Grade: B

Verdict: I got to say the nano my brother. Wha da ta.

Details: Starring Lance Crouther, Chris Rock and Wanda Sykes. Directed by Louis C.K. Rated PG-13 for sex-related material, profanity and drug content. One hour, 22 minutes.

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Review: This summer sorely needs a movie like Chris Rock's new comedy “Pootie Tang.” Aren't you tired of Hollywood churning out action movies that cost millions but aren't really worth a dime?

“Pootie Tang” is cheaply made stuff, patently stupid and, most of the time, a pure pleasure to watch.

For the uninitiated, Pootie Tang (played with cool vibes by Lance Crouther) is a superstar, a retro love god, an urban street-smart strutter who, like Georgia's own real-life Godfather of Soul, speaks his own lingo.

“I'm a pone toni. Got my dillies on the pepatane,” he's likely to say.

It doesn't matter what it means (can anyone out there effectively translate all the mumblings of “South Park's” Kenny?).

What matters is that women adore Pootie, the young can't get enough of him and you get 82 minutes of his time in a movie that, when it works, is laugh-out-loud funny.

Pootie, first introduced on Rock's old HBO comedy show, is an urban uberlord. As groovy as Austin Powers. As charismatic as Billy Dee Williams. (That's right. Billy Dee Williams.) And he's a good guy. As good as milk.

His movie is all blaxploitation kitsch. Feathers and fur. Pimp rolls and car washes. And, wielding his daddy's belt like a martial arts master to whip the forces of evil, the Tang himself is one bad, mother-shut-your-mouth. As Pootie says to bad guys, “I'm gonna sine your pitty on the runny kine. Sipi-tai!”

In the '60s, they'd call a movie like this “Dr. Goldfoot and his Bikini Machine.” In the '70s, it would be “Billy Jack.” (Yes, you really had to be there). The '80s: “Stripes.”

It's all nonsense. But if you tune your brain to the right frequency, it's a lot of fun.

Many gags in this flick are simply lame (somebody take “Tang's” gorilla joke, please). But at other times it is wickedly inspired.

Like how Pootie sells his latest record to the world. The song itself is nothing but silence. But when Pootie “records” the song by shaking his vibe without ever uttering a sound, the scene is hilarious.

Rock and a few friends play Pootie's pals. And Robert Vaughn (remember the '60s' TV kitsch of “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”?) is the film's corporate baddie, Dick Lecter. He sells cigarettes, liquor and hamburgers.

And when you're fighting frightening evil like that, who you gonna call?

— Bob Longino, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution