According to “Back on the Strip,” a heady ensemble comedy from Chris Spencer, what makes someone a successful stripper isn’t good looks, the right moves, or an unforgettable stage persona: Being a real once -in-a-generation talent. , it posits, requires a large endowment in the south. That gave Mr. Big (Wesley Snipes), the leader of the once famous male revue crew, in his legendary status, and this allows him to see a phenomenon in Merlin (Spence Moore II), a young man who accidentally reveals Himself. onstage at a disastrous magic show in Las Vegas.
After seeing Mr. Big spot this promise, he brings back his old squad, the Chocolate Chips, now with Merlin at the helm. But Merlin’s so-called gift is the gimmick curse at the heart of the film. Traveling to Vegas at the behest of his mother (Tiffany Haddish, whose voice-over relentlessly narrates nearly every scene), Merlin wants to become a professional magician, but his body puts him on a path that seems his is a compromise to that dream.
It’s both a shame and a wonder that the film was able to assemble a beefed-up roster of talent – Snipes, Haddish, JB Smoove, Faizon Love and, in a cameo, Kevin Hart – for what amounts to a stilted , factory-line comedy.
Seeing Hart’s brief but flat cameo is a study in how lifeless megawatt star power can be without proper writing and direction. Snipes in particular turns in an overwrought, confusingly drawn performance as a stud whose best days are behind him.
Back to the Strip
Rated R for sex, language and some drug use. Running time: 1 hour 57 minutes. In theaters.