"Watermelon Man" is an extension, right to the breaking point and then beyond, of that "Finian's Rainbow" gag about the bigoted Southern senator who magically turns black…. When things go badly, it's usually because director Melvin Van Peebles and writer Herman Raucher are horrendously clumsy craftsmen, and their failures are enough to make flesh of any color creep.

The script describes [the] predicament as one big off-color joke, which is accurate enough, and runs out of ideas as soon as the joke has been set forth. Unless, that is, your idea of an idea is extremely undemanding…. Early on, when [the hero] is chasing a yellow commuter bus to the accompaniment of silentcomedy music, the director seems to be setting a specific, parodic style. He also uses gospel music effectively in a shower-bath scene as [the hero] prays for divine enwhitenment. All too quickly, however, Van Peebles loses...