White Chicks is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. The Wayans Brothers co-wrote and co-produced the film. It stars Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans as two black FBI agents who go undercover as white women. The film was released in the United States on June 23 2004 grossing $113 million worldwide.
The film received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a 46% “rotten” rating based on 139 reviews with an average rating of 5.5/10. The site’s critical consensus reads “Inoffensively dumb and dated White Chicks wallows in its poorly conceived premise.” On Metacritic the film has a score of 47 out of 100 based on 32 critics indicating “mixed or average reviews”.
In his review for the Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars writing that “it’s so sincere in its desire to be liked and so energetic in its execution that we go along for the ride.” Peter Travers of Rolling Stone also gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars writing that “White Chicks is a goof but it’s a likable goof and that’s what counts.”
A. O. Scott of The New York Times was more critical of the film writing that “White Chicks is an exercise in cultural anxiety masquerading as a screwball farce.” Scott also criticized the film’s racial humor writing that “the movie’s idea of hilarity is to have its black characters say and do things that no real human being black or white would ever say or do.”
In his review for The Washington Post Desson Thomson gave the film 2 out of 4 stars writing that the film “only intermittently musters up the funny.” Thomson also criticized the film’s racial humor writing that the film is “often too busy mugging for its own good.”
Despite the mixed reviews White Chicks was a box office success grossing $113 million worldwide against its $37 million budget.
What is the rating for White Chicks?
PG-13
What is the reason for White Chicks’ PG-13 rating?
crude and sexual content and language
What are some of the crude and sexual content in White Chicks?
sexual dialogue and references drug material partial nudity
What is some of the language used in White Chicks?
racial epithets profanity
Does White Chicks have any nudity?
partial nudity
What does partial nudity entail in White Chicks?
brief shots of breasts and buttocks
Is there any violence in White Chicks?
brief comic violence
Is there any alcohol or drug use in White Chicks?
drug material
What is the general plot of White Chicks?
Two black FBI agents go undercover as white women.
Does White Chicks make any references to race?
yes
Are the references to race in White Chicks negative or positive?
some are negative and some are positive
Does White Chicks make any references to other cultures?
yes
Do the references to other cultures in White Chicks add to the movie or take away from it?
they add to the movie
What is the overall message of White Chicks?
don’t judge a book by its cover
Would you recommend White Chicks to others?
yes