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THE LADIES MAN: The famed SNL character, Leon Phelps (Tim Meadows), makes his way to the silver screen. Down on his luck, Phelps searches out the author of a letterpromising love and money.
“Hello, caller … Hey, it’s a lady.” Fans of Saturday Night Live recognize this greeting as the mantra of none other than Leon Phelps, The Ladies Man.
The Ladies Man, the latest offering from SNL Studios, stars Tim Meadows in his first leading role as Leon Phelps, a self-proclaimed love expert and lover of ladies.
Meadows, who co-wrote the movie along with Dennis McNicholas and Andrew Steele, plays Phelps well, but may disappoint many Ladies Man fans for failing to take risks with the movie.
Meadows’ character is known for his raunchy comments and misguided advice, but the R-rated movie does little that cannot be done on SNL, with the exception of the use of some foul language.
As the movie begins, Phelps is employed as a late-night radio talk show host. His show, The Ladies Man, provides callers with Leon’s “expert” advice on the topics of love, ladies and, of course, Courvoisier cognac. Leon’s advice is not always well accepted by his female listeners and ultimately leads to his being removed from the airwaves along with his producer, played by Karyn Parsons (The Fresh Prince of Bel Air).
The loss of his job causes Leon to become hopelessly depressed; that is until he receives a love letter from his “true love.” In the note, she tells him that she is incredibly wealthy and that she wants to run off with him. Upon receiving the note, Leon thinks his problems are over — all he has to do is figure out who sent the unsigned note. Leon’s quest to discover the identity of his lost love is complicated by a group of angry husbands, Victims of the Smiley Ass, who have all seen a man with a tattoo on what Leon would call “da butt.” Their search has been going on for years, but they have never discovered the identity of the man who slept with their wives. It is not surprising that the group soon figures out that Leon was the one they were after and they immediately begin to chase him.
Typically, movies based on SNL sketches have been poor and unfunny to the point that they begin to get annoying by the end. The Ladies Man, however, does not fit this pattern. The Ladies Man sketch is not as overplayed as some of the other skits that SNL Studios have made into movies, but this is not quite enough to make it a “must see.”
Despite stars such as Billy Dee Williams (The Empire Strikes Back) and Tiffani Thiessen (Saved by the Bell), in supporting roles, The Ladies Man can be bland at times and just unfunny at others. There are some truly humorous moments in the movie, but they are not frequent enough to put this film among SNL success stories such as Wayne’s World.
Enjoying The Ladies Man depends on why you went to see it in the first place. If you go in expecting a great film or very highbrow humor, you will be disappointed. If you just want to have a few quick laughs, The Ladies Man is a safe bet.
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