This may contain a spoiler guys, I'm not exactly sure but just warning you in case....you have been warned!
As the title suggests, this is a movie about life. Its about the lives of two men that get sentenced for life as well as having a slight hint on a moral grounds of the message of life! (Sorry, I couldn't help it). A decent movie made just before the sad and gradual decline of the two stars, Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence (with movies like Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son and Norbit).
The movie opens with two inmates burying the bodies of two deceased inmates and an elderly man in a wheelchair who claims to have known them for a long time. He then goes into a story about the lives of the deceased, and we are thrown into New York 1932. The movie is then told in a progression through time with the wheel chaired man giving an occasional narration.
OK, so a quick rundown on the plot of the movie. Murphy plays a conman by the name of Rayford Gibson and Lawrence a professional man named Claude Banks (who will shortly start a job as a bank teller). Both men owe a mobster money. They get a chance to stay alive by doing a booze run in acquiring some moon shine from Mississippi. There they lose all their money and are accused of having killed a man. Charged with both this and bootlegging, the two are sentenced to life in prison. Across the 65 year sentence the two men constantly bicker, make and lose friends and figure out ways to escape from their dreary misfortune.
The movie is directed by Ted Demme (Blow and Snitch), this was his second last movie. In short, the guy knew what he was doing. And kudos to him for this movie, I personally cannot find too much to complain about in this area, but if you guys do, lemme know.
As for the acting itself, it is fairly decent but obviously not Oscar worthy. Murphy and Lawrence show great chemistry during this movie. Playing two absolute strangers who happen to become friends as they age to about 90 at the end of the movie. It is because they were originally strangers that the two are mainly bickering to each other throughout the movie, often using quips, threats and insults. This is where quite a lot of the comedy lies, with these remarks between each other and some of the other stars like Anthony Anderson, Bernie Mac, Guy Torry just to name a few.
Another good performance is from Nick Cassavetes who plays the sergeant of the prison. Easily one can tell that his character is a racist with the way he treats the prisoners but the movie does well in making him more than two dimensional as his character actually changes through the movie.
This movie also attempts to have some heart, which well, not like Shawshank Redemption, but it pulls it off in some places. Namely with the progression of the friendship of Ray and Claude, but with stories of some of the other characters and the hard life they have with their long sentences. The viewer may feel slight attachment or sympathy for these characters but these things are never lingered on for too long and so will quickly be forgotten.
The movie also has subtle humour in some serious situations. Namely when Ray (Eddie Murphy's character) finds out nobody can read, so he reads a letter for an inmate. The letter reveals that practically everyone of his family has died, some from bizarre cases. When finished, Ray offers if anyone else wants a letter read and as one they say "no" and turn away.
I could go on to complain that the make-up used to age the characters could have looked more convincing and so on but I know that wasn't really the movie's aim. So really, who cares?
For a movie that is entertaining, in both being funny and slightly serious with a good ending, I truly think this movie is one for people to watch. Not saying you would think its the best thing out there, or that you should hunt it down like a piece of treasure. But if you do get your hands on this, sit down and watch it, especially if you guys are fans of Eddie Murphy or Martin Lawrence.
originally posted on my blog www.comikkazee.com
As the title suggests, this is a movie about life. Its about the lives of two men that get sentenced for life as well as having a slight hint on a moral grounds of the message of life! (Sorry, I couldn't help it). A decent movie made just before the sad and gradual decline of the two stars, Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence (with movies like Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son and Norbit).
The movie opens with two inmates burying the bodies of two deceased inmates and an elderly man in a wheelchair who claims to have known them for a long time. He then goes into a story about the lives of the deceased, and we are thrown into New York 1932. The movie is then told in a progression through time with the wheel chaired man giving an occasional narration.
OK, so a quick rundown on the plot of the movie. Murphy plays a conman by the name of Rayford Gibson and Lawrence a professional man named Claude Banks (who will shortly start a job as a bank teller). Both men owe a mobster money. They get a chance to stay alive by doing a booze run in acquiring some moon shine from Mississippi. There they lose all their money and are accused of having killed a man. Charged with both this and bootlegging, the two are sentenced to life in prison. Across the 65 year sentence the two men constantly bicker, make and lose friends and figure out ways to escape from their dreary misfortune.
The movie is directed by Ted Demme (Blow and Snitch), this was his second last movie. In short, the guy knew what he was doing. And kudos to him for this movie, I personally cannot find too much to complain about in this area, but if you guys do, lemme know.
As for the acting itself, it is fairly decent but obviously not Oscar worthy. Murphy and Lawrence show great chemistry during this movie. Playing two absolute strangers who happen to become friends as they age to about 90 at the end of the movie. It is because they were originally strangers that the two are mainly bickering to each other throughout the movie, often using quips, threats and insults. This is where quite a lot of the comedy lies, with these remarks between each other and some of the other stars like Anthony Anderson, Bernie Mac, Guy Torry just to name a few.
Another good performance is from Nick Cassavetes who plays the sergeant of the prison. Easily one can tell that his character is a racist with the way he treats the prisoners but the movie does well in making him more than two dimensional as his character actually changes through the movie.
This movie also attempts to have some heart, which well, not like Shawshank Redemption, but it pulls it off in some places. Namely with the progression of the friendship of Ray and Claude, but with stories of some of the other characters and the hard life they have with their long sentences. The viewer may feel slight attachment or sympathy for these characters but these things are never lingered on for too long and so will quickly be forgotten.
The movie also has subtle humour in some serious situations. Namely when Ray (Eddie Murphy's character) finds out nobody can read, so he reads a letter for an inmate. The letter reveals that practically everyone of his family has died, some from bizarre cases. When finished, Ray offers if anyone else wants a letter read and as one they say "no" and turn away.
I could go on to complain that the make-up used to age the characters could have looked more convincing and so on but I know that wasn't really the movie's aim. So really, who cares?
For a movie that is entertaining, in both being funny and slightly serious with a good ending, I truly think this movie is one for people to watch. Not saying you would think its the best thing out there, or that you should hunt it down like a piece of treasure. But if you do get your hands on this, sit down and watch it, especially if you guys are fans of Eddie Murphy or Martin Lawrence.
originally posted on my blog www.comikkazee.com