Mia Patel
In the 2004 film White Chicks, Marlon and Shawn Wayans play two black FBI agents who go undercover as white women by using whiteface to protect two hotel heiresses from a kidnapping plot. The transformation required wigs, contacts, and body makeup, and took up to seven hours a day. While the film was largely panned by critics, it grossed over $113 million worldwide and has since become a cult classic.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Movie name | White Chicks |
| Year of release | 2004 |
| Genre | Crime comedy |
| Directors | Keenen Ivory Wayans |
| Writers | Keenen Ivory Wayans, Xavier Cook, Andy McElfresh, Michael Anthony Snowden, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans |
| Main cast | Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Jaime King, Frankie Faison, Lochlyn Munro, John Heard |
| Plot | Two black male FBI agents go undercover as white women by using whiteface to protect two hotel heiresses from a kidnapping plot targeting socialites |
| Budget | $37 million |
| Box office collection | $113.1 million |
| Reception | Negative reviews, nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture |
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What You'll Learn
The Wayans brothers played FBI agents
In the 2004 comedy film "White Chicks," Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans play FBI agents Kevin and Marcus Copeland, who go undercover as white, blonde, wealthy hotel heiresses, Brittany and Tiffany Wilson, to protect them from a kidnapping plot. The film was directed by their older brother, Keenen Ivory Wayans, who also co-wrote and co-produced the film.
The transformation of the Wayans brothers into the Wilson sisters was a lengthy process, requiring up to seven hours of makeup application per day, including wigs, contact lenses, and body makeup. While the disguise was obvious to the audience, the characters in the film were meant to believe that they were interacting with white women, with only the close friends of the girls sensing that something was different.
The film received generally negative reviews from critics, with nominations for five Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture, and was criticised for its unconvincing prosthetics and exploration of themes such as class, gender, and race. However, it was a box office success, grossing over $113 million worldwide and gaining a cult following.
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They disguised themselves as white women
In the 2004 comedy film "White Chicks," the Wayans brothers, Marlon and Shawn, play FBI agents who disguise themselves as white women. The brothers' characters go undercover as two wealthy, blonde, blue-eyed hotel heiresses, Tiffany and Brittany Wilson, to protect them from a kidnapping plot targeting socialites.
The transformation of the African-American actors into white women was achieved through extensive makeup, wigs, and contact lenses. The makeup process was lengthy and challenging, taking up to seven hours a day and requiring buckets of acrylic paint. The contact lenses, which covered the whole eye, were particularly uncomfortable, and the wigs were essential for hiding the actors' necks and the sides of their faces.
The resulting disguises were not entirely convincing to the audience, with the characters bearing a resemblance to female versions of Michael Jackson. However, within the context of the film, the other characters are oblivious to the fact that the "chicks" are not actually white women, allowing for humorous situations where the disguises are obvious to the audience but go unnoticed by the characters.
Despite the extensive makeup and disguise efforts, the film received negative reviews from critics, with some commenting on the unconvincing prosthetics and even accusing the film of racism. The film was nominated for several Razzies, including Worst Picture, Worst Actress for the Wayans brothers in drag, and Worst Screenplay.
However, despite the negative reviews, the film was a financial success, grossing over $113 million worldwide and gaining a cult following.
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The makeup process was lengthy
The makeup process was indeed lengthy. In the film, two black male FBI agents go undercover as white women by using whiteface to protect two hotel heiresses from a kidnapping plot. The process of transforming the African-American actors into the Wilson sisters took up to seven hours a day, requiring buckets of acrylic paint and contact lenses that the actors described as extremely painful.
The film's special makeup creator and applicator, Greg Cannom, explained that the coloured contacts "covered the whole eye," which was necessary to make the whites of their eyes appear bright enough. The wigs were also an important part of the disguise, helping to hide the sides of the actors' faces and necks. Cannom noted that the length of the hair was more important than height, as too much hair and eye makeup made the actors look like drag queens, which was a look the director, Keenan Ivory Wayans, wanted to avoid.
The body makeup alone took six weeks of testing to perfect. The final result was not entirely convincing, with film critic Richard Roeper placing the film at #1 on his list of the worst films of 2004, citing unconvincing prosthetics and racism. Despite the negative reviews, the film was a financial success, grossing over $113 million worldwide and gaining a cult following.
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In-universe, they looked like the sisters
In the 2004 comedy film "White Chicks," Marlon and Shawn Wayans play two black male FBI agents who go undercover as white women to protect two hotel heiresses from a kidnapping plot. The Wayans brothers' characters use whiteface and wear disguises to pose as the blond, blue-eyed Wilson sisters, Tiffany and Brittany.
While the movie received negative reviews and was criticized for its use of prosthetics and makeup, it was a success at the box office, grossing over $113 million worldwide. The transformation of the Wayans brothers into the Wilson sisters was a notable element of the film, requiring a lengthy makeup process that took up to seven hours a day. The makeup included acrylic paint, contact lenses, and wigs to hide the sides of their faces and necks.
In-universe, the Wilson sisters are supposed to be carbon copies of the real heiresses, and the disguise is meant to be convincing enough to fool those around them. While the close friends of the girls know something is different, there are no explicit mentions of the sisters' appearance. The humor arises from the fact that the disguise is obvious to the audience but goes largely unnoticed by the other characters. The film explores themes of class, gender, race, and disability, but it has been criticized for tackling these issues in a dubious and unethical manner.
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The film was commercially successful
Despite receiving negative reviews from critics, the 2004 film White Chicks, starring brothers Marlon and Shawn Wayans, was a commercial success. The film grossed $19.7 million in its opening weekend in the US, taking the #2 spot. It went on to make a total of $70.8 million at the US box office and brought in an additional $42.3 million from other territories, for a worldwide total of $113.1 million, against a budget of $37 million.
The film's success can be attributed to several factors, including the popularity of the Wayans brothers, who had previously starred in hit films such as Scary Movie and Scary Movie 2. The unique premise of the film, which involved two black male FBI agents going undercover as white women by using whiteface, also likely contributed to its commercial success. The transformation of the Wayans brothers into the Wilson sisters was a notable element of the film and required a lengthy and challenging makeup process, which involved white-skinned masks, wigs, and contact lenses.
The comedy in the film, though criticised by some as unfunny and unethical, resonated with millions of fans and contributed to its success. The exploration of themes such as class, gender, race, and disability, though handled poorly according to some critics, also provided a draw for audiences.
The film's financial success led to talks of a sequel, with Sony announcing a follow-up in 2009 before ultimately cancelling the project. In 2018, it was confirmed that a sequel was back in development, and in 2019, Terry Crews stated that he had received confirmation from Shawn Wayans that the project was moving forward.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Marlon and Shawn Wayans played the main characters in White Chicks.
In the film, two black male FBI agents go undercover as white women by using whiteface to protect two hotel heiresses from a kidnapping plot targeting socialites.
The film received generally negative reviews upon release and was nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture. However, it has since come to be regarded as a cult classic, making over $100 million at the box office.
The makeup process was lengthy, taking up to seven hours a day, and requiring buckets of acrylic paint and specialised contact lenses. It took six weeks of testing just to perfect the body makeup.
