First SundayMovie Reviews

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 41 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 Iffy for 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Peter Hartlaub

    The second half of the film is much funnier and warmer than the first, but the movie is still difficult to recommend. Read full review

  • 50
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan are the nominal stars of First Sunday, but it's Katt Williams who steals the show in this by turns trite and mildly amusing B-comedy. Read full review

  • 50
    New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman

    Though Ice Cube and Morgan should make an ideal team, neither seems particularly comfortable grappling with Talbert's amateurish script. Most of the laughs, in fact, come from the strong supporting cast, led by a high-energy Williams and the unflappable Devine. Read full review

  • 50
    Entertainment Weekly |

    If Tyler Perry ever wanted to turn "Dog Day Afternoon" into a treacly after-school special, it would probably end up looking a lot like this. Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    First Sunday sometimes feels more like a script read-through than like an actual movie, but its warmth is likely to carry you through the stretches of clich and tedium. Read full review

  • 40
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    It plods along at a sluggard's pace through a weak premise with crude execution and even cruder characters to arrive at an unearned sentimental ending. Read full review

  • 40
    Variety | Brian Lowry

    A near-claustrophobic comedy that manages to be both predictable and preachy. Solid actors in supporting roles offer minor redemption. Read full review

  • 38
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea

    Drawing comparisons to "The Wire" may be unfair, but taken on its own, this anemic vehicle for Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan to mug and jive through is just weak, weak stuff. Read full review

  • 38
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    A sorry excuse for a ghetto SOS. Read full review

  • 38
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    A misguided attempt at comedy that needs to go last on anyone's list of movie options. Read full review

View more reviews for First Sunday on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 13+ Predictable crime comedy has some iffy content.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this movie -- which stars popular comic actors Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan -- starts out as a heist comedy but ends up more like a Tyler Perry film, with a sentimental, moral message about taking responsibility and never giving up hope. Language is milder than in other PG-13 films but is present (including "ass" and "s--t"), as is the central violent act of taking a group of parishioners hostage in a church. There's no outright sex, but a character does overhear some shenanigans in a massage parlor, and a man receives a sensual massage from what turns out to be a cross-dresser.
  • Families can talk about the movie's messages. What lessons do you think audiences are intended to take away? Are they believable? Why or why not? Kids: Did you notice any stereotypes in the film? What were they?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: At first LeeJohn and Durell, both of whom have a rap sheet, continue to engage in criminal behavior (including taking churchgoers hostage) -- but in the end they learn big lessons about taking responsibility for their actions and repenting for their ways.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: Gun-wielding Caribbean gangsters threaten and punch LeeJohn and Durell. Durell brings two guns to the church, where he takes a bunch of parishioners hostage and threatens to harm them if the church's fundraising money isn't surrendered.
  • sex false3 Sex: LeeJohn gets a sensual massage from what turns out to be a cross-dresser; Durell can hear moans, groans, and a squeaking mattress from another room in the massage parlor. Both men stare at a woman's behind, which gets a few close-ups. Tianna and Durell flirt. Omunique wears revealing, tight-fitting clothes.
  • language false3 Language: "Ass," "s--t," "bulls--t," etc. A woman flips LeeJohn the bird.
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Recognizable brands include Avirex, Enyce, Sony PSP, Cadillac, Pinto, and Baltimore's transit system.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Bumper stickers that say "Honk if you like weed" two homeless people pass a bottle of liquor back and forth.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

Dave White

2.0

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

… amiable enough and less stupid than you'dguess … Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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