Life (1999 film)

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Life
Life dvd movie cover.jpg
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
Box office$73.3 million

Life is a 1999 American buddy comedy-drama film written by Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone and directed by Ted Demme. The film stars Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. It is the second film that Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence have worked on, 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.

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, sheriff Warren Pike kills Hancock, framing Ray and Claude.

Ray and Claude get life, with hard labor at an infamous prison camp. They immediately run afoul of the guards, Sergeant Dillard and Hoppin' Bob. And 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, 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, other inmates have come and gone. One day, Claude snaps, running past armed guards to steal a pie; 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 apologises, 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 him. Claude is entrusted to pick up the new superintendent, Sheriff Warren Pike. While on a pheasant hunt, Ray notices Pike has his father's watch and confronts him. He tells Wilkins that Pike framed him and Claude for murder, which the sheriff admits. As Claude struggles to stop Ray from killing him, Pike aims at them both. Realizing they are innocent, Wilkins kills Pike and covers it up as a hunting accident, but then suffers a fatal heart attack before he can pardon them.

In 1997, Ray and Claude live in the prison infirmary. Claude tells Ray a new plan, but Ray has accepted his fate. 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/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 and are watching a baseball game. They are again on good terms, free and living together in Harlem.

Cast[]

Reception[]

Box office[]

Life was released on April 16, 1999 in North America. The film grossed $73,345,029 worldwide against an $80 million budget, making it a financial disappointment.[1][2]

Critical response[]

On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 50% based on reviews from 54 critics. The site's critic consensus reads, "Entertaining if not over-the-top humor from a solid comic duo provides plenty of laughs."[3] On Metacritic it has a score of 63 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[4] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave it a grade B+.[5]

Accolades[]

  • Academy Award
  • NAACP Image Award
    • nominated for Outstanding Motion Picture (2000)
  • BMI Film & TV Awards
    • (won) for Most Performed Song from a Film (2000)
  • Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
    • nominated with Eddie Murphy for Favorite Comedy Team (2000) for the movie
    • nominated for Favorite Song from a Movie (Fortunate)

Location[]

Even though Life was set in Parchman, Mississippi, it was filmed in California;[6] filming locations include Brentwood, CA, Locke, CA, Los Angeles, Downey, CA, and Sacramento, CA. Parts of the film were shot at a Rockwell Defense Plant in California.[citation needed]

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. ^ "Eddie Murphy's Charmed 'Life'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  2. ^ "Life". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  3. ^ "Life (1999)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  4. ^ "Life". Metacritic. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  5. ^ "CinemaScore". Archived from the original on 2018-12-20. Retrieved 2019-01-17.
  6. ^ Cheseborough, Steve, Blues Traveling: The Holy Sites of Delta Blues. University Press of Mississippi, 2004. Also some parts were shot in Angola Prison. This is located in Louisiana. 96. Retrieved from Google Books on September 29, 2010. ISBN 1-57806-650-6, ISBN 978-1-57806-650-6.

External links[]

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