Netflix's 'Sextuplets' sees Marlon Wayans play six versions of himself in one epic comedy riot
'Sextuplets', the new Marlon Wayans comedy movie, premiering on August 16 on Netflix, promises to be an entertaining watch as the brilliant comic icon plays six versions of himself.
The movie is based on the premise that lead character Alan thinks he is an orphan because he grew up in foster homes as a child. He, however, always wanted to be part of a big family although he's reluctant to find out about his own bloodline. Things take a turn when he discovers that he has five siblings!
The story's prime focus is on family and siblings bonding. Alan is soon to be a father and his wife Marie has a big family which makes him feel out of place. Alan's life then turns upside down when he gets his adoption papers with the help of his father-in-law. The moment he opens his birth certificate, he is overjoyed to find he is not alone.
His wife pressurizes him to trace his family before he becomes a dad. Alan thus begins his journey to search for a family he never knew existed. The six lead roles are played by Wayans — Alan, Russell, Dawn, Jasper, Ethan, and Baby Pete — in his signature brilliant portrayal. His acting skills brings in a whole new level of professionalism, as each sibling has a very different personality and physical appearance.
Wayans plays Alan with not too many changes to himself in terms of personality and character. When he finds out that he is one of sextuplet siblings, he along with his low-self esteemed brother Russell, head out on a road trip to find the other four. Russell is portrayed by Wayans as a big, burly man with very sensitive characteristics — much like a man-child.
Dawn is the only woman in the family and Wayans nails her role. Her strong and loud personality is perhaps what makes her the best character in the movie and Wayans plays the woman's role with perfection.
Ethan is the cunning brother and he fools people into believing he is the real Alan, who helps his wife with her pregnancy. Baby Pete is a sickly patient on his death bed and Alan saves the day unwillingly by donating him a kidney.
Jasper is clearly the evil brother, however, he's also funny in his own way. The sinisterJasper draws his personality from the lack of a mother's love that turns him into a bad person. His bad side, however, comes more from a cynical perspective of a wicked character.
The roles that Wayans took up in the movie are all brilliantly justified, as he plays them to perfection. The storyline though is poor and the comedy that we would expect from a Wayans movie is missing. The makers seem so involved in depicting the six characters and making them different that they fall short in making an effort with the plot. The comedy and dialogues are very mediocre.
'Sextuplets' is a must watch if you love drama though and are prepared to enjoy the funny bits despite the poor story. Tune into Wayans madness on Netflix at 12 am PT and 3 am ET.