Blu-ray Review – Life

In 1999, the pairing of Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy was considered a
major event. While the two already worked together in
1992's"Boomerang," "Life" caught the pair during a celebratory career
run, with Murphy riding high on the success of "The Nutty Professor" and
"Doctor Doolittle," while Lawrence was burning off his "Bad Boys"
goodwill, developing his transition from sidekick tomfoolery to leading
man responsibility. This collision of comedic spirits creates an
interesting atmosphere of improvisational skill in "Life," though the
movie itself feels short-sheeted, without a full sense of the titular
experience, despite a premise that could reasonably carry a pleasing
episodic narrative. Laughs are found in the film, supplied by its varied
cast and director Ted Demme's patience, but "Life" is far from
satisfying, only masterminding a few compelling scenes of character
interaction and conflict before it's buried back in the screenplay,
which never figures out exactly what it wants to be, often content to
permit star power to carry the story along. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com