Life
MCA/Universal Pictures | Release Date: April 16, 1999 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
9
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
L.A. WeeklyHazel-Dawn Dumpert
Demme (Monument Ave.) brings a sure hand with pace and structure to the soft-at-heart script by Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone, allowing Murphy, Lawrence and company to sit back and focus on the job at hand -- making us laugh. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesJohn Anderson
Gracefully bittersweet and balanced. [16 April 1999, Calendar, p.F-1]
80
Washington PostDesson Thomson
We have been treated to something we normally would never get in a prison comedy like this: a little delicacy with the humor. Read full review
80
Village VoiceJustine Elias
An uneven but extremely funny throwback. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
No show-business tradition is sturdier than the two-man comedy team, and no contemporary stars are better suited to the format than Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. Pairing them was a terrific idea. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Imagine my surprise when I discovered that not only is Life funny (and at times downright hilarious), but it also offers a light portion of sweetened social commentary and a sometime-affecting buddy element. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie is ribald, funny and sometimes sweet, and well acted by Murphy, Lawrence and a strong supporting cast. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Life can be funny, sad, conventional, unpredictable -- or a pain in the tail. And so can Life, the new Eddie Murphy movie. [16 April 1999, Tempo, p.4]
70
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
Lawrence and Murphy make an entertaining team. And they are surrounded by a supporting cast that makes the prison setting more pleasant than it has any right to be. Read full review
70
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Careens from decade to decade, and from relative dramatic realism to frequent hilarity, in often-winning fashion. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
This Life may not be everlasting, but it sure gives us a good run for our money. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
The overall effect of Demme's film is a little like experiencing Nazi prison camps through reruns of Hogan's Heroes, right down to the few bona fide laughs. Read full review
50
San Francisco ExaminerWesley Morris
If it's difficult to find straight laughs in a colorblind prison movie (It's difficult enough to find a colorblind prison movie), finding straight laughs in a black one is almost impossible. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
The result is a movie that's both odd and mediocre: not as bad as doing hard time, but not a particularly good time, either. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Life desperately wants to let Murphy and Lawrence be actors, but it can't imagine them as anything more than rowdy showmen. That's a kind of prison as well. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleBob Graham
Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence are back together and give both of their careers some new life in this sentimental comedy. Read full review
50
Washington PostStephen Hunter
Feels as if it's inspired by the old "Road" comedies of Crosby and Hope. Except that it's "On the Road to Hell." Read full review
50
USA TodaySusan Wloszczyna
Spend 60 years in jail with Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence, and you'll understand why they call it the pokey. [16 April 1999, Life, p.5E]
50
Dallas ObserverHal Hinson
As a result, the film doesn't seem to know what sort of comedy it wants to be -- it comes across as more confused than funny. Read full review
40
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Sluggish, laugh-free comedy (or is it an ineffectual drama?). Read full review
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