11/5/2023 0 Comments Life 1999 characters![]() ![]() It's a practice as old as time in Hollywood. I cannot even begin to count how many `comedies' I have sat through that try to reach for the `timeless' formula by interjecting some lame dramatics to engage the audience even more than the comedy ever could. I thoroughly enjoyed this picture, realizing early on that it was a very serious movie wrongly hyped as a comedy. Comedies are rarely as dirty and sweaty as this movie. Life is well-mounted and the sets are as convincing as any I've seen. Let's not overlook an interesting small role expertly understated by Ned Beatty, and the charm of Bokeem Woodbine as Can't Get Right. Note that when these characters are shown as old men, Murphy actually becomes an old man, Lawrence is still a young man in oldster's make-up. Lawrence is almost as good, but he does labor a bit with the dramatic parts, seeming a bit uncomfortable shedding his comic bent. I was surprised at how good Murphy is in this flick.Not one of my favorites, he convinces as he ages and grows under the burden his character carries, that of an entire life stolen from him. These are pictures that provide comic overtones to people struggling to get through a very serious and overwhelming event: war, contemplated suicide, and in the case of Life, life imprisonment. There have been some great ones that do this, and we mistakenly classify them as comedies. Once you let that expectation go, this is a great movie! It succeeds as a drama with comic tone. I'd score this a 10/10.Īfter reading the user comments on this movie, it appears that the main complaint is that it is not the rollicking laugh-a-minute comedy that fans of the two leads expected. There is really nothing to not like about this movie and while not Murphy's best film, it is an underrated one in his collection. The comedic content is on point and the storyline is entertaining and well paced. You get lost in the dynamic characters, their consistent fabulous dialogue and the interactions and the chemistry between the entire cast. The storyline for this movie is so well written from beginning to end. This movie is directed by Ted Demme (Blow) and stars Eddie Murphy (Coming to America), Martin Lawrence (Bad Boys), Bernie Mac (Bad Santa), Nick Cassavetes (Wraith), Anthony Anderson (The Departed), Guy Torry (American History X) and Ned Beatty (Superman). The story follows the people they meet while serving life in prison and the hijinks the two best friends get into. The storyline focuses on two friends trying to make a buck who get arrested and thrown in southern prison for something they didn't do. Life (1999) is a movie we recently watched together as a family and I originally saw in the theatres upon its release. With that being said, check it out if you have time. I have to admit, they never came off as friend last as the film would like you to believe though. As funny as it is, it still has a great amount of heart and characters we grow to like too (most of them). In regards to the commentary, there're some themes that still resonate today: Homophobia, racism, and resilience in the face of hopelessness and adversity. Who knew Eddie Murphy and Martín Lawrence would make a great comedy duo? They play off each other well. During they sentence, they meet a befriend a colorful cast of characters. ![]() From failed escape plots, constant antagonism by the warden and his self-hating guard, to bitterness on how they came to be in this awful position. Throughout their time there, their friendship is tested in various ways. Most of the film is them trying to survive in the rough prison run by a racist warden. The plot's about 2 guys who end up in jail for a crime they didn't commit after a series of mishaps. Not only that, I dare even say it had some good commentary about issues the main characters had to face from not just from back then, but also today. To say this's an underrated comedy is putting it lightly.
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