![]() ![]() ![]() With a truck, a full tank of gas, and several hundred of dollars in cash, the two unlikely partners in crime head down South to pick up the load of illegal hooch. But because Spanky doesn't take unpaid debts too lightly, he threatens to have both men 'swimming with the fishes' as repayment.įortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), the fast-talking Ray manages to convince Spanky that he and Claude can repay their outstanding tabs with a Mississippi bootlegging run. At first, Ray tries to settle his debts with the club's owner Spanky ( Rick James ) by lifting Claude's wallet- however, Claude has some outstanding debts of his own and has just been relieved of his cash by some other loan sharks. The year is 1932, during the height of the Prohibition, with both men find themselves in the swanky Club Spanky's in New York City. Spanning over a time frame of sixty years, " Life " follows the misadventures of small-time hustler Ray Gibson (Murphy) and straight-laced bank teller Claude Banks (Lawrence). Life?! What do you mean 'life'?! I ain't doin' life! ![]() Without enough truly 'laugh out loud' scenes to placate the two comedians' fans, or sufficient narrative depth to interest more seriously-minded audiences, this misbegotten comedy winds up being the equivalent of cinematic junk food- it will satisfy the craving for entertainment for awhile, but will have been forgotten after the lights come back up. This latest teaming of comedians Eddie Murphy (" Holy Man ") and Martin Lawrence (" The Thin Line Between Love and Hate ") since 1992's " Boomerang " never really seems to come together into a cohesive whole, unevenly straddling the line between uproarious comedy and provocative pathos. Welcome to Mississippi State Prison, where you will be provided with plenty of opportunity to repay your debt to society through hard labor. While this movie is funny, due to the continuous use of profanity, taking of the Lord’s name in vain, the comical view of breaking most of the ten commandments, as well as two murders that are actually quite graphic for a comedy, I would recommend spending money on a less offensive comedy.Life Movie Review Movie Review by Anthony Leong © Copyright 1999 ![]() On a positive side, the storytelling and the film’s unique method of showing the passage of time does merit commendation! Most likely “Life” will get a strong endorsement from the secular community due to the political correctness of the film. Murder, however, is portrayed as wrong, but in the end even murder is okayed in certain given situations. Lying, alcohol use, theft, bootlegging, gambling, fornication, and homosexuality are all shown as acceptable, unfortunately. The movie consists of their schemes and attempts to escape, while also studying relationships between the prisoners (though it lacks depth, but after all this is only a comedy). The story traces 40+ years of incarceration as two innocent men serve a life sentence for a crime they didn’t commit. “Life” is a funny and poignant story of two blacks unjustly imprisoned for life in a 1930s Mississippi work camp. As would be expected, though, the use of strong language and bad behavior to setup the punch lines marred the film. Overall, “Life” was a funny movie, but what else would you expect from Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. ![]()
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