A Real Prince

Despite all the Hollywood hubbub around Boston, it’s no secret that a lot of the movies made here have been total dogs. For every Social Network or The Town, there’s been one too many along the lines of Bride Wars or The Pink Panther 2. And a disturbing number of these clunkers have one thing in common: Kevin James. The King of Queens has made not one, but four “comedies” here in the Bay State.

His first two made-in-Mass. craptaculars were the self-descriptive Paul Blart: Mall Cop, which was shot at the Burlington Mall and somehow made the place seem worse than it actually is; and Grown Ups, a film about dads who—surprise!—don’t want to grow up.

On July 8 comes James’s third offense: Zookeeper, which features the clever premise of talking animals teaching his character how to win back an unrealistically hot girlfriend. Judging from the trailer, the movie, shot at the Franklin Park Zoo, certainly ain’t comedy gold: The gorilla who worships T.G.I. Friday’s is funnier than James himself.

Finally, we oh so eagerly anticipate the summer 2012 release of Here Comes the Boom. Shot in Lowell and Quincy this spring, it’s about a high school teacher turned mixed martial arts fighter. Sigh.