# Life (1999)

### reviewed by
James Sanford

"Life" marks yet another unexpected career move by Eddie Murphy, who's apparently been a bit more willing to take chances in the past few years after spending most of the late 1980s and early 1990s running his smoother-than-thou persona into the ground with such shaky projects as "Harlem Nights" and "Beverly Hills Cop 3."

Last year's "Holy Man" found Murphy trying to play it semi-straight; had the film been better written, it might have worked. "Life" continues in the same vein, attempting to find a middle ground between the sassy Murphy of days gone by and the slightly gentler contemporary model. The movie doesn't entirely come off, but it's still a noble stab at something different.

Though the advertising for "Life" plays up the picture's comic content, this is by no means a flat-out laugh riot. Perhaps it's Murphy and co-star Martin Lawrence's roundabout way of testing the water to see whether audiences are willing to accept them as actors, rather than simply as funnymen.

Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone's script follows New Yorkers Ray Gibson (Murphy) and Claude Banks (Lawrence) from 1932 - when they are reluctantly pressed into service as bootleggers for crooked club owner Spanky (Rick James) - into their septuagenarian years.

Sentenced to "the long ride" on a trumped-up murder charge during a run through Mississippi, Claude and Ray find themselves locked up in the dusty Camp 8, which, though not exactly a resort, does have its little amenities; certainly this must be the only prison in the country that allows inmates to drink and carouse openly with women or men during their time off. When times are tough, Ray enthralls his fellow convicts with "Kiss of theSpider Woman"-style stories about the mythical Manhattan hot spot he'll be running when he gets out. But as years turn into decades, it becomes clear to Ray and Claude the only other address they're going to have will be in the cemetery.

Although that's a fairly sobering thought for a movie that starts off on a free-wheeling, fairly lighthearted note, director Ted Demme capably handles the transition. So does Murphy, who proves he can play a senior citizen without immediately resorting to tics. Lawrence's performance is less steady, although he does have a fairly powerful moment when he catches a reflected glimpse of his withered face in a car window.

"Life" has about an even number of pros and cons. On the positive side, Rick Baker's makeup jobs on the stars are terrific, the rhythmic score by Wyclef Jean is effective, and there are no duds in the supporting cast.

However, like "Hoodlum," the 1997 Lawrence Fishburne crime drama set during the Depression, "Life" has no real sense of period style, throwing in scores of distracting anachronisms in both attitudes and dialogue. And though this script is considerably less homophobic than some other Murphy epics, isn't it time to permanently retire the stereotype of the squealing queen with the flapping wrists?

"Life" is ultimately less satisfying as a comedy than it is as a story about men trying to deal with a future they can't change. Fans might be surprised and even a bit disappointed, but it's intriguing to see Lawrence and Murphy challenging themselves. Hopefully, the next time out will be even better.

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