Life

Continuing my plan to watch every Eddie Murphy movie in order, I come to Life (1999)

Plot In A Paragraph: In 1932, two strangers (Murphy and Lawrence) are wrongfully convicted and develop a strong friendship in prison that lasts them through the 20th century.

This is the last movie starring Eddie Murphy, that I chose to go see at the cinema!! That is not counting voice work, I went to see with my kids. This reteams Murphy with his Boomerang costar, Martin Lawrence. 7 years ago, Murphy was a huge star, and Murphy was relatively unknown. Now they were on an equal footing. Ned Beatty (Deliverance) has a small but important role.

I enjoy this movie, and consider it to be under rated. I usually watch this every couple of years. Murphy and Lawrence had genuine chemistry and some out takes and ad libs are actually in the movie. I think this is probably Murphy's last good comedy!! It's not a laugh riot, but it's a seriously touching movie. Probably in my Top 10 Murphy movies.

Life grossed $63 million at the domestic box office, to end the year the 34th highest grossing movie of the year.

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. It's a practice as old as time in Hollywood. Most of these movies fail miserably.

You leave the theater thinking `It was funny enough, why couldn't it just stay silly?' My friends, I'm with you on every page. It's a slippery slope to juggle the two genres.

`Life' is the millionth attempt at warm-hearted comedy. It tries to make you pee your pants with its jokes, and yet slap your emotions around with the drama. And damn the odds, it fits like a glove. `Life' is also a film that defies much criticism. You either love stars Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence, or you don't. I'm in the first category. As the main characters, the two comedians prove just how valuable they are. Murphy is coming off a uniquely horrific year. `Dr. Dolittle' was a smash, but a career setback to say the least. `Holy Man' was an unmitigated disaster, but one that didn't effect Murphy with any real damage. The greatest gift `Life' gives to Murphy is a chance to show off range. Murphy is a very talented actor, and this movie makes you wish he would try a straight drama for once. Murphy can be devastatingly funny. But he can also be very dramatically convincing. With each new movie, Murphy grows as an actor. I really think he's set for brighter things. Martin Lawrence shares many of the same attributes as Murphy. He's terribly funny, and yet able to win your heart with a depth most comedians don't have. `Life' has Lawrence with the quieter role. He uses that chance to provide the film with a backbone. He eventually comes out the best rounded character in the fractured storytelling. It's a good performance, but even better, it's a brilliant pairing with Eddie Murphy. The two are seamlessly funny. Squeezing every moment for comic and emotional juice. It's refreshing to watch a movie with two actors who seem to be trying something different, all the while living up to previous expectations. Ted Demme is a solid director, a thought that immediately puts me in the minority. His `Who's The Man?' was a strictly silly romp, but was actually funny. `The Ref' was the critically lauded and sharp black comedy. `Beautiful Girls' is a film that every time I sit down to watch, feels as comfortable as an old cardigan. He's yet to falter in my eyes. I like his attention to detail, and his gift for trusting his actors. `Life' wouldn't work as well as it does without a specific amount of direction and free will. Demme manages to keep the film on track without ever succumbing to an over-reliance on improv. The best scenes in `Life' are the quiet ones: the gay inmate who's release from prison provides a dilemma, the passage of time montage, and Lawrence's moment with the freshly baked pies(which is actually comical, but who's counting?). The film seems like it was longer at one point, but the film on display here really pleased me. I would recommend this film to anybody that has lost faith in Eddie Murphy.------------- 9

If you're not a fan of Eddie Murphy's humor, then skip this one.

The movie begins in modern times, 1997, with the main characters' funerals. The movie then flashes back to 1932 to begin telling their story, and continues as they age in prison in Mississippi.

They were "petty criminals" but were sentenced to life in prison for a murder they did not commit. However, being black in 1930s Mississippi did them no favors. The story that unfolds is irreverent and funny and has enough twists along the way to keep things very interesting.

I can't understand why the average rating of this movie is below "6". I give it "8" of "10" for its overall entertainment value, plus a few "life's little lessons" thrown in. I think it is one of Eddie Murphy's best movies.

OCT 2020 edit: I just watched it again after 20 years, this time on DVD. While most of it was somewhat familiar I had forgotten the last scene in Yankee Stadium.

Life is a good comedy about 2 men (Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence) who are wrongfully accused of a crime in Mississippi and are sentenced to life in prison. Murphy and Lawrence make one of the best on-screen duo's of the year by acting like they don't like each other, but in reality they need each other to survive. Great laughs and amazing makeup (supplied by Oscar Winner and Oscar nominee for this movie, Rick Baker) make this a must-see for Murphy 1and Lawrence fans, or for anyone looking for a good chuckle. A

Looking forward to my next viewing of this. Martin Lawrence once again proves that given a co-star to work off he can deliver, and here he does as he gets Eddie Murphy on prime form to work with. It's a very funny and bittersweet picture, a tale of friendship under duress. A great supporting cast fills out the other convict characters. 8/10