NOTHING TO LOSE (1997) A Film Review by Ted Prigge Copyright 1997 Ted Prigge
Writer/Director: Steve Oedekerk Starring: Tim Robbins, Martin Lawrence, John C. McGinley, Giancarlo Esposito, Kelly Preston, Michael McKean, Rebecca Gayheart, Steve Oedekerk
For four days at the crap college theatre, where you can see mainstream films with bad quality for a mere buck 25 (with college id, of course), they were playing a "surprise movie." Could it be perhaps a new movie, or maybe an upcoming film? Or maybe a popular classic, like "Star Wars?" Welp, I got there and it turns out to be none other than..."Nothing To Lose." Since I had hiked across campus to find out what it was and perhaps see it, those were my exact sentiments on whether I was going to see it or not.
"Nothing To Lose," as the previews stated, is a comedy about racial unity, robbery, vengeance, and suicidal tendencies. It has a nice little gimmick that at least got a little smirk across my face: sucessful white boy named Nick (Tim Robbins) finds his wife (Kelly Preston) is cheating on him with his boss (Michael McKean), so he goes out in his big car, is carjacked by "T" for Terence (Martin Lawrence), and he figures he has nothing to lose, so he hits the accelerator, and the two end up being partners in crime.
The premise might be really shallow and all, but it's at least a nice idea for a good old comedy. And with serious actor Tim Robbins playing off of hyperkinetic comic actor Martin Lawrence, you could tell that this little odd couple would make up for any poorness the script could possibly posess. But while I was right on both counts, there's something missing from the big picture. Sure, I was laughing, but I still left feeling like this was just an "ok" movie.
Where's the problem in this? Well, for starters, the whole suplot of the two other robbers (John C. McGinley and Giancarlo Esposito) is so unfunny and weak. I mean, it has its moments (I actually laughed when all of them were cursing at eachother for a full minute), but it's just a poor excuse to get them in more trouble (and extend the length of the film). Most of the jokes in this section of the film are cheap, and unfunny...and it doesn't help that McGinley and Espostio are horrible in their roles (both CAN act, but not here, strangely).
And the whole adultery gimmick has a really horrible pay-off at the end, which just exhumes cheapness. It's just another example of a film pulling its punches at the last moment, too afraid to go for an original ending which might not be satisfying to a programmed mass audience. You have to see it to believe how dumb it is. And a little fling Nick has with a person at his work (Rebecca Gayheart, who was on "90210" for a while as Luke Perry's girlfriend - I bet you're all wondering how I know this - oh, and she was the "Noxzema Girl" for a while) is nothing short of cheap and moronic.
But perhaps the chief problem is with the writing and direction of Steve Oedekerk (who did the second "Ace Ventura" film, which I still refuse to see unless I can see it for free). The film has a totally outrageous premise, and the film isn't outrageous enough. As I said, it pulls many punches, but that's only part of it. The writing isn't funny enough, the scenes aren't as wildly shot as they should be, and the storyline doesn't go as beserk as it should. Of course, it could be me.
The two leads, on the other hand, are very funny. Robbins and Lawrence would probably never be caught in the same movie other than this one, and they actually posess some good chemistry. Robbins has done comedy before (although no one saw it: "The Hudsucker Proxy"), and here he's hysterical. He has a way of being extremely likable witout overshadowing his partner, which is kinda hard since it's Martin Lawrence, of the now-defunct "Martin." I've never really been a huge fan of Lawrence, but I have to say he was hilarious in this one. They're the best thing of this film.
Kelly Preston and Michael McKean show up in the beginning and end in very under-written parts, though Preston and Robbins have some scenes where they have some great chemistry. Poor Michael McKean, though. He's a funny guy (need I remind anyone of "This is Spinal Tap?"), but the 90s have been very cruel to him (save "The Brady Bunch Movie"). He's always getting very unfunny parts where he tries his best, and here's another example.
"Nothing to Lose" is funny and all, but it's not really worth going out of your way to see. If you can see it for cheap and with very little physical movement, go for it. But you're not going to come out enriched or anything.
MY RATING (out of 4): **1/2
Homepage at: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/8335/
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