Dopey entrepreneur Nashawn Wade (Hart) gets an "urban" airline off the ground after winning $100m compensation when his bottom is jammed in an aircraft toilet.

With such an opening premise it's not difficult to guess where the humour is going to be pitched. That's right, straight round the U-bend.

Alarm bells should also start ringing when you realise the airline - NWA - is a tenuous use of Nashawn's initials and, of course, has nothing to do with a defunct rap band with a dodgy moniker.

The pride of the fleet (of one) is a purple and chrome pimpliner, boasting an onboard disco, hostesses of dubious virtue, first class seating (Cristal on tap) and low class (chicken wings passed over your shoulder).

Into Air Force One-meets-the-ghetto are re-routed the Hunkees (geddit?), a suburban white middle class family including dad (Arnold) and his randy daughter Arielle Kebbel.

Adding to the airborne mayhem are Snoop Dogg as a stoner pilot with vertigo, sassy security attendants Mo'Nique and Sofia Vergara and Method Man as Nashawn's dodgy cousin Muggsy.

For an overwhelmingly black cast and writing team plus director, it comes as a surprise that the movie seemingly gloats at black incompetence and thrills at racial stereotyping.

Snoop Dog - a charisma vacuum if ever there was one - is rapidly regressing into a sort of black Jim Davidson, with the same enlightened view of women and gays.

There are a few high points - Mo'Nique and Vergara are splendid - but the rest is an embarrassing mess which makes the Carry On writing team look like Woody Allen.

You get some idea of how bad things are when the most notable thing is a woman rejoicing in the name Melodee Sutton is credited as music supervisor.

Tim Evans