| The Honeymooners | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | John Schultz |
| Written by | Barry W. Blaustein Danny Jacobson David Sheffield Don Rhymer |
| Based on | The Honeymooners by Jackie Gleason |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Shawn Maurer |
| Edited by | John Pace |
| Music by | Richard Gibbs |
| Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date |
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| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25 million |
| Box office | $13.2 million |
The Honeymooners is a 2005 American comedy film directed by John Schultz. An updated version of the original 1950s television series of the same name, this adaptation stars a predominantly-African American cast featuring Cedric the Entertainer, Gabrielle Union, Mike Epps, and Regina Hall. The film was both financially and critically unsuccessful, with Roger Ebert being one of the few to give it a positive review.
Plot
The Kramdens and the Nortons are working-class neighbors; bus-driver Ralph Kramden (Cedric the Entertainer) and sewer worker Ed Norton (Mike Epps) are best friends. Ralph is constantly masterminding get-rich-quick schemes with which Ed tries to help. The driving force behind them is their wives, Alice Kramden (Gabrielle Union) and Trixie Norton (Regina Hall); the men are trying to make enough money to afford the homes they think they and their wives deserve. Meanwhile, Alice and Trixie make ends meet by waitressing at the local diner.
Cast
- Cedric the Entertainer as Ralph Kramden
- Mike Epps as Edward "Ed" Norton
- Gabrielle Union as Alice Kramden
- Regina Hall as Trixie Norton
- Carol Woods as Mama Gibson
- Doreen Keogh as Ms. Celestine
- Eric Stoltz as William Davis
- John Leguizamo as Dodge
- Jon Polito as Kirby
- Lenny Venito as Lenny
- Ajay Naidu as Vivek
- Kevin Corrigan as Larry
- Alice Drummond as Miss Benvenutti
Production
Filming locations
- Ardmore Studios - Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland
- Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
- Jersey City, New Jersey, USA
- New York City, New York, USA
- Shelbourne Park Greyhound Stadium, Shelbourne Park, County Dublin, Ireland
Release
The film was released in theaters on June 10, 2005 with a PG-13 rating from MPAA for "some innuendo and rude humor". For its DVD release, several lines of more suggestive dialogue were cut from the film in order to gain a PG rating for family-friendly marketing purposes. The PG rated cut is currently the only version available on home video.
Reception
Critical response
The film received mainly negative reviews. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 13% of 111 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "This pointless remake of the classic TV series only offers generic characters and gags." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 31 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.
Roger Ebert was one of the few to give it a positive review, 3 stars out of a possible 4, proposing that The Honeymooners was unusual among such adaptations in transcending the original while staying true to its spirit.
Accolades
2005 BET Comedy Awards
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Theatrical Film — Gabrielle Union (nominated)
2005 Black Movie Awards
- Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role — Cedric the Entertainer (nominated)
References
- ^ The HoneyMooners Archived 2017-11-10 at the Wayback Machine at Box Office Mojo
- ^ Ebert, Roger (9 June 2005). "Loony landing for 'Honeymooners'". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-22. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
- ^ "Dublin Becomes New York In 'The Honeymooners' | The Irish Film & Television Network". www.iftn.ie. Archived from the original on 2023-08-26. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
- Miller, Lia (2005-10-17). "For a DVD Makeover, Cut the Naughty Talk". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-05-15. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
- "The Honeymooners". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- "The Honeymooners". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- "Find CinemaScore" (Type "The Honeymooners" in the search box). CinemaScore. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
- DAVID CARR (November 17, 2004). "'The Honeymooners' Gets a Black Cast for a New Film". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
External links
- Official website
- The Honeymooners at IMDb
- The Honeymooners at AllMovie
- The Honeymooners at Box Office Mojo
- The Honeymooners at Rotten Tomatoes
| Films directed by John Schultz | |
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- 2005 films
- 2000s American films
- 2000s English-language films
- 2005 comedy films
- African-American comedy films
- African-American films
- Films based on television series
- Films directed by John Schultz (director)
- Films scored by Richard Gibbs
- Films shot in Ireland
- Films shot in New Jersey
- Films shot in New York City
- Films with screenplays by Barry W. Blaustein
- Films with screenplays by David Sheffield
- The Honeymooners
- Paramount Pictures films
- 2000s comedy film stubs
- 2000s American film stubs