MOVIE REVIEW

Comedian Eddie Griffin commands the stage in the rousing "DysFunKtional Family."

By Kevin Thomas, Times Staff Writer

In his rousing concert film "DysFunKtional Family," comedian Eddie Griffin takes the stage like the Midwestern tornado he is and keeps his audience laughing until the very last second. Griffin is a protean talent with razor-sharp wit who has already made his mark in movies and on TV in addition to moving to the front ranks of stand-up comics. He is set to star as Sammy Davis Jr. in a film bio of the legendary entertainer.

Although director George Gallo filmed Griffin in live performance in Chicago, he has framed it with deftly interspersed sequences shot in Griffin's native Kansas City, Mo., in keeping with the show's central autobiographical theme. On stage, the freewheeling and uninhibited Griffin points out the upside of Sept. 11: For about a month afterward, white passengers were only too glad to have a couple of sturdy black men aboard an airliner. Lean and clad in black leather, he ranges from the topical to the eternal, offering some wondrously clinical advice on sexual technique that has his audience all but rolling in the aisles. But he keeps coming back to his family.

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Eddie Griffin was lucky and he knows it. His single mother, who is rightly proud of her son, was as loving a parent as she was strict, and so was his late grandmother, to whom he dedicates his film. Of his mother he says in gratitude: "My mama whupped me away from the penitentiary." His Uncle Curtis introduced young Eddie to classic westerns -- and classic porn -- on video but is an easygoing, loving man whose influence seems to have been positive.

His natty Uncle Bucky, a former pimp and a recovering addict who has spent more than half his life in prison, managed to offer Eddie crucial encouragement in pursuing his career as a performer while warning him off drugs and crime.

The family values Griffin extols are that "no matter how dysfunctional we are, we can still have a positive impact on each other's lives."

Among Griffin's many takes on his relatives, one of the most hilarious is his recollection of attending his grandmother's "holy roller" church. With much affectionate humor, he summons up impressions of the mighty choir, the fiery preacher, the ladies with hats "like flowerpots." He says he couldn't imagine in such an atmosphere the spirit of Jesus not being present, and goes on to explain with outrageous hilarity why it is that "Jesus was a black man." It's not for nothing that Griffin considers Richard Pryor his idol.

Pryor is among a clutch of celebrities he impersonates in a whirl of quick takes that provide a terrific finale. By then, Griffin has gotten away with a lot of truly raunchy humor but through the laughter has sent a message of encouragement to his youngest fans, assuring them that if they work hard and steer clear of trouble they can make anything they want of their lives. Some may be offended by Eddie Griffin's blunt language, yet they would find it hard to deny that he tells it like it is.

'DysFunKtional Family'

MPAA rating: R, for strong sexual content, language and drug-related humor

Times guidelines: Not for those easily offended by blunt language and clinical sexual descriptions

A Miramax Films presentation in association with Gold Circle Films and Heartland Productions of a Permut Presentations production. Director George Gallo. Producers Eddie Griffin, David Permut, Paul Brooks. Executive producers Norm Waitt, Peter Safran. Original comedy material written by Eddie Griffin. Cinematographer Theo van de Sande. Editor Michael R. Miller. Music Andrew Gross. Musical supervisor Randy Gerston. Additional film score by Suge Knight and Tha Row Hitters. Running time: 1 hour, 24 minutes.