A Thin Line Between Love and Hate

A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996) is a movie I recently rewatched for the first time in a long time on Tubi. The storyline for this picture involves a club promoter in the neighborhood he grew up in who is a womanizer with his best friend. He has specific rules for his womanizing ways. One crazy summer his childhood crush returns home and he meets the woman of his dreams who is independent, rich, smart and successful. He will need to make some tough decisions on both ladies and will likely break every rule along the way.

This movie is directed by and stars Martin Lawrence in his directorial debut and also stars Lynn Whitfield (Eve's Bayou), Regina King (Poetic Justice), Malinda Williams (Soul Food), Della Reese (Harlem Nights) and Bobby Brown (Ghostbusters II).

This was perfectly written, directed and executed by Martin Lawrence. His mannerisms, facial expressions and body language made this work as much as the comedic content. The dialogue is very good with some subtle content to go with Martin's standard shenanigans. Bobby Brown being in this is hilarious and Reese was the perfect mother characters. King and Whitfield also deliver strong performances. The soundtrack and settings were great and the ending was perfect.

Overall this isn't a perfect movie but it is a very entertaining and a worthwhile watch. I would score this a solid 7/10 and strongly recommend it.

A classic, truly. A tremendous addition to the pantheon of formative black film.

Who EVER thought MARTIN should play this role was OUT OF IT! Martin isn't a bad actor but he IS NOT EYE CANDY AT ALL! The movie lacked for me because of it! I can't see Martin as a player AT ALL. He got a 16yr old body with a 28 yr old face. Who casted him?! The chicken king would've been a better choice than him geez! The movie lost major points for that!

If you looking for a black-plotation version of Fatal Attraction then this is the one for you. I thought Lynn Whitfield was great as Brandi and played all her emotions really well, and the filming was nice and glossy like a pop video...and that's it for the good things.

Lawrence was poor - he really needs a comedy like Bad Boys which won't stretch his acting muscles. His narration is also simplistic and insulting - not letting the audience draw it's own conclusion and treating us like idiots. His acting is only on one level - the playa, and it doesn't seem to change at any point. Even when he hurts all his women we only really see it in terms of how it affects him and not them..

The story is straight-forward and offers nothing new...even the soundtrack is rubbish (full of B-side RnB).

We don't need a black Fatal Attraction - especially one that's boring and predictable from start to finish.

I don't think I have ever seen a film where the relationships, dialog and interactions between characters were so unrealistic. It boggles the mind that women would even want to spend 5 seconds around the main character, let alone sleep with him.

Likewise, the female characters are equally unrealistic. One gets the impression of a bunch of actors standing around trying to memorise lines or improvise comedy at a rehearsal.

One cannot believe their motivations for anything, or their reactions to each other, making this film utterly unwatchable.