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A plane crashes on the African plains and a white toddler is flung clear of the
wreckage. The youngster astounds a group of Kavuki onlookers when he repels a stalking lion with nothing more than flatulence. The heroic infant is adopted by the
garrulous Kavuki tribe and during his childhood learns the ancient art of reading the "bones", or divining the future, and is soon dubbed Bones (Leon Schuster) by the tribes
people. His ability to accurately read the bones endears him to the Kavuki king, Tsonga, a man desperate to produce a male heir to succeed him. After many years of
failure to have a male heir despite having many wives, he sets off Bones to "The City of the Sun" to search for his missing son which he fathered years before in a one-night
stand. Bones arrives at the city during a million dollar golf tournament where he found ace golfer, Vince Lee (David Ramsay), with his agent Pudbedder (Faizon Love).
Consequences convince Bones that Vince is the king's missing son, and so he goes back to Kavuki with Vince, bringing with him a whole lot of trouble and misadventures.
A comeback movie of the African King of Comedy Leon Schuster, Mr. Bones brings Leon
Schuster's brand of slapstick humor back with passable wit and hilarious style. Although the series of misadventures are quite a common premise, Schuster manages to succeed
with his unique style of putting in an African touch in the story. Thus, indigenous animals and African bush are inevitable part of the film. The inclusion of
international actors in the film helps the movie attain a universal appeal.
The film is a depiction of a typical African tribe where King rules and women are just
followers. The Kavuki tribe is no different where Tsongo does not regard daughters as blessings rather he longs all along for just a son for an heir. The movie may not mean
any harm than to tell a tribe's story and tickle some funny bones, but the minds of at the impressionable should also be considered. In a patriarchal society where women are
marginalized, films like Mr. Bones still further such discrimination. The story and scenes are all made in context though, and at the end of the day, it is the hard laughs
that the audience will remember. The character of Mr. Bones as courageous, grateful and helpful is the saving grace of the film. Not to be overlooked is Vince's
longing for a real family which he found in the tribe of Kavuki, where true love and concern for others abound.
(Date Reviewed: August 15, 2003)
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