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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Bobby B

@Bobby301 Jun 13

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.

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damien H.

@RT37062624 Jun 5

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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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)