Life

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Life

R

1999

1h 48m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

53%

Tomatometer

57 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

During Prohibition, loudmouth Harlem grifter Ray (Eddie Murphy) and the no-nonsense Claude (Martin Lawrence) team up on a bootlegging mission to Mississippi that could bring them big bucks. But they run into trouble when a crooked lawman hits them with a phony murder charge. Ray and Claude are given life sentences and shipped off to jail, where they must think of a way to prove their innocence and avoid the brutal guards while battling their biggest enemies -- their opposing personalities.

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Critics Consensus

Entertaining if not over-the-top humor from a solid comic duo provides plenty of laughs.

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Desson Thomson

Washington Post

01/01/2000

We have been treated to something we normally would never get in a prison comedy like this: a little delicacy with the humor.

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Sean P. Means

Film.com

01/01/2000

Life plays more like This Is Your Life for Eddie Murphy, cobbling together elements from his earlier, funnier movies.

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Michael Wilmington

Chicago Tribune

01/01/2000

Funny, sad, conventional, unpredictable -- just like the real thing!

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Cory Woodroof

615 Film

02/02/2023

Y’know, this was pretty solid. Kind of a funnier riff on The Shawshank Redemption, if not … well … as good.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

06/26/2022

3/4

...receives plenty of mileage out of the charming, engaging efforts of its two stars...

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Anderson Jones

The Advocate

04/19/2022

Life's base, easy laughs diminish an otherwise sweet fable about two guys who spend the rest of their lives together.

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damien H.

@RT37062624 4d

The greatest comedy ever . Turned this horrible situation of getting sentenced to life in prison for a crime they didn’t commit to a hilarious comedy. A star studded cast of some of the greatest comedians to live

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Belle P.

@Belle.P Jul 23

Really good and a bit sad

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Stephen C

@bob25009 06/01/2025

Funny and successful in 1 hour, 48 minutes, and 35 minutes. The worldwide gross is $73,475,268.00, less than the budget of $80,000,000.00.

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Rehan T

@RT81460504 05/13/2025

I liked the movie, but story is truly saddening...

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Farah R

@Farah 05/08/2025

Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence are a superb comedic duo in this unique dramady about life and friendship. The film’s unique story is entertaining and goes beyond just a few laughs, as deeper themes are explored.

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A R

@RT63485337 11/23/2024

Seriously one of my favorite movies of all time! Seen it 50 times and every time it's just a riot. Eddie and Martin are FANTASTIC. If you don't laugh at this movie you don't like comedies. Just get through the first 1/2 hour....which still isn't bad but the good stuff comes after. Watch it!

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Ted Demme

Director

Eddie Murphy

Rayford Gibson

Martin Lawrence

Claude Banks

Obba Babatundé

Willie Long

Ned Beatty

Dexter Wilkins

Bernie Mac

Jangle Leg

Life: Official Clip - The Real Killer

2:48

Life: Official Clip - Never Said It Didn't Work

2:02

Life: Official Clip - I'm the Baby's Daddy

2:28

Life: Official Clip - Claude's Plan

2:30

Life: Official Clip - Ray's Boom Boom Room

3:00

Life: Official Clip - The Night Escape

2:48

Life: Official Clip - The Cornbread Fight

2:45

Life: Official Clip - Standing on Bottles

3:02

Life: Official Clip - The Decades Pass

1:58

Life: Official Clip - Biscuit's Release Papers

2:57

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Synopsis

During Prohibition, loudmouth Harlem grifter Ray (Eddie Murphy) and the no-nonsense Claude (Martin Lawrence) team up on a bootlegging mission to Mississippi that could bring them big bucks. But they run into trouble when a crooked lawman hits them with a phony murder charge. Ray and Claude are given life sentences and shipped off to jail, where they must think of a way to prove their innocence and avoid the brutal guards while battling their biggest enemies -- their opposing personalities.

Director: Ted Demme
Producer: Brian Grazer, Eddie Murphy
Screenwriter: Robert Ramsey, Matthew Stone
Distributor: MCA/Universal Pictures [us]
Production Co: Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 16, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 10, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $64.0M
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)