Life (1999 film)

Life is a 1999 American buddy comedy-drama film directed by Ted Demme. The film stars Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. It is the second film featuring Murphy and Lawrence together, the first being Boomerang. The supporting cast includes Ned Beatty, R. Lee Ermey, Obba Babatundé, Bernie Mac, Anthony Anderson, Miguel A. Núñez Jr., Bokeem Woodbine, Guy Torry, Michael Taliferro and Barry Shabaka Henley. The film's format is a story being told by an elderly inmate about two of his friends, Ray (Murphy) and Claude (Lawrence), who are both wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. It received an Oscar nomination for Best Makeup at the 72nd Academy Awards. Life failed to meet the studio's expectations at the box office, and received mixed reactions from critics. The film later found a strong cult following among Murphy and Lawrence’s fans, establishing Life as a cult classic.[2][3][4][5][6]

Life
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTed Demme
Written byRobert Ramsey
Matthew Stone
Produced byBrian Grazer
Eddie Murphy
Starring
CinematographyGeoffrey Simpson
Edited byJeffrey Wolf
Music byR. Kelly
Wyclef Jean
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • April 16, 1999 (1999-04-16)
Running time
109 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$80 million[1]
Box office$73.4 million[1]

Plot

In 1997, at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, elderly convict Willie Long tells his friends' life story at their burial. Ray Gibson and Claude Banks, New Yorkers from different worlds, meet at a club called Spanky's in 1932. Ray, a small-time thief, picks Claude as a mark. Ray convinces club-owner Spanky to let him and Claude pay off their debt via boot-legging. Traveling south to buy Mississippi "hooch", they pay for the booze and enter a local bar. Ray loses his father's prized pocketwatch to card hustler Winston Hancock. Outside, racist sheriff Warren Pike kills Hancock, framing Ray and Claude.

Ray and Claude are given life sentences, with hard labor at an infamous prison camp called Camp 8. They immediately run afoul of the guards, Sergeant Dillard and Hoppin' Bob, and also meet fellow inmates Jangle Leg (who makes a pass at Claude), Willie Long, Biscuit (another homosexual inmate, involved with Jangle Leg), Radio, Goldmouth (a bully who picks a fight with Ray), Cookie the chef, and Pokerface. Claude's cousin, an attorney, unsuccessfully appeals his conviction and seduces his girlfriend (who’s grown tired of Claude’s selfishness). With no chance at freedom, Claude and Ray break out, getting as far as Tallahatchie before being captured.

In 1944, twelve years later, Claude and Ray meet young, mute inmate "Can't-Get-Right", a talented baseball player who is sighted by a Negro league scout who offers a pardon to play. Sensing opportunity, Ray and Claude introduce themselves as his handlers. Despite his talent, Can't-Get-Right is often distracted by Mae-Rose, the daughter of Camp 8's superintendent Abernathy. After Mae-Rose gives birth to a biracial boy, Abernathy demands to know who is the father. Various inmates simultaneously claim to be to confuse Abernathy and save Can't-Get-Right.

During a dance social, Biscuit confides to Ray that he is due for release but fears returning to his family because of his homosexuality. Despite Ray’s sincere encouragement to resume life on the outside, Biscuit instead commits suicide by crossing the gun line, much to the shock and heartache of the other inmates. Can't-Get-Right's release without Ray and Claude causes extreme frustration and a bitter falling out. Over the following years, Ray attempts several escapes alone unsuccessfully.

By 1972, Ray and Claude are still not speaking; as their friends have all died excluding Willie. One day, Claude snaps, running past armed guards to steal a pie, and he is punished by having to stand barefoot on a case of bottles for 24 hours. Dillard offers to set Ray free if he will shoot Claude should he move. Ray refuses and is given the same punishment. Touched, Claude apologizes, and they finally make amends.

One day, Ray and Claude are transferred to live and work at Superintendent Dexter Wilkins' mansion. Ray does yard work, while Claude works inside and befriends with him. Claude is entrusted to pick up the new superintendent, Sheriff Warren Pike, the man who wrongfully framed them. While on a pheasant hunt, Ray notices that Pike has his father's watch, having framed them for killing Winston Hancock 40 years prior. He approaches Pike and inquires him about the watch and Pike lies that he got it from his wife 40 years ago. When Ray asks whether his wife also gave him the scar on his face, Pike instantly recognizes Ray and threats him but Ray wrestles the gun and points it at Pike. He tells Wilkins that Pike framed him and Claude for murder, which the sheriff admits without remorse by justifying that at least the state of Mississippi had them as cheap labor for 40 years. As Claude struggles to stop Ray from killing him, when Pike aims at them both with a Derringer. Realizing that they are both innocent, Wilkins kills Pike and covers it up as a hunting accident, but then suffers a fatal heart attack in his bathroom before he can pardon them.

In 1997, (current timeline), Ray and Claude live in the prison infirmary. Claude tells Ray a new plan, but Ray has accepted his fate. Later that night, the infirmary catches fire, and they seemingly perish in the flames. Willie concludes the tale by outlining Claude's plan: Ray and Claude would steal two bodies from the morgue, start the blaze, plant the bodies, hide and escape in the fire trucks. Willie reveals to the workers and inmates the plan worked: the bodies buried are not Ray and Claude, who have gone back to New York immediately and are watching a baseball game. They are again on good terms, free and living together in Harlem.

Cast

Production

In July 1996, it was announced Eddie Murphy star in the buddy comedy Life.[7]

Although Life is set in Parchman, Mississippi, it was filmed in California.[8] Filming locations included Brentwood, Locke, Los Angeles, Downey, Norwalk,[9] and Sacramento. Parts of the film were shot at a Rockwell Defense Plant in California.

Reception

Box office

Life was released on April 16, 1999 in North America. The film grossed $73,475,268 worldwide against an $80 million budget, making it a financial disappointment.[10][1][11]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 51% based on 57 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The site's critic consensus reads, "Entertaining if not over-the-top humor from a solid comic duo provides plenty of laughs."[12] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[14]

The film gained a strong cult following, with Elliot Smith of Entertainment Weekly classifying it as one of Murphy’s best:

A surprisingly touching buddy comedy-drama that both lives up to and subverts audience expectations, Life has become a cult classic over the past 20-plus years, showing the artistic range of stars Murphy and Martin Lawrence. The film is greatly aided by the steady hand of director Ted Demme, who gives his actors both freedom to shine while also reining in their overwrought impulses.[15]

Accolades

Soundtrack
Main article: Life (soundtrack)

A soundtrack containing hip hop and R&B music was released on March 16, 1999 on Rock Land/Interscope Records. It peaked at 10 on the Billboard 200 and 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and was certified platinum with over 1 million copies sold on June 18, 1999.

References
  1. "Life". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  2. "The Best Martin Lawrence Movies and How to Watch Them Online". CinemaBlend. April 25, 2022.
  3. "The Underrated, Classic Buddy Comedy 'Life' Turns 21 Today". The Shadow League. April 16, 2020.
  4. "Beloved Eddie Murphy Comedy Laughs Its Way into Netflix's Top 10 Charts". popculture.com. December 5, 2021.
  5. "A Forgotten 90s Eddie Murphy Movie is Now Available on Netflix". Giant Freakin Robot. December 3, 2021.
  6. Butt, Thomas (January 28, 2023). "'Life' Shows Eddie Murphy's Underused Dramatic Chops". Collider. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  7. "Murphy in Grazer's 'Life'". Variety. July 3, 1996. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  8. Cheseborough, Steve (2004). Blues Traveling: The Holy Sites of Delta Blues. University Press of Mississippi. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-57806-650-6. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
  9. "Filmed in Norwalk". Norwalk Filming Information Hub. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  10. Welkos, Robert W. (April 20, 1999). "Eddie Murphy's Charmed 'Life'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  11. "Life (1999)". Bomb Report. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  12. "Life (1999)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  13. "Life". Metacritic. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  14. "CinemaScore". Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  15. Smith, Elliott (January 10, 2023). "The 21 best (and worst) Eddie Murphy movies". EW.com.
  16. "The 72nd Academy Awards". Oscars.org.
  17. "The 31st NAACP Image Awards (2000) | Full Show". June 6, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2023 – via YouTube.
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