Life

Play trailer

Life

R

1999

1h 48m

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

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.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

Desson Thomson

Washington Post

Jan 1, 2000

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

Go to Full Review

Sean P. Means

Film.com

Jan 1, 2000

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

Go to Full Review

Michael Wilmington

Chicago Tribune

Jan 1, 2000

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

Go to Full Review

Cory Woodroof

615 Film

Feb 2, 2023

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

Go to Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Jun 26, 2022

3/4

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

Go to Full Review

Anderson Jones

The Advocate

Apr 19, 2022

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

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Blake A

@RT39404066 Sep 12, 2026

Great movie, as a Black man i grew up watching this and now an adult and learned so much about life. It's still a classic to go back and watch.

See more

Bobby B

@Bobby301 Jun 13, 2026

This film isnt talked about enough. Its classic Eddie hilarious but with poignant moments too. The cast was amazing. The edit was amazing. Ted Demme knocked it out of the park with this flick.

See more

damien H.

@RT37062624 Jun 5, 2026

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

See more

Belle P.

@Belle.P Jul 23, 2025

Really good and a bit sad

See more

Stephen C

@bob25009 Jun 1, 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.

See more

Rehan T

@RT81460504 May 13, 2025

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

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

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

Now Playing

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

2:02

Now Playing

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

2:28

Now Playing

Life: Official Clip - Claude's Plan

2:30

Now Playing

Life: Official Clip - Ray's Boom Boom Room

3:00

Now Playing

Life: Official Clip - The Night Escape

2:48

Now Playing

Life: Official Clip - The Cornbread Fight

2:45

Now Playing

Life: Official Clip - Standing on Bottles

3:02

Now Playing

Life: Official Clip - The Decades Pass

1:58

Now Playing

Life: Official Clip - Biscuit's Release Papers

2:57

Now Playing

View more videos

Homegrown

44%

50%

Homegrown

Watchlist

Grace of My Heart

79%

79%

Grace of My Heart

Watchlist

Primary Colors

80%

64%

Primary Colors

Watchlist

The Hard Way

76%

53%

The Hard Way

Watchlist

Nothing to Lose

32%

68%

Nothing to Lose

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

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)

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings