{"id":4454,"date":"2019-09-03T16:25:29","date_gmt":"2019-09-03T16:25:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/?p=4454"},"modified":"2019-09-03T16:26:13","modified_gmt":"2019-09-03T16:26:13","slug":"marlon-wayans-finds-his-stride-with-sextuplets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/marlon-wayans-finds-his-stride-with-sextuplets\/","title":{"rendered":"Marlon Wayans Finds His Stride with ‘Sextuplets’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

In his latest Netflix venture, Marlon Wayans tackles the same challenges as some of the comedic greats before him, most notably Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy.\u00a0 In his new film <\/span>Sextuplets, <\/span><\/i>the industry veteran plays not one, not two, but <\/span>six <\/span><\/i>characters.\u00a0 If I am gonna keep it all the way real, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the work.\u00a0 While I was not particularly impressed by his<\/span> Woke-ish<\/span><\/a> stand-up special, I think with this film, Marlon has found his comedic niche.\u00a0 (It is also worth noting that I have very particular sensibilities when it comes to stand-up – but y\u2019all probably already knew that.)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the verge of becoming a father, 38-year-old Allen, who was raised in a foster home, sets out to meet the family he never knew when he discovers he is a sextuplet.\u00a0 Adventures ensue as he travels the country meeting his siblings. It turns out that growing up separately in the foster system has impacted each of them in unique and weirdly hilarious ways.<\/span><\/p>\n

I think part of my ability to appreciate this movie was fueled by my renewed commitment to really engaging with work on its own terms.\u00a0 Prior to viewing the film I watched and read several short interviews with Marlon, one of which was a lovely tribute to his family and his own evolution as a writer, actor, comedian, and producer.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The technical feats of this film are impressive.\u00a0 Marlon juggled lines and blocking for six characters and made us laugh in the process. The fact that the audience does not feel the gaps in terms of his presence is a testament to his talent as well as that of his team.\u00a0 If you haven\u2019t already watched, here is a quick description of the siblings in hopes that you will want to get to know them yourself.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meet the Family<\/b><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Left to Right: Baby Pete, Russell, Jasper, Alan, Ethan, and Dawn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alan<\/b>\u00a0is the sibling that sets the reunion in motion.\u00a0 Criticized by his father-in-law for not having a family, he is the one who musters the courage to search for them.\u00a0 He is a regular guy, with a slightly silly side. However, having to deal with the large personalities of his newfound siblings brings out a sharper side of him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Russell <\/b>is a socially awkward man-child who loves nothing more than to watch old television shows and eat cereal.\u00a0 When he sets out on the road with his new brother it becomes quite clear this will be a trip of many firsts for him.\u00a0 Despite his brashness and his addiction to Cookie Crisps and Lucky Charms, Russell is quite loyal and his honesty is valuable and hilarious.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethan <\/b>is a small-time hustler who walks and talks like a pimp from the 1970s.\u00a0 At first glance he seems like a regular con, but once we get to know him we realize that more his rough exterior is a result of a difficult upbringing.\u00a0 Once shown kindness, he opens up and his communication around his gratefulness is still rooted in street talk and makes for some interesting explanations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dawn<\/b> is first introduced to Allen as she is serving a sentence for assault.\u00a0 Upon being released we quickly understand why. The free-spirited sibling is the only girl in the family.\u00a0 While she initially reads as stereotypically ratchet, she catches you off guard with some of her intellectual insight.\u00a0 One thing is for sure, she will not hesitate to protect the ones she loves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Baby Pete<\/b> is, unfortunately, the sickly one in the family. Despite meeting him on what may very well be his death bed, Baby Pete (which is his legal name) makes you wonder what kind of life he led prior to being hospitalized.\u00a0 He has also been featured in a meme that has gone viral.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jasper<\/b> is a straight-up psychopath.\u00a0 He is some sort of off-the-grid intelligence operative with a coldness instilled from him as a child being raised as a part of a government experiment.\u00a0 And being his sibling does not necessarily spare you his wrath.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Sextuplets<\/span><\/i> is a movie that serves as a true testament to Marlon\u2019s stamina and talent.\u00a0 It is also a great example of how building hilariously distinct characters is hard work that pays off.\u00a0 I am happy and proud to witness and enjoy the benefits of Marlon\u2019s journey of self-discovery and self-actualization.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In his latest Netflix venture, Marlon Wayans tackles the same challenges as some of the comedic greats before him, most notably Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy.\u00a0 In his new film Sextuplets, the industry veteran plays not one, not two, but six characters.\u00a0 If I am gonna keep it all the way real, I was surprised […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[31,407,90,255,787],"class_list":["post-4454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film-tv","tag-featured","tag-film-review","tag-marlon-wayans","tag-netflix","tag-sextuplets"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4454\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}