THE SYNOPSIS After robbing a jewelry store and running for cover, career criminal/little person Calvin Sims (M. Wayans) and his inept-but-loyal partner Percy (Morgan) must ditch their biggest prize (a huge diamond) before the cops catch them. Hiding in a pharmacy, Calvin plunks the stone in the purse of lovely Vanessa Edwards (Washington), an upscale, career-driven woman married to her loving husband, Darryl (S. Wayans). It seems that Darryl wants to start a family, while Vanessa wants to put career first. Calvin overhears this and cooks up a scheme to get the jewel back...by dressing up as a toddler and having Percy drop him off in a basket in front of the Edwards residence! Darryl and Vanessa reluctantly take Calvin in and he begins the task of recovering the diamond, all the while avoiding the scrutiny of Vanessa’s eccentric father, Pops (Witherspoon). Meanwhile, Percy tries to keep mob boss Walken (Palminteri) from slicing both of their throats by promising to recover the diamond that they stole for him. Time passes, and Calvin grows closer to his “adopted” family--but good things must come to an end when he is outed as a criminal and Walken & goons show up to take care of business. Does Calvin do the right thing? Whaddayou think?! THE CRITIQUE Moving their sites away from Scary Movies and White Chicks, some of the Wayans Bros. have collaborated on this new production--obviously based on the brilliant Looney Tunes/Bugs Bunny shorts featuring Baby Finster, back in the day. By the way, just how many Wayans brothers are there, anyway? (I lost count at 35.) Led by eldest brother and ringleader/director Keenan Ivory Wayans (Scary Movie 1 & 2/White Chicks/TV’s In Living Color) and co-written by younger brothers Shawn & Marlon, LITTLE MAN makes no apologies for its stupidity or its humor. Admit it, the movie is shoddily-written! The acting, by the 2 brothers are what you would expect from the Wayans boys. Marlon chews it up while Shawn plays the straight man. The rest of the cast is fine--especially John Witherspoon, but better are the cameos by David Alan Grier, Rob Schneider and smaller roles by MAD TV’s Alex Borstein and resident wiseguy Chazz Palminteri. Nicely done, however are the SFX--which combine Marlon’s pineapple head with the body of a little person (actually 2 actors are credited). Four FX houses are responsible and they get a solid kudo from me! Other tech credits (cinematography, editing, music, etc.) are acceptable--but nothing to write here about. THE BOTTOM LINE Dumb movie, funny bits and some decent VFX rate this one a low MFR score. But at least the Wayans boys try! This one could’ve used stronger content to induce a much-needed R-rating (witness their biggest hit, 2000’s Scary Movie) as evidence). As it is, I do enjoy the Wayans Bros. collaborations on screen and their antics with the VFX make for passable entertainment. But LITTLE MAN does come up short in the end (and while an easy dig, there was no pun intended)... CAST: Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Kerry Washington, John Witherspoon, Tracy Morgan, Lochlyn Munro, Chazz Palminteri, Brittany Daniel, Alex Borstein & Molly Shannon CREDITS: Director: Keenan Ivory Wayans; Screenwriters: Keenan Ivory Wayans, Shawn Wayans & Marlon Wayans; Producers: K.I. Wayans, S. Wayans, M. Wayans, Rick Alvarez & Lee R. Mayes; Director of Photography: Steven Bernstein; Production Designer: Leslie Dilley; Editors: Nick Moore & Mike Jackson; Costume Designer: Jori Woodman; Music: Teddy Castellucci AC/AL/V 2006 90m ENGLISH