The Queens of Comedy is a 2001 American stand-up comedy film directed by Steve Purcell that is a spin-off film of The Original Kings of Comedy,[1][2] both of which were produced by Walter Latham. The film follows the performances and behind-the-scenes conversations of four black, female stand-up comedians at Memphis, Tennessee's Orpheum Theatre.

The Queens of Comedy
Directed bySteve Purcell
Written byLaura Hayes
Adele Givens
Sommore
Mo'Nique
Produced bySteve Purcell
Walter Latham
StarringLaura Hayes
Adele Givens
Sommore
Mo'Nique
Distributed byParamount Home Entertainment
Release date
  • February 20, 2001 (2001-02-20)
Running time
79 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Laura Hayes opens the show and serves as MC. She tells family stories about her grandchildren, her mother, and her sisters. Adele Givens urges her audience to celebrate their flaws; she comments on this crazy world, her 92-year-old grandmother, and the need to take care when naming a baby.

Sommore, recently released from jail, talks about children, men, marriage, and why mothers give their eight-year old daughters a hula-hoop. Lastly, Mo'Nique celebrates big women and contrasts blacks and whites. She tries to give big women hope, that it is ok to be a big woman, and it is ok to dislike skinny women.

The film also cuts to footage of the queens on the town having fun. For one night only, eight years later, the ladies returned for a comeback on The Mo'Nique Show, which aired on October 29, 2009.

Airing

edit

The Queens of Comedy premiered on Showtime in the United States. It has aired internationally in Europe, the United Kingdom and Ireland, and it has been subtitled in Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. In Africa, it aired in South Africa, Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria.

References

edit
  1. ^ March 02, Troy Patterson; EST, 2001 at 05:00 AM. "Review: 'The Original Kings of Comedy'; 'The Queens of Comedy'". EW.com. Retrieved 2023-04-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Duffy, Mike (January 26, 2001). "'QUEENS OF COMEDY' DIVAS ARE TOO CRUDE". Detroit Free Press. pp. H5. ProQuest 1270468118.
edit