Nothing to Lose (1997)

When a man (Robbins) believes he has discovered that his wife is having an affair with his boss, it sets off a chain reaction of events. First he wanders into a ghetto where a robber (... See full summary »

Director:

Steve Oedekerk

Writer:

Steve Oedekerk

Stars:

Martin Lawrence, Tim Robbins, John C. McGinley

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

When a man (Robbins) believes he has discovered that his wife is having an affair with his boss, it sets off a chain reaction of events. First he wanders into a ghetto where a robber (Lawrence) tries to take his money at gunpoint, but instead sets a wild ride from California to Arizona. The two eventually become reluctant friends. Discussing robbery techniques, they decide to get back at the boss by robbing an office safe containing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Life is further complicated by another pair of robbers who chase the first two for infringing on their territory.

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Plot Keywords:

neo screwball comedy | robber | boss | robbery | ghetto | 

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Taglines:

One has no job. The other has no life. Together, they have everything to gain and...

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive strong language and a sex scene

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 July 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nada a Perder

Filming Locations:

Club Ed Film Set - 150th Street E, Lancaster, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,617,767, 20 July 1997, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$44,455,658, 9 November 1997

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$21,000,000, 18 January 1998

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite the fact that this was filmed in the standard spherical format, "Filmed in Panavision" is listed in the end credits.

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Goofs

Nick drives past a sign that reads "Welcome to Arizona" but the desert landscape is clearly Mojave not Sonoran.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Nick Beam: Where do I start? It's not you. Well actually it is you. Look, I'm just not... I'm not attracted to you anymore. I need space. You kinda... you kinda gross me out. In the beginning it was different. In the beginning, you were better. But then I got to know you real well, and I came to realize... that you're a fat idiot.

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Crazy Credits

After the credits are finished, a mailman brings a letter to the hillbilly whose gas station was robbed. The letter is marked "Hillbilly Motherfucker", just as T. called him in the movie. Inside is a few hundred dollars cash. In the cut version this is changed to "Hillbilly at the gas station".

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Alternate Versions

At Big 5 when T. Paul is stuffing two masks into his pants, the part where he walks along with the masks making a giant bulge in his pants, a saleslady notices so T. Paul pretends like it's an erection was is cut from TV.; Nick Beam crazily flipping off the security camera was removed.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: George of the Jungle/Mrs. Brown/Nothing to Lose/Operation Condor/Contempt (1997)

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Soundtracks

Nothin' To Lose (Naughty Live)
Written by Anthony 'Treach' Criss (as A. Criss), DJ Kay Gee (as K. Gist), Vin Rock (as V. Brown) and Dale Warren
Performed by Naughty By Nature
Courtesy of Tommy Boy Records
Contains a sample of "Synopsis Two: Mother's Day"
Performed by 24 Karat Black
Courtesy of Fantasy, Inc.

User Reviews

Nothing wrong with some good simple entertainment!

This movie surprised me how entertaining it was. It's simple like most other mismatched buddy-flicks but this movie has a certain bit of extra, which not in the least thanks to its fine solid cast.

Thank goodness it's not the type of comedy that forces its humor upon people. The comedy of the movie is more in the chemistry between Martin Lawrence and Tim Robbins. Yes, it sounds weird but Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence are really a great screen duo, with some nice comedy chemistry, that get themselves into some fun trouble when by coincidence embarking on a sort of road-trip together. Like in all road-movies, some crazy characters pop-up. The most sensational one's in this movie are being played by John C. McGinley and Giancarlo Esposito, who form a criminal-duo. The diversity of John C. McGinley as an actor is amazing. Just look at the list of movies he has done and the characters he has played.

But the greatest power of the movie is the chemistry between the two main actors and their individual comical skills. Tim Robbins is a great serious actors, who just happens to like doing comedies as well from time to time. But on top of that he also really has talent for the genre. He knows how the deliver the lines in the right way and knows how to time his moments. Martin Lawrence also has been the sort of comical-actor who fun with his dialog. As a stand-alone actor and when he needs to carry a movie on his own he just isn't good enough but when he teams up with another great comical actor (for example as was the case with Will Smith in "Bad Boys"), he's truly at his best and most fun to watch.

The story unfolded nicely and slowly. Nothing got forced and things just happened as they came along, such as always is the case in road-movies. It at the same time also makes the movie surprising, or at least not as predictable or formulaic as most other comedies. The movie has a couple of greatly build-up moments, some more subtle than the other, but always fun and in some cases even hilarious to watch. Look out for Irma P. Hall as Martin Lawrence's character's mother! It's true that the movie doesn't live up to its fine fast paced start but nevertheless the movie remains fun to watch throughout.

It's a movie surprisingly well worth seeing!

7/10

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