Film
B.A.P.S
- Comedy
- Light-hearted
A '90s comedy about two friends with big dreams and bigger personalities chasing wealth and entrepreneurship. It's broad, energetic, and unapologetically silly—the kind of film that swings for laughs without worrying about landing every swing. Made for anyone who wants to watch Halle Berry commit fully to a ridiculous premise and have fun doing it.
If you liked this
Coming to America1988
Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall's fish-out-of-water romance has the same candy-colored charm and warmth. It's got real heart beneath the broad comedy, and the two leads' chemistry carries you through every weird twist.
But The pacing drags in places, and some of the humor depends on jokes about women that land differently now than they did in 1988.

House Party 21991
Kid 'n Play's debut is pure joy—a comedy that loves its characters and lets them breathe between the gags. It's got the same generous spirit and focus on friendship that makes B.A.P.S. work.
But The plot is thin and sometimes the comedy feels more like a sketch than a story. Some setups go nowhere.

Juwanna Mann2002
Another comedy about women working an angle with charm and hustle. Vivica A. Fox and Kim Coles nail the dynamic between ambitious best friends who don't quite have a realistic plan.
But It's pretty corny, and the sports movie framework doesn't add much. You're really just there for the banter.

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The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Soul Food1997
Both B.A.P.S. and Soul Food use soul food restaurants as a space where Black family and aspiration meet. One is a joke about dreams; the other is about dreams deferred and what they cost.
Released the same year, it uses the same setting and some of the same cast but takes everything seriously—grief, family, legacy. Seeing how the same world can be both comedy and tragedy is revelatory.
But It's genuinely heavy, especially if you come to it expecting lightness. The melodrama will feel like tonal whiplash if you're not ready for it.

More like this (6)
Uncle 'Bar' at Barbershop2000
A celebration of Black community and humor that finds wisdom in comedy without ever letting things get heavy. The ensemble has real affection for each other, and it shows.
But The plot is messy and the film doesn't know quite what it wants to be tonally. It works better as a series of scenes than as a complete story.

The Players Club1998
Ice-T's comedy about strippers starting their own club has similar energy—women scheming and making moves, supported by an ensemble of funny people who actually seem to like each other.
But It's inconsistent and sometimes tackles serious subjects in a comedy-movie way that doesn't quite work. Some scenes feel uncomfortable by accident.

Friday1995
Cube and Smoking handle the rhythm of friendship comedy perfectly. It's low-key and confident, proving you don't need a plot if your leads make each other funny.
But The humor is hyperlocal and the film moves slowly. If the vibe doesn't catch you in the first ten minutes, you're spending ninety with people you don't find funny.

Set It Off1996
Queens Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, and Jada Pinkett Smith bring real chemistry and star power. Even when the film gets serious, it never loses its fun energy or the bonds between the leads.
But It's torn between heist movie and character study, and the tonal whiplash gets worse as it goes on. The ending's heavy in a way that sits awkwardly with everything before it.

How High2001
Method Man and Redman have genuine chemistry and they're clearly having a great time. The comedy is silly and sweet, and the film never pretends to be smarter than it is.
But The stoner humor is pretty one-note and the plot is basically an excuse to string scenes together. If weed jokes aren't your thing, there's not much else holding it together.

Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood1996
Shawn Wayans' parody takes the energy and absurdism of '90s comedy in wild directions. It's fearless and weird, and it commits to every joke without explanation.
But The humor is scattershot—for every laugh there's a joke that falls completely flat. It's also wildly uneven in tone and some of it hasn't aged well.

People
Cast
Halle BerryNisi
Natalie Desselle-ReidMickey
Martin LandauMr. Donald Blakemore
Ian RichardsonManley
Anthony JohnsonJames- Troy ByerTracy Shaw
Luigi AmodeoAntonio
Jonathan FriedIsaac
Bernie MacMr. Johnson- Darrel HeathTerrance
- Vince CookeZ.Z.
Directing
- Robert TownsendDirector
- Angela BarnesSecond Second Assistant Director
Writing
- Troy ByerScreenplay
Production
- Valerie McCaffreyCasting
- Jay SternExecutive Producer
- Michael De LucaExecutive Producer
- Loretha C. JonesProducer
- Mark BurgProducer