Customer Reviews

Sheba Baby [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Pam Grier being my favorite actress makes it hard for me to rate this video anything lower than a 4. But, in all sincerity, it's a fun, fast-paced movie of revenge and adventure on the high seas. Pam's sexy presence makes it hard to divert your attention from the video, even if it's to pause the tape to take a bathroom break! Pam Grier in one of her more tame roles is sure to please.

This is the first of Pam Grier's efforts that I would not lump wholly in the exploitation category. Sure, there's lots of gunplay and a redundant catfight. That said, the dialogue here avoids the tongue-and-cheek quality that was evident in "Coffy" and "Foxy Brown" and the villains here are more realistic and not as cartoonish. The underlying theme here are the underworld elements that threaten legitimate black entrepreneurs. Because the film deals with the threat more seriously the message becomes more potent. Even in this low-budget effort Grier just commands the screen like any of her contemporaries and would give a run for the money for today's top actresses. She was definitely ahead of her time. I can't recall if Halle Berry thanked her in her Oscar speech. She does not appear nude here but she looks so fabulous clothed that your imagination will do somersaults. Timeless entertainment.

I realize most of the "less than favorable" reviews here are due to comparison with COFFY and FOXY BROWN, and that's really unfortunate. Taken by itself, SHEBA BABY is still an enjoyable and entertaining Pam Grier movie. Here she plays a no-nonsense Chicago-based private investigator who returns to Louisville to protect her father from mob forces muscling in on his loan business. The story plays out like many cop/detective shows from the 70s, but despite the PG rating there's plenty of action here and Pam always gets her man (her confrontation with the hustler in the car wash is a riot!). Of course the PG rating means virtually no nudity (Pam stays between the sheets for her only "nude" scene), but she still looks great and (quite nicely!) dons a wetsuit for much of the last third of the film. The film also boasts a funky 70s soundtrack, including vocals by Barbara Mason. Unfortunately the soundtrack LP is long out of print and quite rare, however I would certainly welcome a CD reissue. The DVD also features a trailer for the film that's quite fun ("Slammin' Pam... giving the gun brothers the frizzies and their boss man the tizzies!"). Sure this isn't COFFY or FOXY BROWN, but that shouldn't stop anyone from enjoying SHEBA BABY.

If I had to describe `Sheba Baby,' the best I can come up with is Pam Grier Light with some really bad mellow drama. I really tried, but this movie just didn't work for me. The action scenes were dull, the acting was surprisingly poor, and some of these characters were TOO stereotypical to even be funny.

This Pam Grier film is incredibly tame. It's nowhere near as violent as some of her earlier films. Gone are the over-the-top images of Pam placing a small revolver or razor blades in her afro. Pilot (D'Urville Martin) and his crew can't hold a candle to some of the real villains Pam faced in her previous movies. It's strictly by-the-numbers and almost has a made-for-TV feel. As for the bad acting, the baddies that Pam faces off with are as unnatural sounding in their delivery as I've seen. As a result, characters like Pilot don't come across as threatening as they should or need to for the movie to work.

That's not to say there aren't moments or elements in `Sheba Baby' that I didn't enjoy it's just that when compared with Pam's other films like `Coffy,' `Foxy Brown,' and even `Friday Foster' that the movie fails. It is not one of her best performances, though. Her "avenging angel" persona has been soften quite a bit, so she is forced to rely mostly on her natural charm. Still, I had fun with this film. A bit of a letdown, but definitively worth watching for the sake of curiosity.

The film is essentially suffers from a too ordinary story and set-pieces such as car bomb and shoot-out, but "Sheba Baby" will surely entertain Pam Grier fans.

Sheba Shayne, a PI in Chicago, has to fly back to her hometown after hearing that her father was threatened by the local mob. Naturally, before she knows it, Sheba is involved in a fight against the cruel syndicate. The rest is almost the same as her movies prior to "Sheba," only difference being some twists in a rather trite story. The most attractive part is the last chase scene on a river, and there Pam herself operates a motor boat. It is enjoyable, but has no cutting-edge of "Coffy." At least "Sheba Baby" is not awfully banal or impossible like "Drum," in which Pam is to appear the following year. "Sheba"s soundtrack by Barbara Mason. Strictly for fans of genre.

this is a Good Solid Satuarday afternoon film.alot of action&Drma.but what really makes this is a Must is Pam Grier.I Love Her Work So Much.Because there hasn't been a Female Like Her Before or since.SHe is a Private eye here.catching up too the bad guy.it's alot of fun&Adventure.Worth Checking Out.PAM GRIER IS STILL A FOX&A CLASSY LADY.

i own just about every movie this lady is in to be by far she (Pam Grier) is one of the greatest black actresses of all time. and still today the way she carries herself in all of her movies she is baaaaad love it

Sheba Baby, is another Pam Grier Blaxploitation film. It was one of Pam's less visceral films of this genre. Pam plays Sheba Shane, who's a Chicago gumshoe. Sheba's father is the owner of a small loan company, in Missouri. When local mobsters try to run her father of of business, Sheba goes after the bad guys.

Pam Grier had already made her mark in Blaxploitation films, by the time Sheba Baby came along. Fans of both Coffy and Foxy Brown, know that Pam is capable of an explosive intensity as an actress. In Sheba Baby, the fiery performance that viewers had come to expect from Pam, wasn't as evident in this film. Not that Pam doesn't kick-butt in Sheba Baby. She's just not as much of a runaway-train vigilante, as she was in her previous Blaxploitation films.

The supporting cast in this film, are a distinct disappointment. So Sheba Baby is Pam's film, through and through. And though Pam's a bit more subdued than in her other films, she still gives a compelling performance in Sheba Baby. This film is definitely worth your time, if you're an ardent Pam Grier fan.

Blaxploitation, sheba, movie, louisville, kentucky, tough chick cinema, 1970s, Pam Grier is one of the fines women on this planet, This is very good movie for all the right reasons. It was a nice movie for my collection.

I think Sheba Baby is a Good albeit not excellent movie, Coffy Is the best of this era, followed by black mama,white mama, then friday foster. Sheba, Baby is still a Pam Flick worth watching.