Growing up I always thought Duane Martin was a cool dude. Being the lead character in the video for Boyz II Men’s hit song, I’ll Make Love To You, back in the day, the man gave me the impression he was going to be larger than life.
Sort of how Will Smith and Denzel Washington are. But that was not so. A couple of bad roles and silly productions held him back to the point that he was forgotten.
His on-screen wife Gina (Tisha Campbell-Martin), from the sitcom Martin, has done far better than him and one wonders how that must rub his ego.
Enough with the bad.
Martin has also had considerable success with the hilarious All of Us going back to the early 2000s. He stars as Robert James, a divorced guy who shares custody of his son Bobby (Khamani Griffin) with his ex- wife Neesee (LisaRaye McCoy). Since Robert is the main character we see things from his perspective more than anyone else’s.
The most obvious thing is that although he and his ex have moved on, they can’t deny that they still love each other. He is engaged to another woman, but lil’ Bobby remains the reason why Robert stays in touch with his ex.
Better yet, for Bobby’s sake, the parents have a somewhat exaggerated friendship which raises questions for onlookers.
The flame still seems to be there and even if you are not a romantic, you just wish these two would end up together.
McCoy does a great job in portraying the sophisticated, independent woman who will not mope over a broken relationship. Very often, her character dates other guys with no remorse in mind. However, her hardcore approach always melts when her son Bobby needs her attention.
Because Bobby stays with the father, Neesee feels the pressure to make up for the time that she is away. And Robert will do anything to make Neesee look good in Bobby’s eyes.
As parents the pair may not agree on a whole lot of issues, but when Bobby is present, the parents are on their best behaviour.
I love Tony Rock, who stars as Robert’s best friend Dirk, but he is not really that funny. Maybe being a sibling to Chris Rock plays on my mind, but I doubt it. Granted, he looks funny and the writers give him great lines to work with, but in truth the show could do without him.
The sitcom is produced by Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith. Apparently the general framework is based on the couple’s life when they married; they came with kids from other relationships.
• All of Us airs every weekday at 6.30pm on Vuzu (DStv channel 123).