White Chicks is a 2004 comedy film written and directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, starring his brothers Marlon and Shawn, from a screenplay co-written by the three of them alongside Xavier Cook, Andy McElfresh, and Michael Anthony Snowden. Terry Crews, Jaime King, Frankie Faison, Lochlyn Munro, Busy Philipps, Jennifer Carpenter, Maitland Ward, Anne Dudek, Jessica Cauffiel and John Heard also star in supporting roles.
Marcus and Kevin Copeland (respectively played by Marlon and Shawn) are brothers that work as FBI agents. After botching an undercover operation, they are saddled with the task of babysitting socialites Brittany and Tiffany Wilson, who are the targets of a kidnapping scheme. After a car accident leaves the girls with a few minor scratches that they consider disfiguring facial wounds, they refuse to go to their planned destination in the Hamptons, where a major FBI operation is covertly being set up to protect the girls and bust the kidnapper.
Not wanting to lose their jobs, Marcus and Kevin decide their only option is to go undercover themselves as the Wilson sisters, with great amounts of whiteface and silicone being used to turn two African-American men into white women.
This film provides examples of the following tropes:
- Abhorrent Admirer: Latrell has a crush on Marcus-as-Tiffany, who is repulsed but unable to deter him.
- Affectionate Parody: Of Some Like It Hot, only with more lampooning socialites, Terry Crews, and Your Mom jokes.
- Alpha Bitch: The Wilson twins, though they're more ditzy than type. Their rivals the Vandergeld sisters, Heather and Megan, play this straight, as spoiled, popular mean girls who like to make life miserable for those they don't like.
- Ambiguously Bi: Latrell. He drunkenly has sex with Russ, believing him to be "Tiffany". Also, when he learns who "Tiffany" really is, he's horrified because he's black, not because he's a man!
- Am I Just a Toy to You?: Right before the climax at the fashion show, Karen, at the insistence of Tiffany/Marcus decides to tell Heath that she's through being his "late night booty call," and breaks it off with him by calling him out for stringing her along on his broken promise to be an official couple with her after dumping Heather.
- Arson, Murder, and Lifesaving: The chief resumes Mike and Kevin's action in the end as this:Chief Gordon: Once again, you managed to do everything I told you not to do. You caused over $250,000 worth of damage, two people got shot... but at least you got the right guy. Good work, fellas.
- Attractive Bent-Gender: When Marcus and Kevin disguise themselves as the Wilson twins, several guys hit on them once they enter the Hamptons. Latrell also starts flirting with Marcus throughout the film. Heath and Russ also comment of the “Wilson twins” being too big, but Russ cheerfully claims he still bone them.
- Bachelor Auction: There's a Bachelorette auction where Marcus-as-Tiffany is being bid on for a dinner date, which is naturally won by Latrell.
- Bait-and-Switch:
- When Kevin and Marcus make their drug bust, the duo assume that the thuggish-looking man delivering ice cream is a drug smuggler and his wares are disguised as ice cream. They arrest him, only to embarrassingly discover he’s not a crook and the containers really are nothing but ice cream.
- When Marcus decides to reveal his true identity to Latrell, the latter is shocked. Marcus assumes that Latrell is upset that he’s not a woman, but Latrell is actually more upset that he’s black.
- Batman Cold Open: The movie starts with Kevin and Marcus on a sting operation, in full disguise.
- Bedmate Reveal: Latrell wakes up to find that he is sharing his bed with Russ instead of "Tiffany".
- Beta Couple: Kevin's romance (impersonating Latrell Spencer) with the reporter Denise is a subplot in the movie.
- Big-Breast Pride: The very first thing the audience sees Brittany doing is cupping her own sizable breasts. When she gets her top ripped off by Gomez later, she's initially indignant and having a Naked Freak-Out—yet his flattery about her "nice" breasts quickly replaces her rage with a cocky smirk.
- Big Brother Instinct: The Copeland brothers are this to Karen, Lisa and Tori. Even though they were supposed to be undercover, they still went out of their ways to defend the girls, giving them advice and supported them when they needed it the most.
- Marcus shows this brotherly instinct more often with Karen by making her realize that she deserves way better than Heath and sent the jerk flying by giving him a powerful Megaton Punch the moment he insulted Karen.
- Big Damn Heroes: Karen, Lisa and Tori become this for the "Wilson sisters" when they see them get humiliated with outrageous fashion. They eventually decide to give the Vandergeld sisters karma and expose them for what they did.
- Big Eater: Marcus (disguised as Tiffany) is this two scenes: one scene where he begins to order and gobble down tons of food during the dinner date at the restaurant with Latrell Spencer, and the other scene where he's seen sampling the appetizers, though it was not long until one of the three girls reveals there's cheese in it, much to his lactose intolerance.
- Bilingual Bonus: The twin's last name, Vandergeld, translates to "Of The Money" in Dutch ("geld" = money), which is suspiciously fitting since they are Rich Bitches (note that this isn't a real name in Dutch, it was made up deliberately).
- Black Is Bigger in Bed: Latrell's line "Once you go black, you're gonna need a wheelchair!" is a joke referencing the racial stereotype that black guys are bigger in bed.
- Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: The trio of friends of the Wilson sisters have this hair dynamic: Karen, Lisa, and Tori, respectively.
- Boob-Based Gag: Brittany is noted for having the largest bust size between the two Wilson sisters, which is mostly used for jokes since Kevin is forced to wear large Fake Boobs when impersonating her and thus keeps hitting things with them.
- Boomerang Bigot: Latrell, a black man who is angry at the reveal that Marcus is black and not that he's actually a man. Marcus even assumes that Latrell is shocked that he's not a woman before Latrell cuts him off and starts chewing him out for not being white.
- Briefs Boasting The muscular Latrell wears black swim briefs at the beach while flirting with Marcus-as-Tiffany, making the erection he has for her quite apparent.
- Buxom Beauty Standard: When Harper and Gomez subject the real Wilson sisters to an Outfit-Rip Sex Check (to prove they're impostors they think they are) Gomez gets momentarily Distracted by the Sexy when he takes off Brittany's top and tells her "those are nice". This compliment mollifies her initial anger.
- Caraoke:
- The fake Wilson sisters and their white female friends sing along to Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles" in the car. When the song switches to The Notorious B.I.G. and 50 Cent's "Realest N***s," the group starts rapping along as well, including the lyrics containing the racial slur.
- In an attempt to turn Latrell off, Marcus/Tiffany plays "A Thousand Miles" in Latrell's car, assuming it's a "white girl song" that would annoy him. Instead, it turns out to be Latrell's favorite song, and he happily sings along while driving Marcus/Tiffany home.
- Chekhov's Gag: Marcus' lactose intolerance. He later eats quiche, while disguised as Tiffany, not knowing quiche has cheese and soon has to use the bathroom. Karen, Lisa and Tori listen in horror while trying to have a conversation amongst themselves.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Marcus' wife Gina, becomes suspicious that her husband is cheating on her. She even showed signs of this before Marcus went off on the case.
- Comically Missing the Point: After Latrell gets shot, his right-hand man goes over to him and whips out a handkerchief, going "Don't worry, we'll get this stain right out." And again, his reaction after finding out that “Tiffany” is a black guy.
- Cool Big Bro: Once again, both brothers are this to the girls during the movie. They look out for and support the girls in their time of need, and they know how to be very fun friends to the point the girls themselves lampshade it by commenting how they like the Copeland brothers far more than the Wilson sisters!
- Cowboy Cop: An FBI equivalent of this trope. Kevin aspires to be this. However, his attempts at being a tough guy cop are often played for laughs. But he does at least show his badassery during fights, and like other cowboy cops, he priorities brute force to solve most of his problems. And he is also very quick to dickish and hostile behavior.
- Cultural Translation: The Brazilian Portuguese dub replaces name-drops of The Jerry Springer Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show to Programa do Ratinho and Programa Bebe respectively.
- Da Chief: Chief Gordon is an FBI example of this trope. He's an impatient FBI chief who chews out the Copeland brothers for the ridiculous parts of their antics and whenever they botch an assignment. He even tells the Copeland brothers to turn in their guns and badges when firing them.
- Dance-Off: One that's intentionally not that impressive, as it's between two groups of WASP girls, but Serious Business all the same. Karen, Lisa, and Tori almost lose until the "Wilsons" step in and win it for them.
- Destructive Saviour: Part of Chief Gordon's frustration with Kevin and Marcus is how much property damage they cause with their antics.
- Different for Girls: The Copelands constantly fumble with playing the part of white valley girls, but no one seriously picks up on any of the oddities.
- Disguised in Drag: The Copeland brothers disguise themselves as the Wilson sisters in order to complete their mission.
- Do Wrong, Right: The Chief's main problem with the Copelands. He's not necessarily against them going all Cowboy Cop, but he'd appreciate it if they at least catch the actual criminals in the course of causing collateral damage. He's very happy when they actually manage that much at the end of the movie.
- Drowning My Sorrows:
- Karen does this offscreen after Heath blows her off at the dance club, which ends with her drunkenly crying, puking and spilling her guts about her family loaning money to the Vandergelds.
- Harper and Gomez (mostly the former) are drinking an entire table's worth of shots while on disciplinary suspension. They're called back into action after Copelands convince them to help catch Warren Vandergeld.
- Emergency Impersonation: Impersonating the Wilson sisters via a Disguised in Drag was never the plan to catch the kidnappers after her, the Copeland brothers only do it because they accidentally injured the real Wilson sisters, making them unwilling to go to the party they're supposed to serve as bait.
- Enemies Equals Greatness: Russ' quote:"Don't hate me 'cause you ain't me!"
- Enemy Mine: Despite both duos having animosity towards each other in the beginning, The Copeland brothers and Harper and Gomez team up to take down the real mastermind Warren Vandergeld. They later become genuine friends at the end.
- Even Evil Has Standards: While it's a stretch to call the Vandergeld twins evil, they are vain, spoilt and rude socialites at worst, especially to the Wilson sisters and their friends. But in spite of their hatred of the Wilson twins, seeing their father holding their archenemies hostage at gunpoint horrifies them and they question their father over why he’s doing it, proving that such an action is too much even for them to take.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: The Wilsons read the paper of "their" success on The Hamptons, but then remember they weren't actually at the event but were in their New York hotel room the entire time, thus realizing the Copelands' were impersonating them.Tiffany: Oh, my God! Brittany!
Brittany: What?
Tiffany: We're on page 6!
Brittany: No!
Tiffany: Yeah!
Brittany:: No!
Tiffany: Yeah!
Brittany: NO!
Tiffany: Yeah! Look! (shows the headline) "Wilson Sisters Rock Hamptons"!
Brittany: Wilson sisters rock!
Tiffany: YEAH!
Brittany: Wait a minute... We weren't in The Hamptons this weekend!
Both: OH, NO! WE'VE BEEN CLONED! - Fisticuff-Provoking Comment: After Karen dumps Heath for treating her as nothing more than a booty call because she knows she deserves more than that, he insults her by questioning why she could ever think she’s special. But Marcus-as-Tiffany was watching the entire scene and immediately socks Heath in the face.
- Fun with Acronyms: The benefit dinner is called the Southampton Nuclear Opposition Benefit.
- Gender-Bender Friendship: While disguised as the Wilson twins, Marcus and Kevin start hanging out with the sisters' best friends Tori, Karen, and Lisa. And even the truth came out, the girls find that they liked the Wilson sisters much better when Kevin and Marcus were them. The girls and the Copelands agree to keep in touch and go shopping together.
- Growling Gut: Marcus (disguised as Tiffany) eats a whole tray of cheese appetizers. However, he's lactose intolerant, so the appetizers cause his stomach to growl due to a need to use the bathroom.
- Henpecked Husband: Marcus, whose wife flies off into a jealous rage for even the smallest discrepancies; it's Played for Laughs.
- Hooked Up Afterwards: Latrell, after getting over Marcus!Tiffany, gets together with the actual Tiffany and Brittany. Kevin comes clean about his actual profession to Denise, and they reaffirm their feelings for each other.
- Humiliation Conga: The Vandergeld sisters get upstaged and humiliated in virtually every scene by the Copelands posing as the Wilson twins.
- I Ate WHAT?!: The movie establishes early on that Marcus is lactose-intolerant. However, he eats quiche at the party, unaware that it contains - yes you've guessed it - cheese.
- I Have Boobs, You Must Obey!: Megan tries seducing the Camp Gay director of the fashion show runway. Unfortunately for her, it doesn't take. "Oh, Honey, you are so barking up the wrong tree right now".
- If It's You, It's Okay: Latrell's indifferent reaction to Marcus-as-Tiffany admitting she's not who he believes she is. He's rather much more shocked at the reveal that Marcus is black and not even caring that he's a man.
- Impoverished Patrician: Mr. Vandergeld is the real kidnapper. Though he’s managed to keep it secret up until now, he's lost all his money and is doing this crime out of financial desperation.
- Incredibly Conspicuous Drag: The Copeland brothers still look like two black men, but their ridiculous disguises seem to fool everyone In-Universe. Shawn Wayans himself admits to being a "very ugly woman" in the DVD Extras.
- Informed Attribute: In the finale, Marcus tells Gina about how wonderful a wife she is because of the kind things she does for him — but the audience only ever sees her as a Clingy Jealous Girl to her husband.
- Jabba Table Manners: Done intentionally by Marcus-as-Tiffany when he's forced into a dinner date by his Abhorrent Admirer Latrell in order to try to put him off.
- Job's Only Volunteer: Marcus and Kevin get stuck with babysitting the Wilson sisters because nobody else in the FBI wanted to deal with two Valley Girls
- Large Ham: Latrell Spencer has a hammy and theatrical personality and makes a big deal of everything he does.
- Larynx Dissonance: When the Copelands put on their "Wilson" voices, it always sounds just a little... off. Though when they drop to their normal speaking voices while in disguise, it's equally disconcerting.
- Love Triangle: Karen likes Heath, who's Heather's boyfriend. He doesn't care about either of them, deliberately strings along Karen and only sticks with Heather because of a deal with her father, being involved with kidnapping and fraud.
- Meaningful Name: "Vandergeld" means "for the money" in Dutch.
- Minor Injury Overreaction: The Wilsons "suffer" some minor scrapes in a car accident (a scratch on the nose and a cut on the lip) and have complete meltdowns, refusing to be seen in public. These overreactions snowball into the main plot, as it forces the Copeland brothers to have to pretend they're them.
- Mistaken for an Imposter: When Gomez and Harper capture who they believe to be Kevin and Marcus disguised as supermodels Brittany and Tiffany, they forcibly undress them in front of their superior to prove it. Turns out they actually captured the real Brittany and Tiffany, who punch them unconscious in retaliation for the undressing.
- Mistaken for Cheating: Marcus' wife Gina thinks her husband is cheating on her when she sees him with "Brittany".
- Mistaken for Gay: When Marcus-as-Tiffany cheers up Karen and gives her a heartwarming talk about a special person being right in front of them. Karen asks if she's a lesbian.
- Mister Muffykins: The Wilson sisters own a tiny yappy pooch called Baby, who's treated like royalty, often being carried around in designer bags and forcing Marcus to ride in the truck of the car because Baby always needs to ride in the front seat.
- Mugging the Monster: A mugger grabs the expensive purse being held by a wealthy socialite and runs off. What he doesn't expect is for the "socialite" to chase him for several blocks, tackle him to the ground, and beat the crap out of him with surprisingly heavy punches. The "socialite" is actually a male FBI agent dressed as a woman.
- Mushroom Samba: Latrell suffers this after drinking the Ecstasy laced drink meant for "Tiffany" as he ends up dancing shirtless to techno music with glowsticks and a whistle. Then he accidentally ends up in bed with Russ.
- Naked Freak-Out: Both Tiffany and Brittany freak out when Gomez and Harper subject them to an Outfit-Rip Sex Check that leaves them topless and pantless in front of a crowd. But comically, Brittany stops freaking out once her breasts are complimented.
- Nice, Mean, and In-Between: The main duos never seen without the other; Kevin and Marcus Copeland/ 'Brittany' and 'Tiffany' are the Nice drag guys with a purpose, Megan and Heather Vandergeld are the Mean rude archrivals, the real Brittany and Tiffany are the In Between vapid yet non-malicious heiresses.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Brittany and Tiffany Wilson are obviously based on for Paris and Nicky Hilton.
- Not So Above It All: Even the chief can't help but laugh at Harper's flimsy attempt to justify sniffing the panties one of the Copeland brothers were wearing. Though Harper claps back at him.
- N-Word Privileges: Played for Laughs when the Copelands, in their disguises, listen to rap music in the car with the Wilsons' friends. The girls are horrified when the "Wilsons" say the N-word, until they explain that there's nobody around to hear them and that it's okay if it's in a song. Cut to the entire car singing along, N-words and all.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Russ has this reaction during a fight ("mama?"), when he smashes a chair over "Brittany's" head, to no effect whatsoever.
- When Marcus-as-Tiffany enjoys a plate of quiche only to find out they're filled with cheese and he's lactose intolerant.
- When Marcus' wife Gina shows up at the hotel looking for Marcus.
- Outfit-Rip Sex Check: When rival FBI agents Gomez and Harper arrest Brittany and Tiffany Wilson (who they believe to be protagonists Kevin and Marcus Copeland in disguise), they try to "prove it" by forcibly taking off their clothing in front of the staff... only for it to turn out that they captured the real Wilson sisters, who punch them unconscious in retaliation for the undressing.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Marcus and Kevin are, shall we say, not entirely convincing as white girls, to the point that it strains the Willing Suspension of Disbelief that none of the other characters suspect.
- Poisoned Chalice Switcheroo: Marcus!Tiffany pulls this on Latrell after he tries giving an ecstasy-laced drink to "her".
- Potty Emergency: Marcus has to go to the bathroom after eating some quiche due to his lactose intolerance.
- Preferable Impersonator: Despite their Paper-Thin Disguise, Marcus and Kevin are much nicer than the real girls and are accepted by their Girl Posse, and they start a genuine Gender-Bender Friendship.
- Race Fetish: Latrell is super into white women; to the extent that being a woman seems to be a secondary requirement compared to being white, since when Marcus reveals the truth Latrell is far more upset about him being black than being a man.
- Racial Transformation: Combined with Disguised in Drag. Marcus and Kevin Copeland, two black FBI agents, had to go undercover as two white twin sisters in order to complete their mission.
- Real Men Wear Pink: Latrell singing along to Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles".
- Red Herring:
- Ted Burton, is treated as the main suspect, but he isn't the kidnapper.
- A subtle one in the opening scene. The ice-cream man looks and act like a tough guy, making the Copeland brothers think he is a drug lord, but it turns out that he genuinely was an ice-cream delivery man.
- Sassy Black Woman: Gina is always ready with a retort and more than willing to get her claws out.
- Second-Person Attack: When Tiffany punches Harper for the Outfit-Rip Sex Check, the camera shifts to his POV as her first flies to his face.
- Shrine to Self: The walls of Latrell's house are filled with pictures of himself posing.
- Shout-Out:
- Heather and Megan Vandergeld get red liquid dumped on their heads.
- Heather and Megan Vandergeld prank Kevin!Brittany and Marcus!Tiffany by tricking the pair into strutting down the runway dressed in bird gowns similar to the swan dress worn by icelandic musician Björk.
- The Stoner: "Party Boy" Russ, who enjoys slipping ecstasy into his date's drinks and getting high on ecstasy and coke.
- Suicide as Comedy: After first finding out they botched the job, an overdramatic Marcus jokingly attempts suicide by pretending he's going to hang himself.
- Taking the Bullet: When Warren shoots Marcus-as-Tiffany, Latrell dramatically jumps in front of them to take the bullet, complete with slow-mo and a Big "NO!". He survives it just fine though.
- Toplessness from the Back. When Gomez performs an Outfit-Rip Sex Check on Brittany, the audience only sees her bare back to show that she's really topless.
- Turn in Your Badge: Chief Gordon is furious when he finds out about Kevin and Marcus impersonating the Wilson twins and fires them. He also puts Harper and Gomez on suspension after they brought in the actual Wilson twins and stripped them (which he also blames on Kevin and Marcus). However, once they all save the day and get Warren Vandergeld arrested, the chief forgives and reinstates them.
- Twelfth Night Adventure: One of the oddest examples of the genre.
- Upper-Class Twit: The Wilsons, their Girl Posse, and the Vandergelds. Making fun of socialite culture is pretty much the point of the movie.
- Valley Girl: The Wilson sisters, their Girl Posse trio and the Vandergelds all exhibit this over-the-top behaviour. Kevin and Marcus also fully embrace the Valley Girl persona while undercover as the sisters. They speak in exaggerated, high-pitched voices, use phrases like “OMG” and “totally,” and engage in dramatic, superficial gossip. Their attempts at blending in are so extreme that even real Valley Girls find them a bit much.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Both Copeland brothers. Their first mission ends up a failure for picking on the wrong gang, The FBI's two best agents get fired because of their crossdressing plan, and more. Fortunately, the brothers got better and saved the day.
- Wedgie: Marcus disguised as a woman is given a wedgie to correct his posture.
- Weight Woe: One of the members of the Girl Posse is revealed to have severe body image problems around her weight. This despite being as thin as any Hollywood actress or supermodel, and it is made clear that all the fat she sees on herself in the mirror at the mall is in her head. She has somewhat of a psychotic episode about it.
- Where da White Women At?:
- Latrell, to the point that when Marcus reveals himself, Latrell gets more upset that he isn't white, without even acknowledging that he's a man.
- Also said verbatim on the soundtrack before the Copelands are made over for the first time.
- White Like Me: The entire plot involves two black guys dressing up to pass as, well, white chicks.
- Wig, Dress, Accent: The Copelands don't look anything like the Wilsons, even in whiteface disguise, but the blonde wigs, feminine dress, and valley girl accents fool everyone.
- Your Mom: The Copelands pull this one off on the Vandergelds, who visibly struggle to keep up until their father arrives.