LIFE
*** (out of 4) - a good movie
Release Date: April 16, 1999 Starring: Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Obba Babatundé, Poppy Montgomery, Clarence Williams III, Bokeem Woodbine, Nick Cassavetes, Noah Emmerich Directed by: Ted Demme Distributed by: Universal Pictures MPAA Rating: R (strong language, a shooting)
As Hollywood has its say, life in prison can be a unique experience. Humanity is laid bare for the simple civilization it is, and free individuals from all social classes are equaled as inmates by the promises of the next meal and free time in the yard. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, perhaps one of the best prison movies ever made, gave a serious outlook (albeit with humorous asides) on a wrongly convicted man who adapts to the microcosmic society on the inside. In LIFE, however, a strikingly similar statement is made by director Ted Demme (THE REF) with almost entirely humorous content. Most exactly, this movie is SHAWSHANK inverted.
Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence star as Ray and Claude, our soon-to-be convicts living life on the edge in 1920's Harlem. They're both hustlers to a certain degree, making a quick dollar with fast hands and a fast tongue. Their debts catch up to them, though, an in order to pay it off, the two are sent with a truck to Mississippi to get a load of moonshine for a nightclub back in Harlem. All's fine until the two stumble upon a dead body, and in the segregational South a life sentence for the pair is inevitable. So they end up at Mississippi State Penitentiary where director Demme offers us an episodic view of their lives over the span of nearly seventy years. Throughout that time, the two see a number of changes -- some good, some bad -- but their humorous outlook and never-say-die spirit keeps them going.
As the leads, Murphy and Lawrence are outstanding, and in addition to complementing each other they make strides individually. As Ray, Murphy is probably more the audience's favorite than Lawrence as Claude, for Murphy expands on the mirth and good nature that brought him brief success in last year's HOLY MAN.
Martin Lawrence, too, makes a better appearance than his last turn in 1997's NOTHING TO LOSE. Whereas his character there was bland and somewhat typical, his role here is much more effectual: he plays a sniveling, weaseling little dime-snatcher who has good intentions and an annoying way of going about them. Together, with Murphy, he helps generate the necessary atmosphere for a buddy comedy like this; in fact, a bond of this type was missing from 1994's SHAWSHANK. Granted, the Frank Darabont film was more an introspective look at one man's life told through the eyes of another, but the jokes that fly between Murphy and Lawrence could not be matched with only a single lead.
And indeed, the humor comes frequently and to much success. The jokes are fresh and delivered in good form, in addition to being well-camouflaged and diverse. There's not a lot of running humor, and so for the entire 100-minute running length there are hearty new laughs around the corner. Much of it comes at the other inmates' expense, but Murphy and Lawrence managed to play up a bit of it between themselves as well, giving the comedy a dynamic feel. As with everything else, it's well-done.
The movie does have its low and slow points, but audiences are sure to forgive them for the volume of laughs that LIFE offers. This is the first true comedy since last fall's RUSH HOUR, and it is sure to be one of the more memorable of 1999.
all contents © 1999 Craig Roush
-- Craig Roush kinnopio@execpc.com -- Kinnopio's Movie Reviews http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio
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