Nothing to Lose (1997)

reviewed by
Jamie Peck


NOTHING TO LOSE
RATING: ** (out of ****)

Touchstone / 1:37 / 1997 / R (sex, language, violence) Cast: Tim Robbins; Martin Lawrence; Kelly Preston; John C. McGinley; Giancarlo Esposito; Michael McKean; Irma P. Hall; Rebecca Gayheart Director: Steve Oedekerk Screenplay: Steve Oedekerk

On-screen couples don't come any odder than "Nothing to Lose"'s Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence. The pairing of Robbins (coming off a career high from directing and writing the enlightening Dead "Man Walking") and Lawrence (coming off a career low from directing, writing and acting in the horrible "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate") could have resulted in a quirky good time, but "Nothing to Lose" has almost nothing on its mind -- and the result is a 97-minute running time that feels about as long as three viewings of "The English Patient."

Robbins is well-cast as Nick Beam, an even-tempered Los Angeles advertising executive whose serene, routine life is interrupted through a series of hapless coincidences. Nick's happy marriage to wife Anne (the omnipresent Kelly Preston) is turned topsy-turvy when he returns home from work early one day to discover what appears to be her in bed with another man -- and the cufflinks on the downstairs endtable suggest that it's his boss (Michael McKean). Distraught and upset, Nick hops into his car and goes on a drive to clear his head. When he's at a stoplight, novice hoodlum T. Paul (Lawrence) attempts to car-jack him -- but T. Paul has clearly picked the wrong guy on the wrong day.

Nick steps on the gas and doesn't let off until he and his new "friend" are well out of the city limits. They strike up a hostile, chummy rapport that leads to many disagreements, most of them over T. Paul's habit of robbing from convenience stores to support his family. This gives Nick an idea, albeit a naughty one -- why not steal from his own boss as payback for sleeping with his wife? To top everything off, Nothing to Lose also introduces us to another set of criminals (John C. McGinley and Giancarlo Esposito), only these guys are hardcore into their profession, and the local police keep on getting their exploits confused with those of Nick and T. Paul.

Robbins is a likable guy, and Lawrence can be such when he wants, so it's a surprise that the time they share together falls flat on its face. The two have no chemistry whatsoever, a testament to how poorly we get to know Nick and T. Paul as a duo. We are unwisely spared the moments when they first meet -- the movie jumps from T. Paul's failed hold-up to a scene where they're stopping for food many miles away. "Nothing to Lose" never tries to explain their relationship to us, and therefore it totally overlooks what likely could have been its best scenes. In place of development is a long, violent sequence where Nick and T. Paul knock each other around outside a diner. It's as if nobody knew what else to do.

Don't get me wrong -- "Nothing to Lose" does contain its fair share of out-loud laughs. It's just that none of them belong to either Robbins or Lawrence -- they're given to supporting performers that are each utilized for about one brief scene each. There's a good bit with an elderly general store clerk who gives Nick pointers on how to be a better criminal. Director/writer Steve Oedekirk cleverly casts himself as a security guard who's a slave to the rhythm. Great character actress Irma P. Hall is fine in her two bits as T. Paul's slaphappy mother. And the film's brightest sequence is executed early on, with Nick criticizing an employee for creating a "magical" trail of chocolate chips that follows a cookie company's mascot -- the semi-sweet morsels hilariously resemble excrement.

"Nothing to Lose" is never a terrible movie, but I still don't think I could subject myself to it again. When the film is smart, it can really catch you off guard. But that's almost a rarity, because the story takes turns being either too silly or too socially relevant. There's even a plot twist near the movie's midsection that's insubstantial because it should surprise no one who observed closely and listened carefully during the film's first 20 minutes. All these weaknesses make it clear that there's not much to gain from watching "Nothing to Lose."

© 1997 Jamie Peck
E-mail: jpeck1@gl.umbc.edu
Visit the Reel Deal Online: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/

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