''Dance Fu'' (also titled ''Chicago Pulaski Jones'' and ''Chicago Pulaski Jones: The Legend of Dance Fu'') is a 2011

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

starring

Kel Mitchell Kel Johari Rice Mitchell (born August 25, 1978) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He was an original cast member of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series ''All That'' for its first five seasons (1994–1999), where he was often paired a ...

. The film was co-written and co-produced by Mitchell and directed by

Cedric the Entertainer Cedric Antonio Kyles (born April 24, 1964), better known by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He hosted BET's ''ComicView'' during the 1993–1994 season and ''Def Comedy Jam'' in 1995. He is bes ...

, which is his directorial debut. It was released straight to DVD on October 4, 2011. In the film, Kel plays two roles: a young dancer named Chicago Pulaski Jones and a villain named Pretty-Eyed Willy. Cedric the Entertainer makes a cameo appearance as a

homicide detective Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no intent ...

. Other cast members include Katerina Graham, Affion Crockett and Tommy Davidson.

Plot

Chicago Pulaski Jones is a young championship dancer and choreographer from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

who has recently been hired to work at his uncle Daddy J's club in Hollybank. While at the club, he reunites with a childhood friend and singer, Chaka. When his uncle is murdered by his nemesis, Pretty-Eyed Willy, for refusing to sell his club, Chicago swears vengeance. His initial attempt is unsuccessful, as he is only beaten senseless by Pretty-Eyed Willy's men. Before they can do any further damage the men are stopped by an elderly martial arts expert, Julius Ho, however Chicago is assumed to be dead. Pretty-Eyed Willy then takes over Daddy J's club and forces Chaka to sing for him. Julius takes Chicago into his home and begins teaching him kung-fu so he can defeat Pretty-Eyed Willy, a former student of Julius. He is unable to teach Chicago traditional kung fu, however Julius notices that his dance moves are nearly identical to the martial art. Julius tests Chicago, who is able to block every move. His only weakness is that he can only fight if there is music playing. Julius later fights one of Pretty-Eyed Willy's men, but is stabbed in the process. Chicago manages to defeat the man since there is music playing and comforts a dying Julius, who tells him that there is music all around him. Chicago goes off in search of Pretty-Eyed Willy, who by this point is aware that Chicago is still alive. He is successful in defeating several of Pretty-Eyed Willy's goons, but is taken down by a crack addict who alerts the boss to Chicago's capture. Before Pretty-Eyed Willy can arrive, Chicago manages to escape after hearing some faint music. He continues his search for Pretty-Eyed Willy and beats up several of his fighters, during which the villain learns of Chicago's weakness. Chicago manages to find Pretty-Eyed Willy, who has kidnapped Chaka and knocked her out. This angers Chicago, but he is unable to fight due to a lack of music. He is knocked to the ground by Pretty-Eyed Willy and falls unconscious. While he is out, Chicago recalls Julius's words and realizes that the sounds of the world around him make a musical beat. This allows him to fight and ultimately defeat Pretty-Eyed Willy. The film ends with Chicago becoming a couple with Chaka and running his uncle's club. Pretty-Eyed Willy is shown in the morgue. He is resurrected but is confused as to why he is naked.

Cast

as Chicago Pulaski Jones / Pretty-Eyed Willy *

Katerina Graham Katerina Alexandre Hartford Graham (born September 5, 1989) is an American actress, singer and dancer (now distributing music under the stage name Toro Gato). She is widely known for her role as Bonnie Bennett on The CW supernatural drama seri ...

as Chaka Lovebell *

Gary Anthony Sturgis Gary Anthony Sturgis is an American actor, musician, writer, director, producer, teacher and entrepreneur, known for his role as Bar Patron and other characters in the television series '' America's Most Wanted'', and for providing the voice of E ...

as Daddy J *

as Detective *

Ty Hodges Eric Tyrone "Ty" Hodges II is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. He is known primarily for his roles in Disney channel films and television shows, including his role as Larry Houdini in '' Don't Look Under the Bed'' and Larry Beale ...

as Jamal *

Tommy Davidson Thomas Davidson (born November 10, 1963) is an American comedian and actor. He was an original cast member on the sketch comedy TV show ''In Living Color'', Mitchell on ''Between Brothers'' (1997-1999), Dexter on ''Malcolm & Eddie'' (1999-2000) ...

as Addict *

Affion Crockett Affion Crockett (born August 12, 1974) is an American actor and comedian. Early life Crockett was raised in Germany and Fayetteville, North Carolina. Career Crockett appeared in HBO's ''Def Comedy Jam'' in 1996, demonstrating his impression ...

as Julius Ho *

Craig Lamar Traylor Craig Lamar Traylor (born March 19, 1989) is an American actor and artist. He made his acting debut in an episode of '' ER'' in 1996 and portrayed Stevie Kenarban, the asthmatic, one-lunged boy in a wheelchair and the title character's best frie ...

as Lil' Ryat * Jennifer D. Johnson as Vendetta * Bigg Slice as Lamont *

Cecelia Antoinette Cecelia Antoinette Bruton (November 24, 1949 – May 28, 2020), known professionally as Cecelia Antoinette or CeCe Antoinette, was an American actress, comedian, and writer. Early life Cecelia Antoinette Bruton was born a twin in Dallas, in 1 ...

as Mable *

Rodney Perry Rodney Perry (born September 15, 1970 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He is most known for serving as co-host on Black Entertainment Television, BET's late night talk show ''The Mo'Nique Show'' where he provided ...

as Mayor Pope * Kristian Bernard as DJ Rough Knuckles * Gerald Neal Allen II as Pipe * Dometi Pongo as Artist performing during Intro of the Movie * Jenaé Williams (Ms. Williams) as La'Shay

Production

Plans to film ''Dance Fu'' were announced in 2008. Filming began in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

that same year and Cedric the Entertainer was brought on to direct, marking his feature film directorial debut. Kel Mitchell was announced as the lead actor for the film, then titled ''Chicago Pulaski Jones''. Mitchell also served as the film's screenwriter alongside Janis Woody. Cedric the Entertainer noted that he intended to release it as a "small DVD and digital release" in order to "create this model for independent filmmakers to be able to kind of get their films done for low, economic prices."

Release

''Dance Fu'' was initially slated to release in 2009, but had its release date pushed back until it released on October 4, 2011.

Reception

Grantland ''Grantland'' was a sports and pop-culture blog owned and operated by ESPN. The blog was started in 2011 by veteran writer and sports journalist Bill Simmons, who remained as editor-in-chief until May 2015. ''Grantland'' was named after famed ...

criticized ''Dance Fu'', stating that people should watch it "When you feel like not enjoying a movie about dancing, and you also feel like not enjoying a movie about kung fu, but only have time to watch one of them."

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 1204285 2011 action comedy films American action comedy films 2011 directorial debut films 2011 films 2010s martial arts comedy films 2011 comedy films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films