What's the Worst That Could Happen?

Well, what can I say? It's not the best Martin Lawrence film and its not even one of the top 20 best Danny De Vito films (isn't this little guy one of the biggest comic actors of our time!) but it's a nice comedy, good to rent on video or watch on TV.

Basically the plot is not very imaginative and the movie relies mostly on the actors performances. So I'll concentrate on them in this review. Here it goes:

De Vito is perfect as always. Noone could play the part of the complacent billionaire better than him! He does the best he can do with the material he's given, but his talent could have been used more appropriately if the writers had done a better job...

Martin Lawrence also playes one of his usual parts, quite similar to the part he played in Blue Streak. He does everything expected from him, including getting in disguise more than once and producing some Eddie Murphy-style jokes. But seeing Black Knight and now this, one may ask: isn't he repeating himself too much now? Sure he's funny, but he's also getting annoying to more and more people...

We also have some good-loking actresses, especially the lady playing Lawrence's girlfriend. Their parts are unfortunately too brief to be memorable.

Oh,yes, there's also William Fichtner playing one of the weirdest detectives in the history of cinema! Am I the only one who thinks he was doing a parody of Willem Defoe's character in The Boondock Saints??

As far as the plot, well, it's all about a ring...

Generally speaking, I agree with the masses on the IMDb but in this case I must protest. This movie deserves a much higher rating than a 5. I would personally give it a 7. After viewing several mundane comedies, I found "What's the Worst That Could Happen?" to be refreshing. A quick summary of the plot: Kevin Caffrey (Martin Lawrence) attempts to burglarize billionaire Max Fairbanks' (Danny Divito) home. Max turns out to be in the house and holds Kevin at gunpoint until the police arrive. He then tells the cops that the ring on Kevin's hand belongs to him and the cops force Kevin to cough it up. The problem is that Kevin's new girlfriend had just given it to him. The rest of the movie deals with Kevin trying to get the ring back. Danny DeVito is hilarious and this is my favorite Martin Lawrence movie yet.

The plot is original and I thought the supporting actors were great. I would have given William Fichtner a bit more of a roll. He really had little to do with the plot yet I found his portrayal of gay Detective Alex Tardio to be one of the funniest parts of the movie. I read the book and will admit that the book's ending is a bit more satisfying but not a major issue. I have never seen a group of criminals and scoundrels more likable than the group in the movie. Everyone in the movie; the thief, the rich guy, the politicians, the judges and everyone in the periphery seems to be morally depraved. I guess that is what makes this movie so funny. If you enjoyed "Blue Streak" then you're going to love "What's the Worst That Could Happen?".

This movie was refreshingly funny, as Martin Lawrence and Danny De Vito give great comic performances. De Vito steals Lawrence's ring as the latter is caught burglarizing the former's house, and Lawrence spends the majority of the film trying to get it back.

A funny film all around, and the scene where De Vito is testifying before a senate committee is not to be missed.

*** out of ****

Just the name Martin Lawrence kind of makes me laugh, and this movie with Danny DeVito will give you several good belly laughs. Plain and simple, the formula for a good comedy is not all that complex, as this film clearly shows. There's no gross-out humor, or excessive vulgar language needed to make this movie a fun couple of hours. I also genuinely liked John Leguizamo's character throughout the movie. All in all this movie is a barrel of laughs from start to finish.

Well, I couldn't avoid the inevitable pun, so I thought I'd get it over with right in the beginning. As for this movie, it's pretty useless as entertainment in terms of humor, fascination and escapism. It definitely doesn't belong among the worst Hollywood comedies of late, as there is only a single fart joke and a single kicked-in-the-groin joke. That's pretty civilized for an American "comedy" nowadays, I am sorry to admit. So the problem here is not vulgarity, just boredom.

Although I greatly admire the talent of both Danny DeVito and Martin Lawrence (yes, you heard correctly - I thought he was excellent in Bad Boys), the combination of the two seems to lack something vital here. Upon a closer examination it is quite clear what this missing ingredient is: a good script. Instead of genuine amusement, this it-takes-a-crook-to-catch-a-thief story line becomes weary and repetitive fairly quickly. Add to this a couple of increasingly annoying supporting characters and numerous inconsistencies - it is one to avoid.

I would also like to add that the only really convincing performance comes from Richard Schiff as DeVito's long-suffering lawyer who experiences a moment of personal triumph. I really loved this scene. Unfortunately, it can't save this movie, which was doomed at birth. A 2 out of 10 from me.