I thought was very good.

First of all, I love Ice Cube and what he's done with his career and how he branched off from music to movies. He's one of the few rappers that can hold their own on either side of the camera. He also seems to know his limitations. He enlists others to handle the over-the-top comedy for those qualified. Mike Epps was a very good choice. At times his jokes can fall flat, but the hilarity of his funny moments make up for the missteps.

I watched 'All About the Benjamins' last night and I was in stitches laughing at the shower torture scene. I rewinded that bad boy at least five times and watched it again once more before I went to sleep for one more chuckle. Oddly enough, it wasn't Ice Cube, Mike Epps, or even the torture that I found funny. It was the torturee (Julian Ramose played by Roger Guenveur Smith). When he mouthed off at Mike Epps' character (Reggie) I was rolling all over the place uncontrollably.

This movie's script could have been better, but I've seen much worse. I was never bored and I will watch this movie many more times in the future. Ice Cube should employ better writers in the future. This could be a gem with smarter dialogue. We watch movies too, you know.

I gave this movie a 7 out of 10. That one scene getting rewound so much was a HUGE factor. See this if you get a chance.

Well, Cube Vision did it again. It is better then the previous releases, but it is just another weak movie with a lot of shootings, stolen diamonds, super bounty hunters, stolen money and one or two good looking women taking very important roles. It is a great movie... for those who like it, not for me...

I was pretty surprised by this flick. It's an action film with a few shots of comedy that actually delivers where it counts. Ice Cube plays it pretty straight here (like all of his other movies, but that's why we love him), and Mike Epps seems to be channeling Chris Tucker. They play off of one another very nicely, though. The mostly formulaic storyline manages to throw them into some very interesting situations.

Of particular note are the "first black President" joke and the torture sequence. And of course, the Cube has his usual cheerful facial expressions glowing throughout the film. Truly, don't miss it.

Caught this movie on Bounce and was pleasantly surprised....The acting was actually pretty good and the plot did make sense.

"All About the Benjamins" falls into that category I call "something else" movies. As in, when you watch it, you should be doing something else, e.g., paying bills, talking on the phone, drinking with friends, trying to nail the girl you invited to your place, etc. Do not give it your undivided attention, because it doesn't deserve it.

It seems like everyone realized they weren't making a very good movie and phoned it in accordingly. The direction is so vague you'd swear it was done by remote control from a helicopter. No one, even the normally enjoyable Ice Cube, ever breaks a sweat trying to get this movie off the ground.

If you held this flick up to your ear, you'd hear the ocean. Easy come, easy go. Stay away, or have that "something else" on deck.

This was a another great partnership of Mike Epps and Ice Cube. After seeing "Next Friday", and having not stopped laughing yet. "All About The Benjamins" was a must see, and I was not disappointed. Ice Cube has certainly come a long way and is proving to be a very versatile actor. I can't wait to see "Friday After Next". I'd pay full price to see "All About the Benjamins" again.

To be fair, Ice Cube has done the best he could with All About the Benjamins. I wasn't sure what to expect when I walked in and got pretty much that. Not as funny as you'd think, especially from the constant annoyance from Epps, but the movie provides basic entertainment and accomplishes it's goal- obscene, action comedy for a weekend afternoon. Funniest scene goes to Epps first scene in the convinience store. B

According to the Greek legend, there was an innkeeper named Procrustes who was obsessed with having his guests fit in his bed. If his guests were shorter than the length of the bed, he stretched them out until they fit. If they were too tall, then he chopped their feet off.

"All About the Benjamins," directed by Kevin Bray, is a cinematic Procrustean bed. It overextends its constricted script with excessive amounts of strained comedy and hackneyed action, and as a result it winds up sacrificing the proverbial feet of efficient storytelling and character development.

Ice Cube (who co-wrote the screenplay with Ronald Lang) is Bucum Jackson, a Miami bounty hunter who hopes to someday open his own private investigation agency. (In the meantime, he complains about his low-paying assignments while buying $600 tropical fish.) One of his menial jobs includes relentlessly chasing con man Reggie Wright (Mike Epps). On the same day that Reggie wins a $60 million lottery jackpot, he stumbles upon a combination diamond heist and triple homicide while being pursued through city streets and back alleys. He then leaves his wallet - with the winning ticket inside - in the thieves' van. To compound his misery, he is nabbed the next day by Bucum, who expresses interest in his plight only because he sees dollar signs after hearing about the diamonds.

"Benjamins" is a failure on so many levels. It fails as a comedy, a buddy movie, and an action thriller, and it most definitely fails as quality entertainment, relying heavily on endless chase scenes, Epps' grating slapstick routine, and Cube's scowling facade in order to conceal the numerous absurdities and lack of suspense in the plot. Director Bray uses every means possible to (unsuccessfully) liven up the flat action sequences, such as using over half a dozen edits to show a car smashing through a window and unnecessary freeze-frame whenever someone fires a gun, the latter which causes the film to resemble a bad '70s cop show. The foot chases suffer from a combination of slow motion and weak cinematography; why show characters vaulting over a wall in the exact same manner?

I didn't laugh once during the entire picture. The film's idea of jocularity consists of people aggravating a gunshot wound with a screwdriver, pointing a gun at a kid and activating a taser in a man's crotch, not to mention having two old ladies cussing up a storm and grown men engaging in bouts of unintelligible slang-ridden drivel every five minutes. Epps tries in vain to be knock-down riotous in tiresome scenes such as when Reggie horses around in a Bentley and sings loudly off-key while he imitates smoking a joint.

The bad plot spells equally bad performances. Ice Cube has nothing to do here except stare angrily at Epps' overacting in between knocking a few heads. The script is loaded with racist and misogynist stereotypes. In the opening scene, Bucum arrests a redneck bail jumper who has a Confederate flag hanging full-view in his trailer window. The theft ring is led by an abrasive, scar-faced Irishman (Tommy Flanagan) who wears ugly suits and has a thick brogue that becomes a target for parody. At the same time, the "N" word flies left and right. Meanwhile, Bucum's accomplice Pam (Valarie Rae Miller) and Reggie's girlfriend Gina (Eva Mendes) are unfortunately nothing more than armpieces in skimpy outfits who spend time looking offended at their partners' actions.

It's appropriate that a boat storage warehouse plays a significant role in this movie that ends up sinking in an ocean of implausibility. For instance, would a street-smart bail enforcement agent actually team up with an uncooperative loon who deems it necessary to act like a goofball while being pursued by killers? When a handcuffed Reggie falls forward off the top of a boat, he miraculously walks away with both shoulders still intact. After he loses his wallet, he's distressed more about his missing lottery ticket than the fact that the thieves have access to his name and address. Reggie and Bucum get into an altercation in the parking lot of the bad guys' headquarters in a display of sheer incompetence - and in clear view of surveillance cameras. (It also spawns the film's only line that contains a shred of humor: "You bite my nipple again and I'll kill you!")

"Benjamins' " greatest sin, however, is that it's a blatant insult to viewers' intelligence that's encased in a box of cheap laughs, due to the fact that it tries to make heroes out of two greedy individuals who commit murder, assault, burglary, and wrongful imprisonment, among other things, in their pursuit of stolen diamonds that don't even belong to them in the first place - and then treats their mission as if they're participating in some great cause. They're no better than the crooks they're trying to outsmart. Even worse, the filmmakers shamelessly want us to empathize with these guys during an obligatory moment in which they spill their deepest feelings to each other during a lull in the action.

One of the worst films of the year, "All About the Benjamins" will appeal to those who have an affinity for movies with appalling storylines chock full of abysmal dialogue and repugnant characters. The rest of the general population will consider the removal of their feet less torturous than subjecting themselves to this refuse. 2/10

After sitting through "All About the Benjamins" it's a real enjoyable action/comedy. This is the story of a bounty hunter (Ice Cube, who also co-wrote with first-time screenwriter Ron Lang and co-produced) who's on the pursuit of a bail jumper ("Next Friday" co-star Mike Epps) and their footchase ends up at drop-off for a major diamond where the killers left a few dead bodies in the process. I'll admit Cube is really showing his talents as an actor, screenwriter, and producer. And, Epps, is real hilarious in this movie. Cubevision projects have been getting better. And, Ice Cube shows a lot more comedic talents than he did in the last two "Fridays". I also like the bad guys, especially the ring leader of the heist. I feel that this is one of the most plot-driven movies Ice Cube has done since "Players Club". And, if you look hard at "All About the Benjamins" it's not just an Ice Cube movie. It's an actor/screenwriter hard at work. But, only one thing this sounds more like a movie that would be released in the summer, not early spring.

It could have been much better without Michael Epps... in my opinion he ruined everything with his idiotic way of acting. It was supposed to be funny, but the tone of his voice is annoying, his screams are boring and offensive for the ears, his way of whining, complaing is not likeable at all. I enjoyed watching Ice Cube. His acting wasn't always nice, but for the most part he did a good job. Eva Mendes could have a better part, some room more, but not everybody would think like that and it's OK. Anyway, the movie, in the end wasn't so bad, nothing special, nothing new and fortunately it didn't last too much, an intelligent move indeed. I can't say that I can recommend it, but if you don't have nothing to do, give it a try, maybe you'll like more than I do.

All About the Benjamins was released in 2002 and seemingly was a box office flop. Pairing Ice Cube and Mike Epps again seem to work again (their characters are more interesting here than their Friday films).

The violence in this film is quite gory and there is some humor but nothing too clever, it's what we've come to expect from an Ice Cube/Mike Epps film. There chemistry has definitely grown and although they play essentially similar characters to their ones in Friday, it works better here- perhaps better writing and less forced and unfunny gags. The plot isn't great but it does have its moments.

This film reminded somewhat of Bad Boys 2 and 2 Fast 2 Furious. Both buddy cop-like action films set in Miami. However those films made far more money, resulting in sequels where as Benjamins seemingly has been forgotten. As for one, this film was certainly better and more engaging than the last two Friday films.

This movie is totally the worse i've ever seen! Ice cube is a VERY bad actor, well all of the actors of this movie are bad. The story is stupid, the end is stupid... It's really rare that I hate a movie that much! IT SUCKS

All About the Benjamins (2002) is a movie that I recently watched for the first time in a long time on Tubi. The storyline follows a bounty hunter whose recent, and most frequent, target hits the lottery, stumbles onto a jewelry heist and runs into the bounty hunter on the same day. When the bounty hunter hears his bounty's story, he sees an opportunity to further his career if he plays his cards right.

This movie is directed by Kevin Bray (Walking Tall) and stars Ice Cube (Friday), Mike Epps (Next Friday), Tommy Flanagan (Sons of Anarchy), Eva Mendes (Hitch), Roger Guenveur Smith (Do the Right Thing) and Carmen Chaplin (Sabrina).

The storyline for this felt like the same old buddy cop movie plot without the characters being cops. The dialogue and circumstances were fun, and entertaining but not elite (this isn't Rush Hour or 48 hrs). Epps and Ice Cube play off each other naturally and flow well together. The villains are well established and this has a great soundtrack. The comedic content and action scenes are entertaining but also not outstanding.

Overall, this is an above average addition to the comedy genre that I would score a 6/10 and recommend seeing once.

This movie doesn't have much to offer. It isn't funny at any point, the characters are paper thin, and largely doesn't have a point.

Ice Cube and Mike Epps don't really do much as a comedy duo in this movie, it seems that they worked well in the Friday 2 and 3 but just kind of phoned it in for this one. This would be probably be a 3 star rating from me if I didn't like Ice Cube and Mike Epps. Hell, maybe I'd give this a 5 or a 6 if there was anything funny present in the film other than just the presence of the main duo. (Note: if you take a look at some of my ratings, you'll notice that I like a lot of stuff and give a pass to a LOT of stuff that you would probably think is way worse had you not seen this)

I saw this movie in full a few years ago after buying an Ice Cube 4 pack films DVD, and this one was apart of it. I remember watching parts of the movie many years ago and then changing the channel or something. This movie's plot is actually pretty good, even some of the action scenes were good. While I like the chemistry between Ice Cube and Mike Epps characters, there is something missing in the story overall and I can't put my finger on it. The plot seems to be just put together after having a good story line to work from, I think the script could've used more time or more minds to give the execution more depth. I wasn't too blown away by some of the music in the film either, but was fun to watch, and of course, I'm a fan of Ice Cube movies so it's all good.

Watching this in 2024 it's obvious the humor didn't age well. Old ladies cussing, misogynistic humor, low rise jeans LOL. Very outdated and I see why I had self esteem issues back then.

The plot is ok but I haven't finished watching it. I like Mike Epps but in this role he seems repetitive and not really going anywhere with it. Eva Mendez plays her same role sexy sidekick 🙄 It may improve by the end but based on some of the other reviews it's doubtful. It looks like the real funny jokes are on YouTube shorts now.

Stream for free but definitely not worth paying for. It's a shame because I really wanted to like this; had I watched it in 2004 I may have enjoyed it more.

This is Mike Epps in his prime. I believe his best work, like Tucker in Money Talks. Sometimes you just have it for a movie and they had it for this one.

If you're looking for a movie that will make you laugh out loud and don't mind a lot of swearing, then "It's All About the Benjamins" is the perfect film for you. Starring Ice Cube as bounty hunter Bucum Jackson and Mike Epps as small-time thief Reggie Wright, this action comedy takes you on a wild ride through Miami's criminal underworld.

The chemistry between Ice Cube and Mike Epps is undeniable and their banter is side-splittingly funny. The two characters are constantly at odds with each other but have to team up to recover a stolen diamond worth millions of dollars. Along the way, they encounter a cast of eccentric characters including a ruthless gangster, a seductive con artist, and an overzealous security guard.

The action sequences are well choreographed and keep the pace of the movie moving quickly. But what really sets this movie apart is the humor. The jokes come fast and furious, and while some of them are a bit crude, they are all hilarious. The banter between Ice Cube and Mike Epps is top-notch, and the supporting cast is full of comedic talent as well.

However, it's important to note that this movie is not for kids. The profanity and violence are frequent and intense, and there are some sexual references as well. But if you're a fan of raunchy comedies and don't mind some adult content, then "It's All About the Benjamins" is a must-watch. Overall, this movie is a great time and will have you laughing from start to finish.

A professional bounty hunter (Ice Cube) is in the search of a two-bit hustler (Mike Epps). When this hustler gets mixed-up accidentally with a botched diamond heist. Since this hustler lost his wallet to a racist psycho villain (Tommy Flanagan). The hustler actually has an winning lottery ticket of $60 Million Dollars. The bounty hunter teams with the hustler, since the bounty hunter almost gets shot by the villain's employees (Carmen Chaplin & Roger Guenveur Smith). The bounty hunter and the hustler are mixed up with a diamond heist, a lost winning lottery ticket and one thing become clear... that it's all about the benjamins.

Directed by the first-time filmmaker:Kevin Bray, who directed plenty of music videos for talented music artists. The film's has an familiar storytelling but if it wasn't for Cube's and Epps' likable performances, the film would have been a real mess.

DVD has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer and an strong DTS 5.1 Surround Sound (Also in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound). DVD has an fine commentary track by the director and producer:Matt Alvarez. DVD has four entertaining featurettes, Deleted Scene, Outtakes and more. The film has an fine music score by John Murphy (28 Days Later) and an good looking cinematography work by Glen MacPherson (Exit Wounds, Romeo Must Die, Walking Tall-2004). It is worth seeing, especially if you are a fan of Cube's or Epps' films. Written by Actor/Producer:Cube and Executive Producer:Ronald Lang. Eva Mendes co-stars as Epps' girlfriend. Carmen Chaplin is the grand-daughter of the famous silent comedian:Charlie Chaplin. Super 35. (*** ½/*****).