A new highway threatens a Chicago neighborhood, so to protest the residents throw a block party.Roger Ebert gave the film one-and-half stars (out of four), calling it a "good-hearted muddle" but opining that "they must have left half the script back in Hollywood." Ebert did note with pleasure that the film's business justified opening the balcony at the now-demolished Roosevelt Theater, where he had not sat in four years. He is spot-on here. The film never really seems to have a direction and just sort of meanders. This can work on occasion, but does not seem to here.In 2009, "Black Dynamite" star and co-writer Michael Jai White cited "The Monkey Hu$tle" as a major influence, telling the Los Angeles Times, "It was just brash, unlike anything I'd ever seen... I remember these bigger-than-life characters, who reminded me of my uncles, and it was the first time I saw anything familiar in my life on the big screen." This adds a little weight to the film that it does not provide itself, as "Black Dynamite" is truly impressive.

This movie sucks, lol. I've seen far better blaxploitation, and it's a wonder Rudy Ray Moore even lent his talent to this film, considering how good his own movies are. He must have been hard up or out of work, or doing charity because even he can't save this movie. Yeah the music sucks but that is the least of the problems in this film. It is good for showing 70s Chicago, which seemed a lot less overpopulated back then as the city more so resembles Philadelphia than it does the Chicago we take for granted today. If you're nostalgic for a blaxploitation film that was filmed in Chicago rather than New York or LA this is the movie for you, if not don't waste your time. You can watch it for free on Hulu.com if you're really interested, save your money ...

Released in 1976, Monkey Hustle (or Hu$tle, as per the title cards) is a so-so entry in the African-American action/comedy films that were preeminent in the 1970's. The lead player here is Baby D (Kirk Calloway), a Chicago teen who apparently is a con-artist in training. He and his friends are mentored by Big Daddy Foxx (Yaphet Kotto), an established con-man (read: 'hustler') who has taught his apprentices how to fleece the unsuspecting from their (presumably) hard-earned money and merchandise. The popular hangout for the kids is at Mama's restaurant. Mama (Rosalind Cash) doesn't like the kids being taught how to steal and con, and only barely tolerates folks like Foxx and the even more flamboyant Glitterin' Goldie (Rudy Ray Moore).The plot of the film, such as it is, tacitly revolves around plans for the city to build a highway that would go right through where Baby D and everyone else in this (south side?) neighborhood live. Thus begins the titular 'Monkey Hustle' which involves scamming city officials and others who have an interest in razing the neighborhood. Mostly, the civic activism of the plot only serves as a tenuous link for several extended skits and unrelated misadventures involving all the film's characters. Future soap star Debbi Morgan and future "Hollywood Shuffle" director Robert Townsend are among the film's younger cast.The black "exploitation" trend was already waning in Hollywood, and this only had minimal success at the box office upon release. This is not among the 'classics' of the 70's era black comedies (that title goes to cult favorites like Uptown Saturday Night and Car Wash), but it's interesting to see respected character actors Kotto and Cash more or less slumming it and interacting with the likes of Moore (who basically plays a less foul-mouthed Dolemite here). Viewers who are not cult-comedy/exploitation/black-film completists should only rent, not buy.

This movie is worth renting just to see Goldie and his Goldie Mobile! Not a bad plot, and the song "Monkey Hustle' is a riot!