''Janky Promoters'' is a 2009 American
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
Ice Cube
An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...
and
Mike Epps
Michael Elliot Epps (born November 18, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He played Day-Day Jones in ''Next Friday'' and its sequel, ''Friday After Next'', and also appeared in ''The Hangover'' and ''The Hangover Part III'' as "Bla ...
who play as "janky" promoters who book rapper
Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followin ...
to play at their concert, only to fail at doing it the right way and thus getting into more trouble than they bargained for.
Plot
The film begins with a flash forward to a later scene in the movie in which Russell Redds (Cube) and Jellyroll (Epps) are running out of a concert being chased by an angry mob as they drive off in Russell's car. The plot starts off with Russell coming home late and sneaking into his wife's purse to get her checkbook. He then hears her wake up and pretends to sleep only to be caught by his wife who already knows what happened. This indicates that Russell does not have all the money for the concert yet.
Meanwhile, his co-partner Jellyroll is fooling around with another man's wife at a hotel only to be encountered by a television show's crew (a cameo appearance by
Joey Greco) who hunts down people who cheat on their loved ones. Suddenly Gina's husband Ronnie, who is a cop, drives into the parking lot and starts to shoot at them from his cop car as Jellyroll and Gina escape by car.
Russell visits his mom and begs for money but is turned down and is forced to steal his wife's checkbook while she is in the shower. He checks up on his son, who goes by Yung Semore, and makes sure he is ready to open up for Young Jeezy to perform at the concert. He continues his plans by picking up Jellyroll and getting a rent-a-van to pick up Young Jeezy instead of getting a limo. He gets Jellyroll to pick them up from the airport as he runs errands around
Modesto, California
Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton- ...
getting more money or getting hotel reservations for the rapper and his entourage.
After taking forever to arrive at the airport, Jellyroll finally shows up and picks the rapper up at the airport. He finds out that Jeezy wants some
weed
A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...
badly, so he decides to take them to the hood to get some. He meets up with his drug dealer Mondo who scolds him for getting weed for the rapper and asks if Jeezy can come to his after party. Jellyroll insists that the rapper wants $20,000 to show up and Mondo accepts and gives him the money. This is where things start to turn for the promoters as Jellyroll spends the $20,000 on clothes and jewelry instead of using it for the show to pay Jeezy his money. From there, the movie turns wild and intense as Russell and Jellyroll try to figure out a way to get Jeezy to perform while dodging Mondo and his crew and getting the money to pay Jeezy to perform.
Cast
*
Ice Cube
An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...
as Russell Redds
*
Mike Epps
Michael Elliot Epps (born November 18, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He played Day-Day Jones in ''Next Friday'' and its sequel, ''Friday After Next'', and also appeared in ''The Hangover'' and ''The Hangover Part III'' as "Bla ...
as Jellyroll
*
Young Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followin ...
as himself
* Lahmard Tate as Young Percy
*
Darris Love
Darris Love (born April 26, 1980) is an American actor, most notable for his role as Raymond 'Ray' Alvarado in Nickelodeon's ''The Secret World of Alex Mack''. Since the show's ending in 1998, he has made appearances in episodes of numerous Ame ...
as Mondo
*
Lil' JJ
James Charles Lewis, III (born October 31, 1990), known professionally as Lil' JJ and Big JJ, is an American actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his role as Jordan on the Nickelodeon television series ''Just Jordan'' and doing Vital Info ...
as Seymour "Yung Semore" Redds
*
Julio Oscar Mechoso
Julio Oscar Mechoso (May 31, 1955 – November 25, 2017) was an American actor who played detective Ruiz in '' Bad Boys'' and appeared in such films as ''Blue Streak'', ''Jurassic Park III'', ''The Legend of Zorro'', '' The Lost City'', ''Lit ...
as John Glanville
*
Glenn Plummer
Glenn E. Plummer (born August 18, 1961) is an American film and television actor best known as Timmy Rawlins in '' ER'' (1994-2007), and Vic Trammel in ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2008-2009).
Biography
Plummer was born in Richmond, California.
Career ...
as Officer Ronnie Stixx
*
Juanita Jennings
Juanita Jennings (born September 12, 1952) is an American actress, known for her roles on television.
Career
Jennings won the 1994 CableACE Award for Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries for her role in '' Laurel Avenue''. She guest-starre ...
as Momma
*
Aloma Wright
Aloma Wright (born March 10, 1950) is an American actress, widely known for her roles as Laverne Roberts on the NBC/ABC comedy series '' Scrubs'' (2001–2009), Maxine Landis on the NBC daytime drama series ''Days of Our Lives'' (2008–2 ...
as Ms. Ann
*
Jowharah Jones
Jowharah Jones (born 1982) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her television role as Nico Slater, daughter of Vanessa Williams' character, on the series ''Ugly Betty'', which she played in the first season (that role was pl ...
as Loli
*
Joey Greco as Kevin MaLine
*
Tamala Jones
Tamala ReneƩ Jones (born November 12, 1974) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films such as ''Booty Call'', ''The Wood'', '' Kingdom Come'', '' The Brothers'', and ''What Men Want''. Her prominent television roles include T ...
as Regina Stixx
* Leland White as KK
* Malik Barnhardt as C W
*
Tiffany Haddish
Tiffany Sara Cornilia Haddish (born December 3, 1979) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. After guest-starring on several television series and lead role on a cable drama, Haddish gained prominence for her role as Nekeisha Williams on ...
as Michelle
* Kerisse Hutchinson as Lisa
* Reghan Alexander as Valerie
Release
After being delayed several times, the film released to a limited release on October 16, 2009. The film's DVD was released on November 24, 2009, and also made available for purchase on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
in HD and Standard Definition on February 10, 2010.
In an interview, star
Ice Cube
An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...
stated that the film was unfinished, and that the DVD release was made without his knowledge while he was working on a deal for a wider release of the film.
References
External links
*
*
* {{Mojo title, jankypromoters
2009 films
2000s buddy comedy films
American buddy comedy films
Cube Vision films
Dimension Films films
Films scored by John Murphy (composer)
Films directed by Marcus Raboy
Films produced by Ice Cube
Films set in California
Films shot in California
Films shot in Los Angeles
2000s hip hop films
Hood comedy films
Films with screenplays by Ice Cube
2009 comedy films
2000s English-language films
2000s American films