By now there have been at least 200 different buddy-comedy flicks - some of them damn funny, but most of them poor excuses for films. One of the latest trends in the buddy flick is pairing a white guy and a black guy, letting the humor in their differences play themselves out. The latest flick to do so is nothing to lose, combining one of the most versatile actors, Tim Robbins, with one of the least versatile comedians, Martin Lawrence. Oddly enough, the pairing works, surprisingly well.
Robbins plays a bigwig marketing guy who loves his wife more than anything. When he finds out she's cheating on him, he doesn't care about anything anymore. Enter Lawrence, who's a gifted technician but cannot find any work. He's been reduced to stealing and armed robbery, and when he enters Robbins' Yukon to rob him of his sport utility vehicle, Robbins' laughs "boy did you pick the wrong guy on the wrong day. After a lot of confusion and a few small time highway convenient store robberies, the duo become targets of the police and two other robbers who say they have claim to those stores. Robbins explains to Lawrence that small time robbery is futile, and that one big hit - like robbing his boss - would have them set for life... the plan is hatched.
This film, although quite contrived, is hilarious. Everyone, from the supporting characters to even Martin Lawrence, work terrifically well together. To everyone's amazement, Lawrence and Robbins play exceptionally well off each other... the chemistry and comedy flow seemingly naturally off eachother. The film, rated-R, is even a good one for the pre-teen crowd, if they can handle a little swearing. The comedy is innocent and the violence is kept to a very minimum and deserving of repeat watching.