Iconic Buddy Comedy With Two ’90s Icons On Starz
These days, just about everybody is aware of the comedy genius of Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence, respectively. Though the two often appear as singular leading men, they once offered their combined efforts to lead Life, a classic 1999 movie completely packed with laughs, thrills, and tons of heart. If you’ve never seen Life before, or are just in desperate need of a rewatch, do yourself a massive favor and check out the decades-old comedy classic on Starz today.
A Comedy Dream Team
Life was written by the screenwriting duo of Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone, who would later go on to pen such movies as Big Trouble, Intolerable Cruelty, and Soul Men. The film was directed by Ted Demme, whose biggest directorial credits up to 1999 included a number of music videos, stand-up comedy specials, and a Dennis Leary crime drama titled Monument Ave.
In addition to Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence, Life touted an exceptional cast of A-list comedic actors, including Bernie Mac, Brent Jennings, Obba Babatundé, Barry Shabaka Henley, Fargo‘s Bokeem Woodbine, and Anthony Anderson in his feature film debut.
Was Not Fully Appreciated In 1999
Despite Life‘s status as a cult classic today, the movie was something of a financial and critical disappointment at the time of its release. The film scored massive box office figures on its opening weekend, but ultimately brought in only $73 million against an estimated production budget of $80 million. Furthermore, critics lambasted the over-the-top nature of the comedic situations presented in the film, and offered a lukewarm response to Lawrence and Murphy’s improvised dialogue.
Has A Strong Cult Following For A Reason
To me, this critical response is patently insane, because I have always considered Life to be one of the funniest movies ever made. The narrative of the film centers on a pair of would-be bootleggers from New York City as they attempt to move some moonshine through the American South in order to pay off a gambling debt to a notable gangster. While stopping in Mississippi, the pair encounter a racist sheriff, who frames them for a murder that he committed while on the job.
Finds Humor In Unsuspecting Places
Despite being extremely confident that they’ll beat the charges, since they had nothing to do with the murder, Ray Gibson (Eddie Murphy) and Claude Banks (Martin Lawrence) are convicted and sentenced to life in prison, where they reside for the remainder of the movie. As the film continues, Ray and Claude navigate the prison system, which sees them fighting with other inmates, struggling to adjust to life on the inside, and frequently clashing over their respective schemes to escape.
I won’t give away too much of the film’s plot here, though suffice is to say, Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence manage to pack tons of laughs into some pretty serious subject matter as they continue serving their time in the miserable Camp 8 prison.
Stream Life On Starz Today
GFR SCORE
According to the critics on Rotten Tomatoes, Life carries a 52 percent rotten score, though the movie will always be 100 percent fresh in my heart. If you’re a comedy fan who enjoys the styling of Eddie Murphy or Martin Lawrence, you should absolutely give this film a spin, as it’s some of the finest work from either leading man. Life is currently streaming on Starz, for those of you interested in watching the movie today.
