Rappin'
Rappin'
PG | 10 May 1985 (USA)
Rappin' Trailers

An ex-con and break-dancer helps save a neighborhood from a greedy developer while trying to win a rap contest.

Reviews
Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring
Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation
Wyatt There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
Yazmin Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.
Radish4ever Very enjoyable and a feel good movie, a lot of fun, this should have been the next Saturday night fever or Rocky horror. This film is dull early on but really gets going from the quarter way stage, and it tries to show the underrated Mario Van Peebles as a kind of Robin Hood figure (he is called John "rappin" hood), out of jail and trying to re-discover himself and save his neighbourhood from a greedy property developer and save his brother from a life of crime and jail like his former self. Everyone is infuenced by the power of rap and all become better people for the experience (yes very cheesy) this is for sale on region 1 (where I purchased) but not in the UK where I live, the wonders of internet, credit cards and multi region players, even a happy ending for me :-) get this film, buy it and tell all your friends about it, it deserved to be a cult classic.
Benjamin Wolfe I have copy of this on VHS, I think they (The television networks) should play this every year for the next twenty years. So that we don't forget what was and that we remember not to do the same mistakes again. Like putting some people in the director's chair, where they don't belong. This movie Rappin' is like a vaudevillian musical, for those who can't sing, or act. This movie is as much fun as trying to teach the 'blind' to drive a city bus.John Hood, (Peebles) has just got out of prison and he's headed back to the old neighborhood. In serving time for an all-to-nice crime of necessity, of course. John heads back onto the old street and is greeted by kids dogs old ladies and his peer homeys as they dance and sing all along the way.I would recommend this if I was sentimental, or if in truth someone was smoking medicinal pot prescribed by a doctor for glaucoma. Either way this is a poorly directed, scripted, acted and even produced (I never thought I'd say that) satire of ghetto life with the 'Hood'. Although, I think the redeeming part of the story, thru the wannabe gang fight sequences and the dance numbers, his friends care about their neighbors and want to save the ghetto from being torn down and cleaned up and built new. This is a great depiction of Ice-T though. His worst performance yet? Maybe. From Heart break Ridge with Clint Eastwood to this tale of the rappin' life-sentence. Oh well, he wasn't that good as stitch jones playing electric guitar either. Forget Sonny spoon, Mario could have won an Oscar for that in comparison to this Rap. Oh well if you find yourself wanting to laugh yourself silly and three-quarters embarrassed, be sure to drink first. And please, watch responsibly. (No stars, better luck next time!)
reverendtom This movie is such a monumental collection of cheese and brilliance that I got to give it my highest level of fervent recommendation. It took a little while to grow on me, but once I saw it from beginning to end, I was sold for life. Everytime I watch this film, it gets funnier. There are so many funny scenes, it is endless amusement. This movie is epic. It ain't for everyone, but if you find the 1980s to be inherently funny, you will crack up at this monument of cheese. Mario Van Peebles is incredible, delivering his lines with bravado and soul ("Bathroom, Fool!"). Eriq LaSalle is great as the rightous tough guy Ice. Charles Flohe has a career making role as the villian. Tasia Valenza is enchanting as the love interest, Dixie. Melvin Plowden provides portly comic relief as Fats. Ice T wrote the rhymes that Mario spits. Simply incredible. 10/10
John Book With the success of "Beat Street" and "Breakin'", Hollywood felt it was the right time to exploit the world of rap music. Keep in mind that this was 1985, and the music was still being promoted by the music. No videos, no shiny record covers, just the music and the people. With that in mind, someone felt it was pretty good to make a film about a few people struggling for a better life, and doing it by having each character rap during key moments in the movie. I don't know what they were thinking, maybe a "West Side Story" for the breakdancers? While this movie could (and should) be exposed as weak, there's a small part inside of you that you eat up like cake. Sure it's cheesy, but at the same time their hearts were in the right place, just not doing it correctly. Mario Van Peebles tries to rap, but the high/lowlight has got to be the ending of the movie, when the entire cast is given a few lines to rap, including the "cowboy" character. And you thought Eminem was the first white wonder.