Whoopi-Goldberg Movie Reviews

Jackie Chan spent many years as a relatively obscure Hong Kong stuntman and actor; it was only after he took over his own films that he started on the path to superstardom. Realizing that nobody bought him as the next Bruce Lee, Chan shrugged off stoicism in favor of characters and situations that capitalized on his comedic abilities and everyman's charm. Portraying an average guy caught up in extraordinary situations allowed his fans to believe that they, too, could pull off some of Chan's incredible stunts--which, as the painful outtakes that run at the end of most of his films remind us, he largely performs himself.

Unfortunately, Chan might have learned his lesson a little too well: now that he trusts his own instincts above all others, he seems to be loath to let others tell his story for him. On the 75-minute My Story, it's a fatal flaw: rather than providing what fans want--either non-stop action or a truly revealing look at Chan's life would be fulfilling--this documentary feels more like a late-night low-budget infomercial for those who don't really care about Chan. (It even includes the full trailer from Chan's first Hollywood starring effort, Rush Hour.)

The only time Chan truly lets people into his life comes in My Story's final moments, when he talks about what his monomaniacal professional drive has cost him in terms of a personal life and what his life's goals truly are. Even that falls flat in the end, when Jackie, surrounded by children, tells of his one, true dream: "Peace." For a more professional look at Chan's life and career, try the A&E-produced Biography installment on him. --Randy Silver

Now it can be told: The seductive music that the Pied Piper played to woo the children of Hamelin was jazz. At least, that's the take in this installment from the delightful HBO series, Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child. Mixing old tales with new world vision, this series adds other races to the white European stereotypes. Here, the selfish King of Hamelin (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) loves to dismiss all politics so he can count his money. Unfortunately, the rat problem becomes so severe that plans must be put into action. When a smooth, jazz-playing stranger (Wesley Snipes) wanders into town proclaiming that he can address the problem, the city council is ready to give him riches. When they fail to deliver the reward, they pay a high price. Sharply animated and wonderfully scored, The Pied Piper is another high-quality 30-minute short from this great series. (Ages 5 and older) --Doug Thomas

Actor Robert Guillaume (Benson) narrates this classic tale about an Emperor so obsessed with his clothing that he fails to perceive the problems facing his empire. When a pair of swindlers in a nearby town learn of the Emperor's fixation on fashion, the pair tricks the Emperor into giving them his country's fortune in return for the promise of a very special birthday suit made from the "fabric of dreams." Meanwhile, the Emperor's brother, Akira, struggles to keep the empire functioning in the face of great flooding and famine with virtually no monetary resources. When Akira is banished from the Empire for declaring his brother a fool for squandering funds on clothing, the Empire's future looks grim. The Emperor's birthday suit turns out to be much, much less than he had hoped for, but the truthful words of one young boy provide the town with the gift of laughter and the promise of better days ahead. This 26-minute video is nicely animated and features the voice talents of George Takei (Star Trek) and Gedde Watanabe (Mulan). (Ages 3 and older) --Tami Horiuchi

The premise for Disney's A Knight in Camelot is an intriguing one. What if we could go back in time, with the wisdom and knowledge of our present day, and improve history? In this made-for-television comedy inspired by Mark Twain's fable A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court Whoopi Goldberg plays Dr. Vivien Morgan, a computer research scientist studying gravitational pull. Through a programming malfunction, she gets zapped into the land of Camelot, 589 A.D., while still toting her laptop and boombox. Unimpressed with the whole sword-in-the-stone gig, she brings her 20th-century impudence into King Arthur's court, where she begins to wreak Whoopi-style havoc. After she feigns magic, King Arthur (Michael York) elevates her to knighthood, where, as "Sir Boss," she uses her influence to make changes in the kingdom, from introducing hygiene and plumbing in the castle to insisting on fair labor practices for the peasants. Entanglements with Sir Lancelot, Queen Guinevere, and Merlin provide moments of high drama and colorful jousts, but the film remains largely uneven as it tries to be believable and find its tone--should it be philosophical ("Can a society live without progress? Without justice?" Goldberg's character asks at one point) or outrageously silly? It accomplishes the latter too well, and, methinks, will tire all but truly committed Whoopi fans. What remains is a cute, predictable, forgettable family film, but not Disney's best, nor Whoopi's. --Lynn Gibson