Growing up there was a bunch of movies I would have never saw if it wasn't for late night TV in the 90's. 'True Identity' happens to be one of them. It has stuck with me doing a Mrs. Doubtfire routine before that movie even existed. I'll state up front I'm not familiar with comedian Lenny Henry, but that didn't stop this film from having fun moments.

Struggling actor Miles Pope (Henry) is sat next to a reputed mobster (Frank Langella) who is thought to be dead on a flight. When it appears the plane is going down, the man tells him his dirty secrets and afterwards wants Pope dead. With the help of his movie makeup neighbor, he undergoes a transition to being a white guy and then inadvertently takes the identity of the hitman sent to kill him. Faking his way thru conversations, making excuses, staging a fake murder scene until the gig is up and he has to find a real way out.

Quite a few recognizable faces pop up, but the show belongs to Henry, the dependable Langella and Andreas Katsulas (Star Trek TNG, The Fugitive) as the mobsters associate. There's a throwaway love interest and some corny cop play in which the film takes a dip however there's a solid laugh or two during his aspirations for a successful acting career.

Remember that classic bit from 'The Simpsons' with the pamphlet on stealing cable? "Fact: Most movies on cable get two stars or less and are repeated ad nauseam." That's 'True Identity' in a lot of ways. There's a few good pieces here, I certainly laughed but you have to sit thru formula to get to them.

The comedic verve of Lenny Henry has flourished on both stage and television over 35 years for one of Britain's most loved entertainment personalities. However Dudley's finest son has never managed to translate his talent on to the big screen with much success. One of Lenworth's few attempts to break into Hollywood came in the 1991 release True Identity.

True Identity is a Comedy/Crime effort that owes much of it's scope and design to Beverly Hills Cop (1984), which will generate comparisons for those who have seen White Chicks (2004). Henry plays a struggling actor who involuntarily ends up on the Hit List of a want away Mafia crime boss played expertly by Frank Langella. To avoid assassination Henry utilises the make-up prowess of a neighbour to turn himself into a white man, whilst teaming up with burned out FBI agent Houston (JT Walsh).

Lets get something True Identity isn't the greatest work you'll ever see, but somehow the film kind of pulls off something worth watching, Henry's talent is obvious and with help from the supporting cast manages to get mileage out of the gags that do work, and the film delivers it's message while hovering around some potentially sensitive themes without ever taking itself too seriously.

Watching "True Identity," I was somehow reminded of an old "Saturday Night Live" Eddie Murphy skit where he disguised himself as a white man, then walked around New York City in makeup, realizing that when no black people are around, white people like to get funky.

At first I thought it was just a basic idea that bore resemblance, until two gags used in Murphy's skit were used in the film, and I started to wonder how they had ever gotten away with ripping off his materal. Then I realized that the writer of the film, Andy Breckman, used to write for "SNL," and that the film was an unofficial spin-off of Murphy's skit.

The problem with "SNL" spin-offs is that they take a successful five-minute paper-thin gag and stretch it out to full length. Mary Katherine Gallagher was never very funny, but her skits were watchable; whoever decided to put her oddball, unlikable character into a movie was nuts.

Luckily, even though it is far from being a great motion picture, "True Identity" has its fair share of good moments, which include British comedian Lenny Henry getting to dress up as a white guy and pose as an Italian-American mobster hit-man, then posing as James Brown's brother. (One of Murphy's trademark characters on "SNL" was his impersonation of James Brown in "James Brown's Hot Tub.")

Miles Pope is an aspiring actor living in the big city with hopes of becoming the lead in "Othello." When he boards a plane, he finds himself seated next to a strange man named Leland Carver. When the plane starts to plummet, Carver (played by Frank Langella) admits that he used to be a criminal, who was believed to have died in an explosion, but in reality survived, had facial alterations, and "spent thousands setting up a new identity." Of course, the plane then regains itself, leaving Miles with the knowledge that he will probably be chased by the gangster's hit men. So his only option is to disguise himself as a white man.

This is essentially a very weak setup, with a truly ridiculous and contrived plot (like a mobster would admit his real persona for no reason whatsoever). But the movie does have a fair amount of fun, and a few good belly laughs, including the opening scene. "You need to get to your roots," a director of a play tells Miles. "Act more black." "But black people don't act like this anymore!" Miles says. The director doesn't care, so Miles tries to portray a stereotypical black man. The result is very funny.

The film, as a whole, is completely harmless and serves its purpose. It's entertaining, with a silly plot but a good amount of funny scenes. Henry is able to show off how good he is at comedy while we are entertained. And for the record, his "white man makeup" was much more convincing than Murphy's.