What every good would-be mayor needs is a granny from the hood! In this "sharp and humorous look" (The Hollywood Reporter) at American politics, comedienne Jackie "Moms" Mabley makes her film debut as "a lovable but cantan... more »kerous" (Variety) grandma, hell-bent on puttin' her local boy in office! With performances from Slappy White, Stepin Fetchit and Butterfly McQueen, Amazing Grace is a "warm, affectionate, positive" and good "old-fashioned comedy" (Los Angeles Times)you'll revisit time and again! A pious, church-goin' widow and grandma, Grace (Mabley) hasa mouth that could take on the devil himself, and the resolve to smack down an even bigger evil: politics! When she learns that her neighbor, mayoral candidate Welton (Moses Gunn), is nothin' more than a white man's pawn, she takes him under her wing and hits the street as his campaign manager! Nowthe blue-blood establishment has a no-nonsense, go-get-'em granny to deal with in a battle for the Baltimore vote!« less
Andre M. | Mt. Pleasant, SC United States | 05/27/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Lovers of the legendary Black commedienne Moms Mabley will treasure this film. In a way, it's about everything she stood for. She moves to Baltimore and gets involved when crooked politicans use a confused Black man (Moses Gunn) and his alcoholic wife (Rosiland Cash) as puppets in a phony race. Seventy-plus year old Moms steps in this mess and does her best to straighten things out! I dare anyone who remembers Moms to keep a dry eye when she gives her climactic speech to the students at Morgan State University (a real Black college in Baltimore). It's almost as if she were giving her own eulogy while still giving the students hope to fight for a better tomorrow (she had a heart attack during the filming and died shortly after it was released). Admittedly, this is a very low-budget film with poor sound. But like I said, if you love Moms, you'll love this."
I Love It!
thesavvybamalady | Prichard, Alabama USA | 11/24/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I saw this movie on cable a while back and I just laughed myself to the ground. Let me explain this movie; A older lady(Ms Moms Mabley herself, who was a gem and is gone now, but if u was around back in the day, u know what I mean); just happens to live next door to this shady politician(Moses Gunn), who if elected, will take the money slated for that area and use for his own "uses". Somehow, Moms has this fella(Slappy White) who helps her out in her shenanigans by putting up elaborate spy systems so they can hear the politician's business. After his high faluting wife(Rosalind Cash, who was as much a gem and gone too)puts on airs with Moms and some of the neighborhood women, Moms give her something to cry for and she and her husband in time, see the light to turn things around. Folks, this is one good movie; a bit disjointed at times, but you can catch the message just the same; Look for bit parts by Debbie Morgan and some others who are prominent now."
Amazing Grace
thesavvybamalady | 07/04/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Fantastic! What a wonderful movie, blending the old south with the movement of the times. It influenced me to buy it and add it to my collection of American movies."
Moms Mabley Was Awesome
Reginald D. Morris | Cincinnati, OH | 10/11/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have heard of Moms Mabley but never got a chance to see her comedy until I watched Amazing Grace. The DVD was excellent and Moms Mabley comedy was off the hook. I strongly recommend the DVD"
We are all Mom's children, just as she said we were...
Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 09/13/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Amazing Grace was the last movie that starred the incomparable Moms Mabley; she died only eight months after the release of this film. Amazing Grace gives us plenty of laughs, snappy dialogue and many, many scenes that allow Moms Mabley to strut her stuff and entertain us as no other comedienne ever could!
The action starts just after Grace (Moms Mabley) returns to Baltimore after a family reunion. She quickly finds out that her next door neighbor, who she barely knows because he's new to the neighborhood, is running for Mayor of Baltimore! With her platonic buddy Forthwith Wilson (Slappy White) she spies on her new neighbors, Welton Waters (Moses Gunn) and his wife Creola (Rosalind Cash). When Moms find out that the city's corrupt political machine is buying the election of Waters to use him as a paid pawn, Grace vows to take action!
Grace boldly spies even on the current mayor and helps gather damaging information on him and his machine to help Welton Waters rid himself of the political machine and run a clean campaign. As other reviewers have noted, Grace's campaign speech near the end of the movie is truly stirring. Moms Mabley outperforms even herself with this heartfelt speech encouraging younger people to fight for a better future.
Of course, it may well seem that I gave it all away--but rest assured I didn't. There are cameo roles for Butterfly McQueen and Stepin Fetchit that help to make the movie truly special. Moreover, questions still remain. Will Waters be able to win running on a totally clean platform? Will the political establishment try to block Waters even after they are exposed as crooks--and, if so, how will they fight back at Welton Waters? What about Grace and her buddy Forthwith Wilson? Will they ever become more than just friends? Watch the movie and find out!
The cinematography could have been better in a couple of scenes; at one point Forthwith is dancing in Grace's living room and his head is partially cut off the top of the screen! The choreography works well, however, in crowd scenes including the scene in which Grace gives her speech encouraging younger people to make a better world.
Hey, this may have been a low budget film but I scarcely noticed and I really didn't care. People watch this film because they want so much to see the wonderful performances of Moms Mabley, Slappy White, James Karen as an aide to the corrupt white establishment, Butterfly McQueen--and Stepin Fetchit in a role that WASN'T demeaning to African Americans.
I highly recommend this film for fans of the stars in this movie; and if you want light hearted comedy with a touch of social commentary then this is the movie for you!