Confessions of a Ex-Doofus-Itchy-Footed Mutha

Yousuresaidamouthful there, Melvin. The iconic director of Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song recounts how his younger self—played by the preternaturally revved-up septuagenarian—gave in to a perpetual wanderlust. Then the semiautobiographical elements involving adolescent indiscretions get pushed to the side; cue crazy misadventures with pirates, African dictators and a horny ape. There’s something admirable about the anything-goes energy that Van Peebles brings to this tall tale, but the amateurishness and Video Toaster–era technical tricks start to grate after a bit. It’s a funky, free-form fairy tale, but one that only a mutha could truly love.