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IMDbPro

Life

  • 19991999
  • RR
  • 1h 48m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
52K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,425
880
Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Bernie Mac, and Michael Taliferro in Life (1999)
Home Video Trailer from Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Play trailer1:39
2 Videos
76 Photos
ComedyCrimeDrama
In 1932, two strangers are wrongfully convicted and develop a strong friendship in prison that lasts them through the 20th century.In 1932, two strangers are wrongfully convicted and develop a strong friendship in prison that lasts them through the 20th century.In 1932, two strangers are wrongfully convicted and develop a strong friendship in prison that lasts them through the 20th century.
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
52K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,425
880
    • Ted Demme
    • Robert Ramsey
    • Matthew Stone
  • Stars
    • Eddie Murphy
    • Martin Lawrence
    • Obba Babatundé
    • Ted Demme
    • Robert Ramsey
    • Matthew Stone
  • Stars
    • Eddie Murphy
    • Martin Lawrence
    • Obba Babatundé
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 186User reviews
    • 61Critic reviews
    • 63Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar

    Videos2

    Life (1999)
    Trailer 1:39
    Watch Life (1999)
    Soprano: A La Vie, A La Mort
    Trailer 0:50
    Watch Soprano: A La Vie, A La Mort

    Photos76

    Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence in Life (1999)
    Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence in Life (1999)
    Eddie Murphy, Bernie Mac, Miguel A. Núñez Jr., and Michael Taliferro in Life (1999)
    Martin Lawrence and Bernie Mac in Life (1999)
    Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence in Life (1999)
    Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence in Life (1999)
    Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence in Life (1999)
    Eddie Murphy and Brian Grazer in Life (1999)
    Garcelle Beauvais at an event for Life (1999)
    Halle Berry at an event for Life (1999)
    Halle Berry at an event for Life (1999)
    Halle Berry at an event for Life (1999)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Eddie Murphy
    Eddie Murphy
    • Rayford Gibson
    Martin Lawrence
    Martin Lawrence
    • Claude Banks
    Obba Babatundé
    Obba Babatundé
    • Willie Long
    Nick Cassavetes
    Nick Cassavetes
    • Sgt. Dillard
    Anthony Anderson
    Anthony Anderson
    • Cookie
    Barry Shabaka Henley
    Barry Shabaka Henley
    • Pokerface
    Brent Jennings
    Brent Jennings
    • Hoppin' Bob
    Bernie Mac
    Bernie Mac
    • Jangle Leg
    Miguel A. Núñez Jr.
    Miguel A. Núñez Jr.
    • Biscuit
    Michael Taliferro
    Michael Taliferro
    • Goldmouth
    • (as Michael 'Bear' Taliferro)
    Guy Torry
    Guy Torry
    • Radio
    Bokeem Woodbine
    Bokeem Woodbine
    • Can't Get Right
    Ned Beatty
    Ned Beatty
    • Dexter Wilkins
    Lisa Nicole Carson
    Lisa Nicole Carson
    • Sylvia
    O'Neal Compton
    O'Neal Compton
    • Superintendant Abernathy
    Noah Emmerich
    Noah Emmerich
    • Stan Blocker
    Rick James
    Rick James
    • Spanky
    Clarence Williams III
    Clarence Williams III
    • Winston Hancock
      • Ted Demme
      • Robert Ramsey
      • Matthew Stone
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When Ray and Claude are standing on a box of bottles, Claude mentions that a one of his toes has slipped into one of them. This actually happened during the take, but Martin Lawrence kept going, despite Eddie Murphy's laughing, which is genuine.
    • Goofs
      When Ray Gibson and Goldmouth fight in the yard following the confrontation over cornbread, yellow Vibram logos are clearly visible on the soles of Ray's boots. This part of the film is set in 1932, but Vibram was not founded until 1937.
    • Quotes

      Goldmouth: Maybe I oughta eat *your* cornbread.

      Rayford Gibson: Motherfucker, you can't have my cornbread. That's for damn sure. Cause if you try and take my cornbread, Part 2 of my killing spree is gon' begin up in here on your ass, right now. You thinking about my cornbread, better get the taste out your mouth. That's for damn sure.

      Claude Banks: Ray, chill out...

      Rayford Gibson: No, fuck him. Fuck that, 'cause I'm from New York City, goddammit. Nobody take no cornbread from me. That goes for anyone of you motherfucking farmers who wanna start some shit. You fuck around with me, there's gonna be consequences and repercussions.

    • Crazy credits
      Bloopers are shown during the closing credits.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Life/Hideous Kinky/EXistenZ/Goodbye Lover/Friends & Lovers (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Wake Up Everybody
      Written by Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Victor Carstarphen

      Produced by Wyclef Jean and Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis

      Performed by Robby Pardlo

      Courtesy of Booga Basement Records

    User reviews186

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    Life is a serious matter
    After reading the user comments on this movie, it appears that the main complaint is that it is not the rollicking laugh-a-minute comedy that fans of the two leads expected. Once you let that expectation go, this is a great movie! It succeeds as a drama with comic tone. There have been some great ones that do this, and we mistakenly classify them as comedies. For example, M*A*S*H, Mr. Roberts, It's a Wonderful Life. These are pictures that provide comic overtones to people struggling to get through a very serious and overwhelming event: war, contemplated suicide, and in the case of Life, life imprisonment.

    I was surprised at how good Murphy is in this flick.Not one of my favorites, he convinces as he ages and grows under the burden his character carries, that of an entire life stolen from him. And he survives with a certain dignity. Lawrence is almost as good, but he does labor a bit with the dramatic parts, seeming a bit uncomfortable shedding his comic bent. Note that when these characters are shown as old men, Murphy actually becomes an old man, Lawrence is still a young man in oldster's make-up.

    Let's not overlook an interesting small role expertly understated by Ned Beatty, and the charm of Bokeem Woodbine as Can't Get Right. Life is well-mounted and the sets are as convincing as any I've seen. Comedies are rarely as dirty and sweaty as this movie.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this picture, realizing early on that it was a very serious movie wrongly hyped as a comedy.
    helpful•46
    7
    • jlacerra
    • Jun 30, 2001

    FAQ1

    • What is the name of the song on the watch that Eddie Murphy's character's father gave him?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 16, 1999 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Sacramento, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Imagine Entertainment
      • Universal Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 48 minutes
      • Color
      • Black and White
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS

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