Lady Cocoa

Feisty Coca (a delightfully vibrant performance by Lola Falana) gets released from jail for twenty-four hours so she can testify in court against her mobster boyfriend. Weary veteran detective Lt. Ramsey (ably played by Alex Dreier) and his straight-laced partner Doug (a solid and likable performance by Gene Washington) are assigned to protect Coca from a couple of hit men. Director Matt Cimber keeps the entertaining story moving along at a brisk pace, maintains an amiable lighthearted tone throughout, and stages the one big action set piece with aplomb. Moreover, the sound acting from the capable cast helps a lot: Millie Perkins does well as mousy newlywed Marie, Mean Joe Greene looks suitably menacing as hulking thug Big Eddie, and James A. Watson Jr. contributes a neat turn as smooth operator Eddie. Popping up in amusing cameos are George "Buck" Flower as a drunk gambler, Richard Kennedy as an unctuous waiter, and John Goff as a swishy Sicilian man. Mikel Angel's witty script boasts lots of sharp rat-a-tat-tat dialogue. The funky-throbbing score by Luchi De Jesus hits the get-down groovy spot. Best of all, Falana's dynamic presence and kooky persona keep things buzzing throughout -- and she even belts out the catchy theme song "Pop Goes the Weasel." A hugely enjoyable movie.

Trailer—Lady Cocoa

Lady Cocoa_720p(480P)

source: Lady Cocoa

Lady Cocoa

Oh how I wanted to like this movie. It has all the ingredients to be great. Charismatic lead actress, cool name, main theme tune. A good set up for lots of action. We could have had another Foxy Brown here with Lady Cocoa. But alas, it was not to be. Because Lady Cocoa herself is such an insufferable, awful, loud-mouthed know-it-all that within 30 minutes I was wishing she'd just get shot already. Rarely have I seen such an unlikeable main character in a Blaxploitation movie. Lola Falana has the acting chops and charm to be an excellent lead. But the script writers confused arrogance for confidence, quoting philosophy like it's scripture for intelligence, and a nasty mean-streak a mile wide for charm. No wonder we never got a Lady Cocoa sequel. No one in the entire world would ever want to see this awful character ever again.

This is the kind of film you take lightly; and a good example of the genre (Blaxploitation). Lots of action and attractive stars (Lady Lola and Gene Washington. The color and sound are bad on the DVD due to a bad transfer process. Lola Falana really steps out of her Las Vegas entertainer role to play a gritty foul mouthed gangster's moll; and she does it to the max; especially the exchange between her and Washington in the hotel room -where she goes into a tirade about the police and poor people. I actually picked this DVD in a bargain bin at 99 cent store in the mall and I was really surprised. If you're a fan of the Genre, you will like this. And all you "serious" critics, if you want an art house therapy session, watch something else. This is just turn your mind off and enjoy. I loved it.

Lady Cocoa (Lola Falana) is taken from prison and "hidden" at a casino hotel so she can testify in a racketeering case. At the hotel her boyfriend and bad guys who want her dead show up. Lola Falana also sings the sound track. Football star and HOFer Mean Joe Greene has a minor role as Big Joe. Note that the slot machines take Ike dollars and the initial conversation at the prison concerned "block busting." . My copy was poorly restored with sound being a major issue. The story lacked action and decent drama. It is mostly Lola acting like a spoiled brat spouting off odd facts and listing sources. Guide F-word, sex, nudity (Lola Falana) I saw this on a 12 pack of films featuring Urban Action films.

Another extreme cheapo blaxploit.... Mean Joe Green, who I primarily remember for his enthusiatic endorsement of Coca-cola in the 80's, plays a hit-man flunkie for a pimp/drug dealer, and though because of his semi-celebrity status he is given top billing, he was apparently not trusted to pull off even one speaking line. Not one word the whole movie. Pretty incredible. This is basically crap - hard to watch unless you enjoy very bad slow movies. Lola Falana seems to be quite the firecracker, but this story of her one day of freedom before she testifies on her ex-boyfriend (the aforementioned pimp/dealer ) for the FBI doesn't hold anyone's interest. To me there was some real confusion (mainly due to bad editing, scripting and directing) on whether or not the fat old cop was straight or corrupt.

It was nice seeing Lola in a movie; I had only seen her before on TV. I didn't expect to see a blockbuster. This move was good for what it was...a low-budget movie featuring black actors in film a where black people could see representation. These type of movies were very important for us and our community, and they made decent money. I don't understand the poor reviews and the insults hurled at the actors. There were a few disappointments though...the first one being the tiny role Mean Joe Greene played! I was very disappointed not to hear him speak; and the music! One can only hear Pop Goes the Weasel so many times!