Introduction
Welcome to my corner! This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the television movie Jackie's Back. As you all probably know by now, Dolly Parton, a music legend, died on Tuesday, August 25 at the age of 80. Some of you many also know that Tim Curry died that same day at the age of 80. Boy, last Wednesday sucked for me and the world. Tim Curry was my all-time favorite actor. Since we lost two great stars last week, I decided to pay tribute to them by reviewing the only movie they were both featuring in, Jackie's Back. Enjoy!
Jackie's Back
Jackie's Back is a 1999 American mockumentary musical comedy television film directed by Robert Townsend and stars Jenifer Lewis in a title role. It also starred Time Curry, Loretta Devine, Tom Arnold and Whoopi Goldberg. It premiered on the Lifetime Television Network on June 14, 1999. It received NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special in 2000.
Plot: A British documentarian (Tim Curry) profiles a washed-up diva (Jenifer Lewis) as she prepares for her comeback concert.
Acting: My favorite title is Jackie's Back for the following actors, if not stated otherwise.
Jenifer Lewis played Jackie Washington. Her voice is so unique and I love listening to her. Lewis received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 15, 2022, the fictitious Jackie Washington Day. Her four most notable titles currently are The Princess and the Frog, Mystery Men, What's Love Got to Do with It, and The Preacher's Wife. My favorite is The Princess and the Frog in which she voices Mama Odie.
Tim Curry played Edward Whatsett St. John. He's been my favorite actor/voice actor for as long as I can remember. Like Jenifer Lewis, he has a unique voice that I could listen to all day. I'm going to miss him so much. His four most notable titles include Congo, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Muppet Treasure Island, and Legend. How do I even choose a favorite? I love all of the movies I've seen him in, whether or not they were good or bad, and I will love the ones I have yet to see too, just like Jackie's Back. Plus, he was in nearly 250 titles! I just can't pick one. He will always be the BEST villain.
T.V. Blake played Antandra Washington (Jackie's daughter). Her four most notable titles currently are STEM the Movement (video), She's the One (2020), Jackie's Back and Mister Sterling (television series). She didn't really act much after Jackie's Back, which was her first title.
Tangie Ambrose played Shaniqua Summers Wells (Jackie's daughter). Her four most notable titles currently include A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Ringmaster, In Plain Sight (television series), and A House Divided (television series).
Whoopi Goldberg played Nurse Ethyl Washington Rue Owens (Jackie's sister). I love that she played Jackie's sister while also being mentioned in the movie as Whoopi Goldberg. She filmed all of her scenes in costume for Girl, Interrupted (1999) while in her trailer on set for that same movie. Her Name tag says "Valerie Owen's", her character from Girl, Interrupted. Her four most notable titles currently are Sister Act, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Ghost, and The Color Purple. My favorite is The Pagemaster in which she voices Fantasy.
Loretta Devine played Snookie Tate (Jackie's childhood friend). Her four most notable titles currently include Crash, Urban Legend, Waiting to Exhale, and Boston Public (television series). My favorites are the minor roles she's played in various television series like Supernatural, Picket Fences, and Grey's Anatomy.
Minor roles were played by Tom Arnold as Marvin Pritz (Jackie's former manager); Robert Bailey, Jr. as Wilson Wells (Jackie's grandson); Alan Blumenfeld as Ivan; Loren Freeman as Kim; Johnny Brown as Reverend Eustace Barnett; Julie Hagerty as Pammy Dunbar; David Hyde Pierce as Perry; Kathy Najimy as Lola Molina; Kyla Pratt as Little Jackie Washington; Rudy Ray Moore as Dolemite; Isabel Sanford as Miss Krumes; JoBeth Williams as Jo Face; Mary Wilson as Vesta Crotchley (Jackie's 3rd grade teacher); Richard Lawson as Milkman Summers (Jackie's ex-husband #1); and Reynaldo Rey as Cadillac Johnson (retired pimp).
Cameos by Pattie Austin, Charles Barkley, Diahann Carroll, Eddie Cibrian, Jackie Collins, Don Cornelius, Taylor Dayne, Melissa Etheridge, Kathy Griffin, Sean Hayes, Ricki Lake, Howie Mandel, Camryn Manheim, Penny Marshall, Bette Midler, Liza Minnelli, Rosie O'Donnell, Dolly Parton, Donna Pescow, Chris Rock, Eva Marie Saint, Grace Slick, Robert Townsend, and Bruce Vilanch.
Background information: Production: Filmed in Los Angeles by Krost/Chapin Prods. and Hearst Entertainment for Lifetime Television. Executive producers: Doug Chapin, Barry Krost; producer: Gideon Amir; director: Robert Townsend; writers and co-producers: Mark Alton Brown, Dee LaDuke; co-producer: Jenifer Lewis.
Crew - Camera: Chuck Mills; production designer: Mike Whetstone; editor: John Price; music: Marc Shaiman; casting: Jeff Greenberg; costumes: Cliff Chally; Cinematographer: Charles Mills; Assistant Editor: Lisa Willinger; First Assistant Director: Richard Peter Schroer; Supervising Sound Editor: Deni King; Camera Operator: Joe Broderick; Script Supervisor: Richard Bernagozzi; Boom Operator: Steve Cain; Location Manager: Patrick McIntire; Production Coordinator: Laura Tateishi, Leslie Silvey; Property Master: Vic Petrotta Jr.; Sound Editor: Frank Nolan; Sound Mixer: C. Darin Knight; Production Designer: Michael Whetstone; Set Decoration: Amy Vuckovich; Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Richard D. Rogers, Grover B. Helsley, Robert W. Glass Jr.; Key Grip: Anthony Lee Beverly; Casting: Cathy Reinking, Jeff Greenberg; Executive In Charge Of Production: Mel A. Bishop; Music Editor: David De Palo; Hair Department Head: Roddy Stayton; Music Programmer: Nick Vidar; Playback Coordinator: Mark Agostino; Producer's Assistant: Dorian Ovalle, Brian Holt, Charlie Jordan; Transportation Co-Captain: DeAnna Weippert; Music Supervisor: Jackie Krost; Songs: Marc Shaiman; Stunts: Manny Perry; Clearances Coordinator: Jodi Trippi; Gaffer: Elisha Harris; Production Assistant: Maggie Sherman, Collin Daniel; Transportation Coordinator: Jay Kennedy; Dolly Grip: Anthony Caldwell; Stunt Coordinator: Bennie Moore; Makeup Artist: Vera Zay, LaLette Littlejohn; Original Music Composer: Marc Shaiman; and Stunt Double: April Weeden.
Final Thoughts: Jackie's Back is a hilarious mockumentary film. Jenifer Lewis and Tim Curry really make this movie. They did the casting perfectly. The star-studded cast and cameos were also great. The cameos made the movie believable, even when you knew it wasn't. Although we only got snippets of Jackie's hit songs, what we did hear of them was pretty good I thought, especially for a tv movie.
And while Dolly Parton only played a small cameo role in this movie, I still think it's a great tribute to both her and Tim Curry. I hope they both rest easy and peacefully. We loved you and will remember you always. ❤️
My favorite scene was the Coco movie scene where Jackie was playing 'Coco', a bad-ass, kicking-butt musician(?). She pretended to beat up the bad guys standing like five feet away from them. It was hilarious!
My favorite quote is "In the '70s when she lost her voice, I remember a lot of people liked her a lot better without her voice." —Cameo Celebrity.
Rated: PG
Where to watch it: According to Google, Jackie's Back is currently available on Tubi. You can also purchase or rent a digital copy for a few dollars. I've also donated a DVD copy of the film to the Emil M. Larson Public Library in Clark for you all to enjoy if you choose to.
