Bebes Kids

Plot

The film is based on a stand-up routine of Robin Harris that is shown in a brief live-action segment at the beginning of the film.

The story of the film begins with an animated version of Harris woefully recounting his troubles to a blind bartender. He traces his problems all the way back to Jamika, an attractive woman he met at a funeral. Outside the premises, Robin approaches Jamika and asks her out. Jamika picks up her mild-mannered son, Leon, from the babysitter and invites Robin to come along with her to an amusement park named Fun World, to which Robin agrees. The next day, Jamika introduces Robin to the children of her friend Bebe: Kahlil, LaShawn, and Pee-Wee. The group travels to Fun World, but are confronted by security before they can enter and are warned that they are being watched. Upon entering the park, the kids are set loose and promptly wreak havoc. Robins disastrous outing is further disrupted by a chance encounter with his obnoxious ex-wife, Dorthea.

After going on a couple of rides with the kids, Robin and Jamika let the kids go off on their own again as they attempt to enjoy a ride through the Tunnel of Love, where Jamika commends Robin for his endurance. While Robin and Jamika spend time together on their own, Leon tries to fit in with Bebes Kids but is unsuccessful. The kids then resume their trouble until they are caught by the security. However, they escape from the securitys trap and convince a bunch of other kids to spread the chaos. Meanwhile, Dorthea and her food-loving friend, Vivian, attempt to sabotage the growing relationship between Robin and Jamika but are thwarted by Robins mother insults. Elsewhere, in an abandoned building, Leon and Bebes Kids are captured by robot versions of the Terminator, Abraham Lincoln, a bear, and Richard Nixon and are put on trial. The "Terminator" acts as the judge who decides whether the kids are worth sending to the electric chair, while "Lincoln" acts as the kids defense attorney and "Nixon" as the prosecutor. The kids win their freedom through the power of rap, then celebrate their victory by stealing a pirate ship and crashing it into an ocean liner.

Robin and Jamika finally leave Fun World with the kids, as the park begins to fall apart. When a cop drives by, Robin tries to get the cops attention; the cop flees after yelling "Uh oh, those are Bebes Kids!" (a line spoken by several other characters). Robin drops Bebes Kids off at their apartment, where he sees just how lonely their life really is. Bebe still has not returned home and left a note asking Jamika to feed the kids. Back at the bar, Robin has a change of heart and goes back to the kids to hang out with them longer. Later, they go to Las Vegas, where Bebes Kids are recognized, and everyone runs away screaming. Pee-Wee pulls a plug that lights the entire city causing a blackout.

Cast

Original stand-up version

In the original act, Robins prospective girlfriend asks him to take her and her son to Disneyland, but when he agrees she shows up with four kids.

As it turns out, Bebes kids are extremely rambunctious, misbehaved, ill-tempered, and flat-out bad. They terrorize park staff, cut off Donald Ducks feet, try to steal Robins 8-track/radio while hes listening to it, and make a general menace of themselves. Their reputation is so bad that even the police refuse to mess with them.

In the second act, the kids and his girlfriend pick up Robin from a bar and make him take them to Las Vegas. Pee-Wee picks up a power cord and the power goes out.

Animated film version

The film made a few changes to the original story, reducing the number of Bebes kids from four to three (with the fourth depicted as Jamikas son instead) and moving the location from Disneyland to a generic amusement park named "Fun World," which is completely demolished by the kids antics.

Also, the film was heavily toned down in content to make it more appropriate for family viewing, although it still got a PG-13 rating for mild language and rude humor.

Soundtrack

1. "Down Home Blues" – Z Z Hill
2. "Tear It Up (On Our Worst Behavior)" – Immature
3. "I Got It Bad, Y´All" – King Tee
4. "I Got the 411" – Urban Prop
5. "It Takes Two to Make a Party" – Maxi Priest featuring Little Shawn
6. "66 Mello" – New Version of Soul
7. "Oh No!" – Arrested Development
8. "Straight Jackin" – Bebes Kids feat. Tone Loc
9. "Freedom Song" – Bebes Kids feat. Tone Loc
10. "I Aint Havin It" – Faizon Love
11. "Standing on the Rock of Love" – Aretha Franklin
12. "Your Love Keeps Working on Me" – Joey Diggs
13. "Can´t Say Goodbye" – The OJays
14. "Deeper" – Ronald Isley
15. "All My Love" – Phil Perry featuring Renee Diggs
16. "I Want to Thank You for Your Love" – The Emotions

Reception

The film received generally negative reviews from critics but was well-received by audiences. It currently holds a 25 percent "Rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Box office

From an unknown, but most likely small, budget, Bebes Kids earned a total $8,442,162 in North America. The film opened at #7 with $3,010,987 in its opening weekend (7/31–8/2), behind Death Becomes Her, Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, Mo Money, A League of Their Own, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Sister Act. Bebes Kids did not perform well theatrically.

Home media

Bebes Kids was released on DVD on October 5, 2004, but was discontinued by Paramount in March 2008. The original theatrical and home video release were preceded by the short, Itsy Bitsy Spider. This title (including the Itsy Bitsy Spider short) was also released on Laserdisc in March 1993.

Video game

The film was later adapted into a poorly reviewed video game on Super Nintendo in 1994.

Popular Culture

Demaryius Thomas, a wide receiver with the Denver Broncos and formerly with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, goes by the nickname "Bay Bay." It was given by his aunt as a reference to the bad kids in the movie. At Georgia Tech, he wore the name "B. Thomas" across the back of his jersey for the 2009 season.