If I remember correctly, Moriarty wrote up a big ol piece on this one a while back. He had some specific things he wish they'd go in and touch up, and well.... let's see if they listened....
LIFE, a review
Harry...
I saw LIFE, the new Eddie Murphy / Martin Laurence film, a month or so
ago when I was able to escape from my maximum security cell. My plan was
to make contact with my son, John, who has been the target of several
recent Terminator assassination attempts. Maybe you're aware of our
precarious situation. Anyway, when I got I went straight to one of
John's favorite hang-outs... the mall. I didn't locate him, but I was
targeted by one of those Movie View guys (he seemed to know who you are)
who forced one of those test screening invites on me. I accepted it,
then broke his arm in three places.
I don't know about you, but Eddie Murphy hasn't exactly been doing it
for me lately. It's troubling because when he was on SNL and making his
80's movies, he was magic. It seemed nothing could stop him. Even though
he's been trying hard recently to recapture that success (i.e. NUTTY
PROFESSOR and DOLITTLE), it's just not the same. As far as Martin
Laurence goes, I've never really thought he was that funny. Which is why
LIFE surprised the hell out of me.
LIFE is very close to being a great film... a classic, even. It's got a
few bugs (when I saw it), but they can be worked out. I'm usually not
one to want filmmakers to fiddle with their films after a test
screening, but this one's so close to being perfect that it would be a
shame for them to not take a moment to consider a few minor adjustments.
The best I can describe the tone of the film is PAPER MOON meets THE
SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. The film never switches gears clumsily, though,
but manages to maintain a natural feel. Eddie is, for the first time
since COMING TO AMERICA, genuinely funny. It's also the best dramatic
work he's ever done... period. Martin also does fine work. Their
performances are at times subtle, and at other times large... but always
real. It's great character work.
The story starts in the 1930's with Eddie and Martin meeting for the
first time in a club (in New York, I think). Eddie's a con man named Ray
who lifts Martin's wallet. Martin's character, Claude, is a guy who just
got hired as a bank clerk and is out celebrating with his fiancee. They
end up in front of the club owner, who wants to kill them for money owed
to him. Ray manages to talk him out of it, though. In order to pay off
their debt, Ray agrees that they'll both drive down to Mississippi to
purchase a truck load of moonshine and bring it back up north for the
club owner.
On the trip down south, we get to know the two characters as they get to
know each other. In a simple driving scene, we learn that Ray's dream is
to own a club of his own called "Ray's Boom-Boom Room." Claude just
wants to get on with his life and his job. They're by no means
friends... just stuck together for what they think will be a few days.
After they buy the booze, Ray talks Claude into cutting loose at a jook
joint. Claude's hesitant, but manages to relax. There's a great scene in
which Claude, struck my a woman's beauty, forgets his name. It's nice
work by Martin that actually got a huge round of applause from the
audience. When Claude goes upstairs with the woman, Ray gets into a card
game and looses his father's pocket watch to a cheat played by Clarence
Williams III. Ray learns that the game was fixed, but can do nothing.
Outside, they're confronted by Willams, who has been stabbed. Ray gets
his hands bloody and touches the knife. Before they know it, a couple
days turns into much more when they're sentenced to life with hard labor
in a Mississippi prison. The sheriff of the town, who actually committed
the murder ***not a spoiler*** sees to it that they never stand a
chance.
What follows is a journey for the 1930's to the 1990's. Ray and Claude
attempt to escape a couple times, but gradually come to terms with the
fact that they'll probably die there. Along the way they form a bond
with the other prisoners, who each have interesting character moment.
They also fall in and out of friendship with each other. There's a
brilliant scene in which Ray and Claude are punished for disobedience by
having to stand on a crate of beer bottles. While the day passes, they
share their first conversation in several years. It's a simple scene
with more humanity than I thought these actors were capable of
delivering.
The problem with the film is in the third act (big surprise). It's
rushed and unsatisfying. For the ending, the filmmakers resort to weak
climax involving a fire at the prison infirmary followed by a final gag
shot which stems from a comment of Claude's in the first scene. I read
Moriarty's suggestions about how to fix act three on the page and agree
with him. There's a terrific fantasy sequence in the middle of the film
in which all the prisoners fantasize about being in Ray's Boom-Boom Room
as he describes it to them. This would be a far more effective and
haunting way to leave the characters.
Even if they don't work on the film, it's really good... better than the
junk Eddie's been doing recently. He should be proud of himself for the
work he's done here. So should Martin. Universal should also have more
faith in it than they seem to. I was shocked when I learned how unhappy
they are with it. Go see this film. It's worth a full price ticket.
Eddie and Martin should be rewarded when they do great work. If they're
not, I'm afraid they'll just go back to making crap.
Oh! I almost forgot! I've gotta go save the future of humanity from
complete nuclear destruction.
First, though, I've gotta figure a way out of this damn office building.
If it's not Terminators it's those damn Movie View guys. I guess they're
upset with me about this email, so they've surrounded the complex. The
old guy with white hair is screaming something about "damn Harry
Knowles" over a megaphone. It's about to get nasty in here, so I better
end this --
[END OF TRANSMISSION]
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