Marlon Wayans stopped by Philadelphia to promote his new Netflix film “Sextuplets” It airs on August 16th and is rated PG-14.
Synopsis: Alan (Marlon Wayans) is a middle-class professional that is expecting a baby with his wife, Marie (Bresha Webb). During a routine doctor visit, Alan is asked for his medical history and jokingly tries to dismiss the question as he has none. Alan was adopted and his birth records were sealed. At the urging of his wife, he reaches out to his father in-law Leland (Glynn Turman), a federal judge for a favor. This favor unseals his records and Alan sets out to find his mother.
The journey begins as he ends up on the door step of his brother Russell, who is stuck in the 80's as he sits in his favorite chair eating cereal. They discover that they are not only brothers, but have four other siblings. Together, they set out on an adventure to find their other siblings.
Each sibling, played by Wayans, offers a glimpse into what his world would have been like with them. This experience makes him wish that he could have picked with the perfect family.
During his visit to Philly, Wayans shared how he felt about the filming of this movie. In fact, he shared that he cried while announcing the film at the premiere. Wayans recounted that the feeling was “exhausting and exhilarating at the same time”. Tears were warranted after working night and day on the set for fifty-one days. It was the culmination of years of hard work perfecting a craft that he loves-comedy.
One might attempt to compare Sextuplets to Eddie Murphy's “Nutty Professor” but once you continue watching you easily see the differences. Wayans admittedly has been inspired by comedian Eddie Murphy but explains that he isn't interested in taking “another comedian's thing” He took his multiple roles up a notch by seamlessly using technology to have multiple characters (versions of himself) on the screen at one time. Watching how he appears in almost every scene with himself is noteworthy. The characters were based on life experiences and created long before he went in to make up.
Wayans is working to continue the family legacy as he not only pays it forward but shows his own children that hard work pays off. Realizing that his kids were born into his success, he knows the importance of teaching them these lessons as they transcend time. His own brother taught him young, how to survive in this business by having him on the sets and earning a paycheck.
Will the Characters Live On?
It's easy to see how a sequel could be created where the characters decide to search for their father or maybe just one based on how different each one is. Wayans is only interested in making people laugh so it's pretty safe to say that the storyline will have to peak his interest before he commits. The characters will not appear in his stand up routines as he uses life experiences and current events with a funny point of view.
Should you tune in?
If you are looking for a humorous film to watch with your teens then I recommend it. It's rated PG-14 but, I let my middle school child tune in. After I watched it, of course. As a parent, I always look for talking points and Sextuplets definitely reminds me of the importance of family.
Let me know your thoughts after you tune in.
