Nothing to Lose (1997)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Steve Oedekerk

Writer (WGA):

Steve Oedekerk (written by)

Release Date:

18 July 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

When the odds are against you, sometimes the only bet is yourself.

Plot:

Nick Beam's life couldn't get any worse. He discovers he has been living a lie and is on the verge of a nervous breakdown...

Plot Keywords:

Boss | Carjacker | Arizona | Friendship | Surveillance

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Martin Lawrence	...	Terrance Paul Davidson
Tim Robbins	...	Nick Beam
John C. McGinley	...	Davis 'Rig' Lanlow
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Charlie Dunt
Kelly Preston	...	Ann Beam
Michael McKean	...	Phillip "P.B" Barrow
Rebecca Gayheart	...	Danielle
Susan Barnes	...	Delores
Irma P. Hall	...	Bertha 'Mama' Davidson
Samaria Graham	...	Lisa Davidson
Marcus T. Paulk	...	Joey Davidson (as Marcus Paulk)
Penny Bae Bridges	...	Tonya Davidson
Steve Oedekerk	...	Security Guard Baxter
Mary Jo Keenen	...	Grace
Lisa Mende	...	Emma

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language, and some sexuality and violence.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Netherlands:12 (video rating) | Netherlands:6 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bloomfield, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Goofs:

Factual errors: When 'T' falls out of the back window of Nick's SUV, he ends up rolling backwards on the street, in a direction opposite the momentum of the truck's direction.

Quotes:

T. Paul: Oh Mama. Please go on back to bed, Mama.
Bertha: [smacks T] What kind of man stay out 'til 2:30 in the morning and then comes back lookin' like a bruised turd?
T. Paul: Mama I wasn't...
Bertha: [Smacks him again] Don't you talk back!
Nick Beam: Don't talk back to your mother.
[Bertha slaps him]
Nick Beam: Ow. What did I do?
Bertha: You got that slap 'cause you with him and I know you part of whatever badness he into. You got some explainin' to do in the morning, Mr. Gentleman. Now you think on that!
[Smacks T. Paul again then leaves]

Movie Connections:

References Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)

Soundtrack:

Go Stetsa I

Basically a shell with jokes stuck in, but some good chemistry makes it worthwhile.

Sometime in the mid-90s I got very tired of the odd couple comedy. The format has been reused time and time again, and very rarely does it work. So it was with some trepidation that I went back and watched this picture It's certainly got some of the clichéd elements typical of such comedies, the script contains enough intelligence to draw interest. Like every buddy comedy, the movie relies about 70% on the chemistry between the two leads.

Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence have a good back-and-forth delivery of dialogue, and are well handled by director Steve Oedekerk. In the end, it has little that makes it worth watching again, but as long as "Nothing to Lose" lasts, it's funny and enjoyable.

6.3 out of 10