I've met B-Rad before. As a teacher, I've encountered numerous white suburban teens who fashion themselves as hip-hop playas, going as far as dressing the part and patterning their speech after the gangsta rap superstars they worship, using so much street slang that, to any adult within earshot, it sounds like they're speaking a foreign language. B-Rad, Jamie Kennedy's popular character (often featured on his television show), is only a slightly exaggerated version of these kids. Maybe that's why I think he's amusing, while those never exposed to the hip-hop culture will watch B-Rad's antics without ever cracking a smile. Now B-Rad has his own movie, "Malibu's Most Wanted," which isn't likely to appeal to many folks over 30, but it knows its audience. The movie isn't always very funny, but it's better than most of the awful films based on "Saturday Night Live" characters. And for a film aimed mainly at teenagers, it's sometimes quite clever.

B-Rad (Kennedy), a budding rap artist, sees himself as a hip-hop playa, complete with the pimp-gear clothing, street-talk, mannerisms and gestures associated with that culture. He's also the son of wealthy Bill Gluckman (Ryan O'Neal), who's running for governor and views his son as a threat to his election campaign. With the help of his aide (Blair Underwood), he arranges to have B-Rad "kidnapped" by two struggling actors posing as gangstas (Taye Diggs & Anthony Anderson); the goal is to scare B-Rad into giving up his "poseur" image, adopting a more conservative, voter-friendly "white" persona. The problem is that these actors are as clueless of the gangsta lifestyle as B-Rad. One must appreciate the fact that, for a movie whose audience is mainly young people, "Malibu's Most Wanted" offers quite a bit of clever satire. B-Rad is a hilarious creation, but not just a characture - he's both clownish and sympathetic at the same time, while still taking pot-shots at the type of real-life white guys who seriously adopt this persona. Like "This is Spinal Tap," some of the humor may be lost on the uninitiated, but it's obvious screenwriters Kennedy, Fax Bahr & Adam Small know their stuff. As for the performances...while Kennedy is good in a role he's already comfortable with, Diggs and Anderson (as actors Sean and P.J.) are easily the funniest part of the whole movie; their attempts to imitate thug gangstas is hilarious, right down to using a book of slang to master the jargon. The movie isn't entirely successful; the humor doesn't always work, and falters when it tries to be anything more than a comedy, but it's told at a brisk pace and doesn't outstay its welcome.

Included is an audio commentary by actors Kennedy, Anderson and Regina Hall (who plays B-Rad's love interest), as well as some of the filmmakers. As these things go, it is pretty good, though I don't really think this is a commentary too many videophiles will get a lot out of. Also included are the theatrical trailer and a lot of deleted scenes (including) an alternate ending; fans of the film will enjoy them, though it's understandable why they were eliminated from the final cut (which really didn't need to be any longer than it is, anyway).

It definitely helps if you're somewhat in-tune with the hip-hop culture (especially the jargon) in order to appreciate some of the film's satire. Fans of Kennedy's style of humor will likely enjoy "Malibu's Most Wanted" more than a casual viewer. Personally, this isn't something I would feel the need to own. But then, I'm not the movie's target audience. At the very least, here's a teen comedy that isn't all about sex, getting drunk or bodily functions.