Life (dvd)

Fast talking rayford gibson and the conservative claude banks are accidentally teamed up to become the funniest odd couple east of the mississippi. When they travel south on a bootlegging run for some quick cash and get placed at the scene of a crime their comical misfortunes land them right in front of the judge. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 08/22/2006 Starring: Eddie Murphy Martin Lawrence Run time: 119 minutes Rating: R Director: Ted Demme

Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy play it surprisingly straight in this film by director Ted Demme. Though there are laughs to be had, this is a story about perseverance in the face of a life of disappointment (yet the film was sold as a prison comedy). But Stir Crazy this isn't. Rather, Lawrence and Murphy play a couple of New Yorkers making a moonshine run from New York to Mississippi during the Prohibition who find themselves framed for murder and sentenced for life to a prison chain gang. As they age, the two become close friends, although the strait-laced Lawrence always resents the free-wheeling Murphy for getting him into the situation in the first place. Ultimately, these two men learn to find meaning where they can, taking value from friendship and their limited ability to affect the lives of others. At times preachy, it ends on an upbeat note; the film's biggest laughs are reserved for the final section, in which Lawrence and Murphy don age makeup and play octogenarians. --Marshall Fine

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