What the Hell Happened to Martin Lawrence?

In the mid-90’s, Martin Lawrence had a hit TV show and a burgeoning movie career. He went on to establish himself as a Hollywood A-lister in big screen action movies and comedies. But by the end of the decade, Lawrence was surrounded by scandal. Since then, his movie career has slowed down considerably. His last box office hit was in 2007.

What the hell happened?

Lawrence began boxing after high school. He was a Golden Gloves contender until he suffered an eye injury that made him reconsider his career. Lawrence moved from Maryland to Colorado where he started performing at the Kings Wood comedy club. Not long after, Lawrence appeared on the televised talent competition, Star Search aka American Idoll for the 80’s.. Here he is facing against the show’s then-champion, Jason Stuart.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHI7-AllzR0]

You have to feel for the guy. He had no idea he was competing against a future giant of comedy. Lawrence was very successful on Star Search. He went on to the show’s final round, but he did not win. However, his performance caught the eye of executives at Columbia TriStar Television. This lead to Lawrence being cast on the sitcom, What’s Happening Now!!

lawrence - what's happening
What’s Happening Now! – 1987-1988

What’s Happening Now!! was a follow-up to the 1970’s sitcom, What’s Happening!! The original show was only moderately successful on ABC. But it did very well in reruns which is a bit ironic given that the most popular character on the show was actually named Rerun. This lead to the show being revived in 1985.

Lawrence joined the cast in the show’s third and final season from 1987-1988. He played a teenager who worked as a busboy at the restaurant owned by the show’s main characters. Lawrence was actually 22 at the time.

lawrence - do the right thing
Do the Right Thing – 1989

Lawrence made his big screen debut with a small role in Spike Lee’s comedy/drama, Do the Right Thing.

Do the Right Thing told the story of a neighborhood in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn that erupts in racial tensions. Lee wrote, directed and co-starred opposite Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, John Turturro, Samuel L. Jackson and Rosie Pérez who was also making her film debut. Lawrence is basically a background character in the neighborhood.

lawrence - house party
House Party – 1990

In 1990, Lawrence appeared opposite hip hop duo, Kid’n Play in Reginald Hudlin’s comedy, House Party. The title pretty much tells you everything you need to know. A couple of teens throw a house party. Lawrence portrays the DJ. The cast also included comedian Robin Harris in his last film role before he died and Lawrence’s future TV co-star, Tisha Campbell.

Hudlin made House Party as his thesis film for his Harvard University degree. Reviews were positive and House Party was a hit at the box office. It launched a series that includes two sequels which were released in theaters and two more that went direct-to-video.

lawrence-talkin-dirty-after-dark
Talkin’ Dirty After Dark -1991

Lawrence got his first starring role in the 1991 comedy, Talkin’ Dirty After Dark. In what I’m sure was a stretch for the actor, he played a stand-up comedian trying to earn $67 to pay his phone bill.

Talkin’ Dirty After Dark was written and directed by Topper Carew. Although the film was not a hit, Carrew would go on to create and produce Lawrence’s hit TV show, Martin. At the time of its release, reviews were mostly negative. But the film has grown a cult following on video.

lawrence - house party 2
House Part 2 – 1991

Later that year, Martin returned for the sequel, House Party 2. Most of the original cast from the 1990 movie returned. Hudlin passed directing duties on to Doug McHenry and George Jackson. The movie is exactly what you expect from a quickie sequel to a low-budget comedy. The kids throw another house party of course. This time they are in college and need to raise money for tuition. So naturally they throw a “pajama jammy jam”. That’s how I plan to put my kids through school.

Critics didn’t like the sequel which they considered raunchy and lacking the sweetness of the original. But the movie was a hit with audiences anyway. House Party 3 was released three years later in 1994. Lawrence was a bona fide TV star at the time and opted not to return. Tisha Campbell appeared only in a cameo. That was the final film of the House Party series to be released theatrically, but two direct-to-video sequels have also been released.

Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence - Boomerang - 1992
Boomerang – 1992

In 1992, Lawrence appeared opposite Eddie Murphy and David Allen Grier in Reginald Hudlin’s comedy, Boomerang. Murphy plays a serial womanizer who has to choose between a vixen played by Robin Givens and a good girl played by Halle Berry. Sheesh! Tough choice! Lawrence and Grier played Murphy’s two best friends.

The basic premise of the movie started with Murphy. He was looking for ways to branch out as a traditional leading man after the success of Coming to America. Murphy enlisted a couple of writers from his days on Saturday Night Live to write the script. Then he approached Hudlin to direct. Hudlin hand-picked Givens and Berry as Murphy’s leading ladies. Hudlin cast Lawrence and Tisha Campbell because he had worked with them on House Party.

Reviews for Boomerang were mixed. It was also a mixed bag at the box office. On the one hand, it failed to break $100 million dollars domestically. On the other hand, Murphy had been on a bit of a losing streak coming off of Harlem Nights and Another 48 Hours. Relative to those films, Boomerang was a success albeit a modest one.

lawrence - martin tv show
Martin Lawrence – Martin – 1992 – 1997

Later that year, Lawrence starred in his own TV sitcom on Fox, Martin.

Lawrence and Carew were developing Martin while Boomerang was filming. At one point, Lawrence overheard a conversation between Boomerang director Hudlin and Eddie Murphy. Hudlin, who had worked with both Lawrence and Tisha Campbell on House Party and Boomerang, spoke highly of both of them. Murphy suggested that Hudlin make a movie starring Lawrence and Campbell. So when it came time to cast his love interest for the show, Lawrence followed this advice and cast Campbell.

Lawrence starred as a Detroit DJ named Martin. His character was basically an extension of his street-wise stand-up personae. Despite his outward bluster, he was revealed to be a nice guy at heart. Martin played other characters on the show as well frequently dressing in drag.

In the mid-nineties, the Fox Network was still an upstart trying to compete with the big three. Shows like Martin which appealed to minorities served as counter-programming to the other network’s predominantly white programming. Martin was part of a Thursday night block that included Living Single and New York Undercover. These shows were never as popular as NBC’s “Must See TV” line-up. But they gave the Fox network a devoted following.

Martin ran on Fox for five seasons. We’ll come back to it again later.

lawrence - talking shit
Talking Shit – 1993

From 1992-1993, Martin served as host on HBO’s stand-up comedy series, Def Comedy Jam. The show was criticized for excessive foul language and negative representations of African-Americans.

In 1993, Lawrence released his first comedy album, Talkin’ Shit. It received negative reviews from critics. But still managed to make it to #76 on the Billboard 200 and #10 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.

lawrence - you so crazy
You So Crazy – 1994

In 1994, Lawrence brought his brand of raunchy stand-up to the big screen with the concert film, You So Crazy. The concert movie was filmed at the Majestic Theatre in New York City before a sold out crowd. The intent was clearly to model the success Eddie Murphy had with stand-up performance films Delirious and Raw.

Originally, You So Crazy was slapped with an NC-17 rating by the MPAA. The rating was box office poison essentially guaranteeing that most of Lawrence’s young fans would not be able to see the movie (or would have to buy a ticket to something else and then sneak in). This cause Miramax to sell the film to Samuel Goldwyn, which released it without a rating.

Despite negative reviews, You So Crazy was a modest hit at the box office.

lawrence-snl
Saturday Night Live – 1994

Lawrence hosted Saturday Night Live for the first and last time in 1994. Lawrence rambled, taunted the censors, ranted about Lorena Bobbitt and female personal hygiene. Here is a partial transcript of Lawrence’s monologue:

Something else concerns me and it hurts, see I’m, I’m single, I’m a single man, I don’t have nobody, I’m looking for somebody and… but I’m meeting a lot of women out there, and you got some beautiful women, but you got some out there that, uh, I gotta say somethin’. Um…some of you are not washing your ass properly. OK? Don’t, don’t get me wrong, not all, some of you, you know what I’m sayin’, uh…I’m sorry, ‘Cause uh, listen, now, I don’t know what it is a woman got to do to keep up the hygiene on the body I know, uh, I’m watching douche commercials on television, and I’m wonderin’ if some of you are reading the instructions. I don’t think so. Y’know, ’cause I’m getting with some of the ladies, smelling odors, going “Wait a minute. Girl, smell this! This you! Smell yourself, girl.”

Smell yourself! I tell a woman in a minute, douche! douche! Some women don’t like when you tell them that, when you straightforward with them. “Douche!” They, “Forget you! You cannot douche all the time, you’re gonna wash all the natural juices out the body.” I say, well, I don’t give a damn what you do, put a Tic-Tac in your ass. Put a Cert in your ass. Oh, oh, y’know, this look like a good damn place for a Stick-up up in your ass.

I’m sorry, y’all. You got to wash properly. You know, and then, you know, ’cause I’m a man, I like to kiss on women, you know, I like to kiss all over their bodies, you know. But if you’re not clean in your proper areas, I can’t…you know…kiss all over the places I wanna kiss. You know, some women’ll let you go down, you know what I’m sayin’, knowin’ they got a yeast infection. I’m sorry. Sorry. Come up with dough all on your damn lip…Got a bagel and a croissant on your lip. “Anybody got any butter?” I like jelly on mine.

Hi-larious! Lawrence’s on-air hi-jinks got him banned from SNL for life and nearly cost many SNL staffers their jobs.

lawrence and smith - bad boys
Bad Boys – 1995

In 1995, Lawrence starred opposite Will Smith and Tea Leoni in Michael Bay’s explosion-filled cop movie, Bad Boys.

Lawrence and Smith played Miami narcotics officers and best friends. When $100 million of seized heroin is stolen from a secure police vault, it is up to recover it before Internal Affairs shuts their division down. Leoni played the role every actress plays in a Michael Bay movie, eye candy/damsel in distress.

Originally, Bad Boys was called Bulletproof Hearts. It started as a comedy vehicle for Saturday Night Live stars, Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz. Producer Don Simpson, who was known for his wild lifestyle, took Carvey and Lovitz to Vegas to celebrate the project. But Carvey was so horrified by Simpson’s hard partying ways that he withdrew from the project. The film went into turnaround and eventually switch studios. At one point, Arsenio Hall was approached for Will Smith’s role. After he turned it down, Smith and Lawrence were cast.

It’s worth noting that neither Smith nor Lawrence were regarded as movie stars at this point in their careers. Smith was a squeaky clean pop star/rapper with a family-friendly sit-com. And Lawrence was a foul-mouthed comedian with a sit-com on an upstart network. They were TV stars. Bay had never directed a feature film before. He was a music video director.

Martin Lawrence - Bad Boys - 1995
Bad Boys – 1995

Bay did not like the script. As such, he encouraged his charismatic stars to improvise. When it came time to shoot the final line of the movie, Bay had an argument with Smith. Smith was supposed to to Lawrence, “I love you.” But when it came time to shoot the scene, Smith refused. They fought for hours. Finally, Bay gave up because they only had a few minutes left to shoot the scene. When he told Smith that he no longer cared, Smith changed his mind and said the line.

In spite of mostly negative reviews, Bad Boys was a surprisingly big hit at the box office. It turned Smith and Lawrence into movie stars and made Bay into a legitimate director (of commercial crap anyway). It also put Leoni on the map. Or at least her legs.

lawrence - funk it
Funk It – 1995

Around the same time Bad Boys was playing in theaters, Lawrence released his second comedy album titled Funk It. It was a critical and commercial failure topping out at #35 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

Martin Lawrence - A Thin Line Between Love and Hate - 1996
A Thin Line Between Love and Hate – 1996

In 1996, Lawrence starred opposite Lynn Whitfield, Regina King and Bobby Brown in his directorial debut, The Thin Line Between Love and Hate.

The Thin Line is one part Boomerang and one part Fatal Attraction. Lawrence plays a night club manager who is of course a chauvinist playboy. After he seduces a sexy nightclub patron played by Whitfield, he dumps her for his childhood sweetheart played by King. Whitfield’s character doesn’t take the rejection well.

While filming The Thin Line, Lawrence erupted into a violent outburst on the set. Afterwards, he was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Critics panned the film for its misogyny. But despite the bad reviews, The Thin Line Between Love and Hate was a modest hit at the box office.

lawrence hospitalized
Martin Lawrence – Hospitalized – 1996

At the peak of his stardom, Lawrence was having a very public melt down. In May of ’96, he was detained by police. The actor was wandering in the middle of a busy L.A. intersection on Ventura Boulevard. He had mucus smeared across his face and was shouting “Fight the power!” and “They’re trying to kill me!” Lawrence was carrying a loaded handgun in his pocket. After the incident, he was hospitalized again. His PR agent claimed Lawrence was exhausted and dehydrated.

Three months later Lawrence was arrested at Burbank Airport for trying to board a plane while carrying a loaded 9mm Beretta. He told police he thought guns were allowed on interstate flights. No charges were filed against Lawrence in either case. Lawrence’s family flew him to an Arizona rehab center. Lawrence checked himself out two days later.

lawrence and patricia
Martin Lawrence and Patricia Southall

On Sept. 14, after returning from Hawaii at 4 a.m., Lawrence awakened his wife, Patricia, with their daughter in his arms. According to Patricia, Lawrence asked her why his private nurse wasn’t home. When she said she had given the nurse a few days off, Lawrence erupted in rage, shouting, “I’ll bust your teeth in!” In court documents, Patricia alleges that Lawrence then pushed her back on the bed while still clutching their baby. After the incident, Patricia and their daughter moved into a hotel.

Three days later, Lawrence filed for divorce from his wife of 20 months. In October, Lawrence’s soon-to-be-ex-wife won a restraining order against him. She told a judge that among other things, Lawrence threatened to kill her and her family. According to Patricia’s personal security, Lawrence snuck into her hotel and slipped a note under her door. The note read:

“I will do anything to have you back. I miss my baby so much. If I can’t have you then I will make sure that no-one has you. So come home now!!! If you don’t, then I will have to do what I have to do.”

lawrence and campbell
Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell

In 1997, Lawrence’s TV show, Martin, was in its final season. However, Lawrence’s co-star, Tisha Campbell, was absent for most of the season. She filed a lawsuit against Lawrence and the show’s producers for sexual harassment and verbal and physical assaults.

Campbell’s lawsuit detailed a season-by-season account of what it called Lawrence’s “mistreatment and obsession”. According to the lawsuit, problems started during the first season of the show when Campbell repeatedly turned down Lawrence’s requests for a date. In the second season, the lawsuit claimed, Lawrence “became increasingly manic and volatile, and he would often, and easily, fly into uncontrollable fits of rage for no apparent or rational reason.” He would threaten to fire cast and crew members, it said.

According to Campbell’s lawsuit, the rages became worse in the show’s third season. “He humiliated and abused Campbell in front of the entire cast and crew on so many occasions that it reached the point where she needed to be hospitalized due to the stress he caused her.” Campbell charged in the legal filing that Martin would grope her, kiss her, force his tongue into her mouth and simulate intercourse with her on the set in front of the cast and crew during moments when they were not rehearsing or filming scenes.

The law suit claimed that by the fifth season, Lawrence was “simply out of control.” In the fall of 1995, according to Campbell’s lawsuit, Lawrence had “his most hysterical outburst to date,” physically confronting a cast member and throwing such a rage at Campbell that she was “terrified and concerned for her safety.” She then told producers she was leaving and would not be returning.

Eventually, HBO Studios settled the case with Campbell so that the show’s last season could be completed. Campbell did return to film the two-part season finale under the condition that she would not appear in any scenes with Lawrence.

In March of 1997, Lawrence was arrested after punching a man who bumped into him at an LA nightclub. In court, Lawrence pleaded no contest and was sentenced to two years probation, 240 hours of community service, and to hold a fund-raising show.

lawrence - nothing to lose
Nothing to Lose – 1997

On the big screen, Lawrence starred opposite Tim Robbins in Steve Oedekerk’s action/comedy, Nothing to Lose. Robbins played a man who believes that his wife (played by Kelly Preston) is having an affair with his boss (played by Michael McKean). The discovery of the affair sends Robbins’ character over the edge. He drives aimlessly around town until a car-jacker (played by Martin) attempts to rob him. Robbins turns the tables on the would-be robber. Eventually, they team up and try to rob Robbins’ boss as revenge for the affair.

Reviews were mostly negative. Although it only opened at #4 at the box office, it did manage to make a profit.

Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy - Life - 1999
Life – 1999

In 1999, Lawrence starred opposite Eddie Murphy in the comedy-drama, Life. They played two men who are wrongly convicted of murder. Together, they serve a life sentence. During their 65 years of imprisonment, they learn the importance of life. Sounds hysterical, doesn’t it? Or crushingly depressing.

When they made Boomerang, Murphy was a movie star while Lawrence was an up-and-coming stand-up comic. But at this point in their careers, Murphy and Lawrence were on roughly equal footing.

Reviews were mixed. Despite opening at #1 at the box office, Life failed to earn back it’s production costs making it a flop.

lawrence - blue streak
Blue Streak – 1999

Later that year, Lawrence starred opposite Luke Wilson in the action/comedy, Blue Streak. Lawrence played a jewel thief who poses as a cop in order to retrieve a jewel he stole years ago.

Blue Streak was intended to be a hard R movie like Bad Boys. But the studio decided to aim for a PG-13 rating instead. So the script was rewritten and toned down. Reviews were mixed and Blue Streak disappointed at the box office. A planned sequel was canceled.

lawrence blurry
Martin Lawrence

In August of 1999, Lawrence collapsed while jogging. It was 100 degrees and Lawrence was wrapped in several layers of heavy clothing. According to the hospital, Lawrence’s body temperature was at least 107 degrees when he collapsed and slipped into a coma. Lawrence awoke three days later with no permanent brain damage.

lawrence - big mommas house
Martin Lawrence – Big Momma’s House – 2000

In 2000, Lawrence starred in the crime comedy, Big Momma’s House. He played an FBI agent who disguises himself as an old lady to protect a federal witness and her son.

In spite of negative reviews and some of the least convincing drag in movie history, Big Momma’s House was a hit.

Martin Lawrence - What's the Worst That Could Happen? - 2001
What’s the Worst That Could Happen? – 2001

In 2001, Lawrence starred opposite Danny DeVito in the caper comedy, What’s the Worst That Could Happen?

Lawrence played a thief – again. This time, he robs a rich man who turns the tables on him – again. But this time, the rich man (played by DeVito) twists the knife by stealing Lawrence’s ring as he is arrested. Soon the two men are engaged in a battle to one-up one another.

I understand the attempt at casting comedians against each other. Sometimes pairing two comedians with vastly different styles can result in comic gold. But Martin Lawrence and Danny DeVito?!? Who thought that was going to work? Maybe that should have been the title instead. It turns out “the worst that could happen” is a lousy comedy that flops at the box office.

Not surprisingly, the movie got negative reviews and flopped at the box office.

Lawrence - Black Knight
Black Knight – 2001

Later that year, Lawrence starred in Black Knight.

Brace yourself. Lawrence does not play a thief or a cop in this one. He’s a theme park employee who finds a medallion that sends him back to the Middle Ages. It’s basically A Kid in King Arthur’s Court only with Lawrence instead of a kid.

Black Knight was panned by critics and bombed at the box office.

lawrence - runteldat
Martin Lawrence – Runteldat – 2002

In 2002, Lawrence addressed many of his troubling headlines in a stand-up concert film, Runteldat. The film contains at least 311 uses of the F-word or about 2.75 F-bombs per minute.

Despite negative reviews, Runteldat was profitable at the box office.

lawrence - national security
National Security – 2003

In 2003, Lawrence starred opposite Steve Zahn in the buddy comedy, National Security. This time, Lawrence doesn’t exactly play a cop. He plays a security guard who was kicked out of the police academy. He teams up with another security guard who was expelled from the police force (Zahn) to take on a smuggling ring.

Reviews were bad. In fact, let’s just make this easy. If you look at Rotten Tomatoes, Lawrence has not had a movie with more than 50% positive reviews since the first House Party in 1990! National Security opened at #2 at the box office behind Kangaroo Jack.

lawrence - bad boys 2
Bad Boys 2 – 2003

Later that year, Lawrence reunited with Will Smith and Michael Bay for Bad Boys 2. In this one, the narcotics cops are investigating the ecstasy trade in Miami. And the explosions are even bigger.

We already covered the fact that none of Lawrence’s movies have received positive reviews since 1990. But reviews for Bad Boys 2 were even worse than for the first movie. In spite of the negative reviews, the movie was a bigger hit at the box office than the first one.

Lawrence - Rebound
Rebound – 2005

In 2005, Lawrence starred in the sports comedy, Rebound. He played a disgraced college basketball coach who takes a job coaching a middle school basketball team.

It’s not uncommon for comedians to turn to family films. Eddie Murphy did it with great success. But Lawrence’s take on the Bad News Bears formula didn’t work out well. Obviously, the reviews were terrible. For example, Richard Roeper called Rebound, “A dumb, cookie-cutter sports movie that knows nothing about sports and even less about comedy.”

Rebound flopped at the box office. It opened in seventh place behind War of the Worlds, Batman Begins, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Bewitched, Herbie: Fully Loaded and Madagascar which was in its 6th week of release.

Lawrence - Big Momma 2
Big Momma’s House 2 – 2006

In 2006, Lawrence returned for Big Momma’s House 2 because apparently there was more to the story of a cop dressing in drag.

This one mixes in a little Mrs. Doubtfire as Lawrence’s character goes undercover as a nanny. Why is it this guy solves all his cases in drag? Is it just me or does it seem like he just likes dressing up in a fat suit and pretending to be an old lady?

Unlike the original film, the sequel was positioned as a family film. The Los Angeles Times observed, “The family film vibe doesn’t suit a manic-tempered comic such as Lawrence, whose fat suit and septuagenarian makeup can’t hide his obvious boredom in delivering more of the same wheezing insults and down-home advice.”

Big Momma’s House 2 was a much-needed hit for Lawrence.

lawrence - open season
Open Season – 2006

Later that year, Lawrence and Ashton Kutcher lent their voices to the animated feature, Open Season. Lawrence voiced a bear named Boog who had been domesticated. Kutcher played a deer who introduces him to the wild.

Open Season received mixed reviews (which is like rave reviews for Lawrence) and was a hit at the box office. In 2006, a direct-to-video sequel was released without Kutcher or Lawrence’s involvement.

Tim Allen, John Travolta, William H Macy and Martin Lawrence Wild Hogs movie image
Wild Hogs – 2007

In 2007, Lawrence starred opposite John Travolta, Tim Allen and William H. Macy in the biker comedy, Wild Hogs. The four actors played middle-aged guys from the suburbs of Cincinnati who go out and hit the open road looking for adventure.

Wild Hogs teamed three former A-listers and a respected character actor in hopes of combining their fan bases. And for the most part, it worked. In spite of negative reviews, Wild Hogs was a hit.

There have been rumors of a sequel for many years although nothing ever came of it.  Apparently there is still a Wild Hogs diner/gift shop in New Mexico.  Take that, Big Momma!

Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins movie image Martin Lawrence
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins – 2008

In 2008, Lawrence starred in Malcolm D. Lee’s comedy, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. He played a popular talk show host (think Dr. Phil) who is engaged to a beautiful Survivor winner played by Joy Bryant. He packs up his fiancee and his ten-year-old son to travel from LA to his home town in the South.

Despite negative reviews, the movie performed reasonably well at the box office.

Raven-Symone and Martin Lawrence in COLLEGE ROAD TRIP
College Road Trip – 2008

Later that year, Lawrence starred opposite Raven-Symoné and Donny Osmond in the G-rated Disney comedy, College Road Trip. Let that sink in. The formerly foul-mouthed comic was now making G-rated family pictures for Disney co-starring the girl from That’s So Raven and Donny Freaking Osmond.

At least he’s still playing a cop.

Once again, reviews were negative. But the movie did okay at the box office.

lawrence - death at a funeral
Death at a Funeral – 2010

In 2010, Lawrence appeared opposite Chris Rock, Danny Glover, James Marsden, Tracy Morgan, Zoë Saldaña, Luke Wilson and Peter Dinklage in Neil LaBute ‘s black comedy, Death at a Funeral. The film was a remake of a 1997 British comedy which also featured Dinklage.

Despite mixed reviews, Death at a Funeral performed modestly well at the box office.

lawrence - big momma 3
Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son – 2011

In 2011, Lawrence actually took a pay cut in order to make the third Big Momma movie, Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son. In this one, Lawrence’s character, who clearly has a problem with dressing in drag, exposes his son to the joys of wearing women’s clothing.

I think the Boston Globe said it best:

Looking back, it’s strange to remember that the first two movies were both hits, and that Paul Giamatti and Terrence Howard even saw enough in the premise to sign up for the original. At this point, it’s really all just flab.

Reviews were terrible. Worse than usual. Big Momma 3 is actually the worst-reviewed movie of Lawrence’s career which is a career full of negative reviews. But unlike the first two Big Momma movies, Like Father, Like Son was not a hit. At least not domestically. It barely earned back its $32 million dollar production budget in the US. Somehow, it managed to make over $44 million overseas. So if we are subjected to Big Momma 4, you can probably blame France.

Martin Lawrence - Partners - 2014
Martin Lawrence – Partners – 2014

In 2013, it was announced that Lawrence was returning to TV. He starred opposite Kelsey Grammar in an FX TV show titled Partners. The actors played two Chicago lawyers from “vastly different backgrounds who unexpectedly meet in court on the worst day of their lives.”

FX had a 10/90 deal for the show similar to the one they had for Anger Management.  The way the deal worked is that they order 10 episodes up front.  If the ratings reach a predetermined threshold, the network is obligated to order 90 more episodes.  But the 10 episodes that aired performed dismally in the ratings.  FX never did announce the cancellation of Partners, but it ended all the same.

Martin Lawrence - Conan - 2014
Martin Lawrence – Conan – 2014

While promoting Partners in 2014, Lawrence mentioned that Bad Boys 3 was happening.  Lawrence told the late night host:

I believe [it’s happening], yes,” Martin said. “I just talked to Jerry [Bruckheimer] yesterday, and he said it’s real, they’re working on a script, they’re getting close and it all looks good.

In April of 2015, rumors circulated on line that Lawrence had been found dead in a hotel room.

Lawrence - hoax
Martin Lawrence – Internet Death Hoax – 2015

Fortunately, the whole thing was a hoax.  But being the subject of an internet death hoax that takes days to dispell is never a good sign of the vitality of your career.

Bad Boys for Life – 2020

Lawrence had been talking about the possibility of a third Bad Boys movie for at least a decade. At various points, Will Smith and Michael Bay expressed interest in a reunion. But a specific deal could never be worked out. When it proved to costly to pay both Smith and Bay’s asking price, the director was replaced. You can’t have a Bad Boys movie without Smith’s involvement.

Even so, Bad Boys for Life got cancelled and shuffled around the schedule for years. Personally, I assumed the sequel was never going to happen. But eventually, it did. And surprisingly, critics liked it. In fact Bad Boys 3 is the first movie Martin has made since House Party to be certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes!

The movie exceeded box office expectations to become the highest grossing movie in the Bad Boys franchise (inflation helped with that). Sony Pictures Entertainment was so pleased that they announced that Bad Boys 4 was in development.

So, what the hell happened?

It seems fame came to Lawrence too fast and he was not prepared to deal with it. At the peak of his popularity, Lawrence lost his mind. Although there were frequent denials of heavy narcotics some kind of substance abuse was definitely involved.

Eventually, Lawrence managed to put his negative publicity behind him. But by then, his heat had cooled off. He was reduced to starring in cheesy family films and endless sequels to his few hits.

But hope springs eternal for Lawrence. The Bad Boys franchise, against all odds, is thriving. Opportunities are sure to follow.

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Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

I’m very surprised that you, LeBeau didn’t bring up Martin Lawrence’s hosting stint on “Saturday Night Live”, in which due to his monologue (in which he did this routine about women having bad personal hygiene), Martin basically got banned from (I think at least initially from NBC, not just “SNL”). The whole monologue has been removed from reruns and replaced by this disclaimer talking about how people almost lost their jobs (literally) over what Martin Lawrence said. Anyway, I think that based on a lot of the negative reviews that Martin has received during his career, it’s quite obvious that… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

Here’s the transcript for Martin Lawrence’s now infamous “SNL” monologue: http://snltranscripts.jt.org/93/93nmono.phtml Martin Lawrence: Yeah! Thank you, thank you, thank you very much. Thank you, uh-huh. Yeah! Man, man oh man, look at all these white people. No, I guess this ain’t the Def Jam, right, so I-I guess I better be cool, huh? I got some black folks out there to back me up though. (Cheers) Woo! All right, all right. Man, I-I am so happy to be here, this is a dream come true for me. I mean, hostin’ Saturday Night Live, I watched everybody. All of ’em on… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Did Chris Rock’s ‘SNL’ Monologue Go Too Far? http://uproxx.com/tv/2014/11/did-chris-rocks-saturday-night-live-monologue-go-too-far/ I’m not saying folks weren’t offended or can’t be offended by the jokes in Rock’s monologue. If you lived through the events of those days, you probably aren’t in the mood to joke about it. But what about the families of Ebola victims? What about the families of dead soldiers? None of that stopped people from making jokes about the virus or the dual wars we were fighting for over ten years. And in terms of controversial SNL monologues, this is nowhere near the level of Martin Lawrence’s famous appearance on… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

February 19, 1994 – Martin Lawrence/Crash Test Dummies 19.14:
http://saturday-night-live.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=2953

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

In a sense, I think in hindsight, the “SNL” incident was the first real sign of trouble if you will for Martin Lawrence. I guess because it made Martin out to be totally unreliable (or too much of a loose canon) and his psychological issues later on further cemented that. And plus, at least on the surface, it’s hard to understand what type of true point that he was trying to make. It’s like Martin was just trying to be as vulgar, crude, and dare I say, misogynistic as he could possibly be within the confides of NBC’s standards, but… Read more »

Tosha hills
Tosha hills
4 years ago

I took the writers job😋

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

Martin Lawrence’s comedy, particularly his stand-up act, tends to be very blue and raunchy. I read Leonard Maltin say about “You So Crazy” (Maltin gave the movie a 1 * or 1/2 * I believe in his annual film guide due to how embarrassingly crude and off-color the whole thing was) that it lacked the wit and observational insights of Richard Pryor’s classic stand-up films. This is kind of funny since Martin has said that Richard Pryor was his biggest influence as a comedian (I guess right down to the trainwreck of a personal life). Pryor even once showed up… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

The 25 Best “Martin” Episodes of All Time: http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2014/11/best-martin-episodes-all-time/ To this day, the FOX Thursday night lineup of Martin, Living Single, and New York Undercover is known as the Holy Trinity in the hood—a block of television that targeted people of color and won. Martin stands out from that bunch as one of the greatest programs to ever grace television. It was—and still is—pure hip-hop. Martin (Martin Lawrence), on-air personality for the fictional Detroit radio station WZUP, and his boys—Tommy (Thomas Mikal Ford) and Cole (Carl Anthony Payne II)—wore Jordans and spoke slang. Martin’s wife Gina (Tisha Campbell-Martin) and her… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

5 Celebrities Who Are Banned From Hosting “SNL”: http://www.maxim.com/tv/5-celebrities-who-are-banned-hosting-snl Martin Lawrence Twenty years ago, while hosting SNL for the first time, actor and comedian Martin Lawrence decided to go off script during his monologue. Take a wild guess as to how that turned out for him (hint: see article title). It actually started out fine, as Lawrence delighted 1994 audiences with some real topical Lorena Bobbitt material. The trouble began when he decided to move the topic of conversation to women’s lady parts. Specifically, how bad they smell. It was at this point that the producers in the control room… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

SNL: Lorne Michaels’s Blacklist A Look Back at Martin Lawrence & 4 Other Celebs Who’ve Been Banned: http://www.lipstickalley.com/showthread.php?t=653402 Lorne Michaels’s Blacklist: A Look Back at Martin Lawrence and 4 Other Celebs Who’ve Been Banned From ‘SNL’ By Joal Ryan 15 hours ago Yahoo TV It was 20 years ago Wednesday that Martin Lawrence hosted “Saturday Night Live” for his first — and last — time. The comic’s opening monologue, a critique on feminine hygiene that included recommendations for the “unusual use of Tic Tacs, Certs, and Stick-Ups room deodorizer,” as the New York Daily News put it back in the… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Here’s another link to the “SNL” episode:
https://fmovies.is/film/saturday-night-live-19.9oqn0/m3n677

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

Martin Lawrence’s Banned SNL Monologue?

http://www.lipstickalley.com/showthread.php?t=579511

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

The 10 Most Shocking Moments on Saturday Night Live: http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2011/10/10-most-shocking-moments-on-saturday-night-live.html Martin Lawrence’s Monologue In 1994, Martin Lawrence made his first and only appearance after his controversial opening monologue. He started off by talking about how the censors were coming down hard on him; but apparently they weren’t doing their jobs well enough. Lawrence discussed Lorena Bobbitt and women not being able to wash certain areas of their body properly. Subsequent showings of the episode featured a graphic that showed what Lawrence had been discussing and how he almost cost everyone at Saturday Night Live their jobs. Lawrence has been banned… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

Martin Lawrence’s ‘Martin,’ 20 years later https://theundefeated.com/features/martin-lawrences-martin-20-years-later/ The sitcom’s legacy is as hilarious as it is complicated By nearly any metric, whether cultural impact or relevance, Martin’s first four seasons rank as some of the finest television comedy ever produced. Its stature is eye to eye with shows such as The Jeffersons, Fresh Prince, The Cosby Show or A Different World. By the start of its fifth season, however, the empire was crumbling. Allegations of sexual harassment from Campbell made headlines in November 1996. Her lawsuit, in which she named Lawrence, stated that Campbell (herself a sexual assault survivor) had… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

Why Martin Lawrence Was Banned From ‘SNL’ – Here’s Why

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-JALdmSztI

In 1994, Martin Lawrence would land his first hosting gig on ‘Saturday Night Live’ but the moment will be his last on the series because of a raunchy opening monologue. Instagram: @ComedyHype & Twitter: @ComedyHype_ Shot by @_whoisty_ Intro Beat by Yondo Co-written by @mr.dominicsmith & Jon Williams.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Perhaps another problem w/ Martin Lawrence is that he never really took a lot of chances or risks (outside of his “comfort zone”) like say his “Bad Boys” co-star Will Smith. Martin seemed to me, that he could simply coast on his large personality and that could in return, elevate the otherwise poor material. Martin could get away w/ such a thing on his sitcom because it was only a half hour long when compared to a feature length film (thus, it was harder for his shtick to grow tired). Plus, Martin would normally play numerous characters on his show… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Re: So Martin Lawrence sexually harassed Tisha Campbell so badly… http://www.lipstickalley.com/showpost.php?p=15150705&postcount=87 Because Martin Lawrence was heavily on drugs, manic depressive and bipolar. Like someone else said, he was unpredictable, sometimes MEN had to come and PRY him off of Tisha. Don’t take this the wrong way. But do u remember how CRAZY Martin acted back then? He would come out the house butt naked and threatening to kill people while waving a loaded pistol around. Tisha was scared and INSISTED on having a panic button, they finally did it because she wouldn’t stop complaining about him. They couldn’t just fire… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

What’s the tea on Martin Lawrence? http://www.lipstickalley.com/showthread.php/1109419-What-s-the-tea-on-Martin-Lawrence #5 He sexually harassed Tisha very badly to the point where she sued him. Their Martin co stars were going to testify on her behalf but he settled out of court with her. According to another gossip blog, Tisha and Martin dated briefly. He fell in love. She didn’t. I don’t know about the drug part but he dated actress Lark Voorhies. Lark’s friend Dustin Diamond who costarred with her on Saved by the Bell says that Martin abused Lark so bad that she would flinch every-time a man came next to her.… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

http://screenrant.com/actors-who-had-public-breakdowns/ Martin Lawrence is famous for his broad, over-the-top comedy so it’s not all that surprising to learn that his off-screen persona can be equally extravagant. However, not even Lawrence’s most outrageous Big Momma comedies could match the craziness of his 1996 road rage incident. On May the 7th 1996 in LA, the comedian was arrested and hospitalized following a spectacular nervous breakdown that occurred in the middle of Ventura Boulevard. According to eyewitnesses, Lawrence ran into the busy street swearing and screaming things like “they’re trying to kill me!” and “fight the establishment!” while carrying a loaded handgun in… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

https://youtu.be/J7-s0rCvXFk

I think that Dave Chappelle chose Martin Lawrence because he was to be totally blunt, “a grown ass man” at the time. Giving an example of a corrupt and toxic environment driving a man in his thirties to the brink, shows how bad it is.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Actors who could have died preparing for their role http://www.looper.com/105544/actors-died-preparing-role/ Martin Lawrence (Big Momma’s House) Comedians always need to have a joke or two up their sleeve, but the real challenge of comedy lies in the physicality of the performance, something Martin Lawrence knows all too well following his part in Big Momma’s House. To prepare for the latex fat suit that the role of Big Momma would require him to wear, Lawrence decided to jog wearing heavy clothing and a plastic suit in 100-degree heat. At the end of his ill-fated run, Lawrence collapsed due to extreme dehydration and… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Thankfully (if you want to put it that way), I found full footage of Martin Lawrence’s infamous “SNL” monologue:
http://putlockers.fm/watch/vjyzrVzd-saturday-night-live-season-19/episode-14.html

daffystardust
Editor
10 years ago

I went to see Do the Right Thing on opening night and was a big fan of the film. Unfortunately, not long after its release, we had a bad situation crop up in my home town of Virginia Beach. There was a yearly week of frivolity attended by all African-American fraternities held there. I’m not sure how many times the event had been held previously, but it had in fact been held before without any significant troubles. For some reason the local police force and the members of the fraternities had a particularly bad time with one another that time… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

I think the main drawing point of the first “Bad Boys” movie (and I recall Will Smith himself saying this on MTV when reflecting on his career) was that you had arguably the two biggest black actors on TV at the time joining forces. I do for one thing, find it incredibly funny that Martin Lawrence was billed ahead of Will Smith since I automatically assumed that Smith was a bigger name even back then (especially considering that “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” debuted about two years prior to “Martin”). Even in “Bad Boys II”, Lawrence was billed ahead of… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

I think that part of Martin Lawrence’s initial appeal so to speak was that he was this brash, energetic guy. Unfortunately, that sort of thing only has such a shelf-life before people get worn out of your act. Just like other comedians on the WTHHT list part of Martin’s problem is that he really is no longer “cool”. He’s just this awfully pathetic middle-aged guy now, who let himself go physically.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

I actually wasn’t really thinking specifically of any sort of comparison or analogy between Martin Lawrence and Chevy Chase other than maybe, both never really evolved or modified their respective comedic styles as they got older. Martin like Chevy Chase, has put on a significant amount of weight in recent years, which of course doesn’t help much.

jeffthewildman
10 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

“I find myself wondering about Lawrence’s level of talent. What the guy has going for him is charisma.” Bullseye! That’s it right there. Lawrence, while talented, was always more of a personality than an actor. I always felt that Richard Pryor was a better stand-up comic than actor, although part of the problem in that regard was when he tried to show range audiences weren’t interested.. But as a comedian, he was pretty much peerless (George Carlin his only true rival). While Lawrence was very funny and a very good performer, the type of comedy he did lacked the depth… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  jeffthewildman

‘Runteldat!’ Martin Lawrence is no Richard Pryor: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2002/Aug/02/en/en12a.html By Marshall Fine The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News Martin Lawrence has something of a martyr complex and he isn’t afraid to air it publicly in “Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat,” a film culled from a pair of concerts he gave in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. “Runteldat” allows the comedian to compare himself to, among others, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., even while doing a routine about how satisfying it would have been, just once, to see MLK kick butt, rather than turn the other cheek. The name that is never… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

The Bad Boys movies: http://officialfan.proboards.com/thread/412122 Post by agent817 on Jun 7, 2011 at 12:57pm What was your opinion about those two movies? While I liked both movies, I prefer the first one more these days because I noticed a lot of complaints about Bad Boys II. Okay, for starters, I do like BB2, and did enjoy it, but I can see a lot of the reasons for the complaints. One thing is that the movie was a little too long, another was the forced humor (Especially the electronics store scene and the scene when Martin and Will were interrogating the… Read more »

Craig Hansen
Craig Hansen
10 years ago

I honestly had no idea that Martin Lawrence got his start from Star Search. In retrospect it’s amazing how many people got their start from that show: according to Wikipedia, more than a few big names pop up as former contestants: Martin Lawrence, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Adam Sandler, Justin Timberlake, Kevin James, Alanis Morissette, Christina Aguilera, Dave Chapelle, Leann Rimes, Usher, Rosie O’Donnell, Drew Carey, Sharon Stone, and so on. Ironically, not a single one of the many Competition Winners ever became famous. I guess competing on Star Search would do wonders for your career, but if you won the… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  Craig Hansen
Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Bad Movie Beatdown (w/ Rap Critic): Big Mommas – Like Father:
http://blip.tv/film-brain/bad-movie-beatdown-w-rap-critic-big-mommas-like-father-like-son-6004726

Film Brain reviews a movie so bad, he’s got back-up in the form of Rap Critic!

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

14 Actors Who Desperately Need A Hit Movie http://whatculture.com/film/14-actors-who-desperately-need-a-hit-movie?page=13 Martin Lawrence To be fair to him, Martin Lawrence doesn’t actually have that many box office duds to his name, though the diminishing returns of Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son nevertheless spoke volumes of how his favor with audiences nevertheless started faltering a few years ago. Perhaps in order to spare himself the indignity of flop after flop, Lawrence has basically taken himself out of the running in recent years, and aside from his cancelled 2014 TV show Partners, hasn’t been up to much at all. At least Lawrence can… Read more »

johnny 88
10 years ago

I didn’t see the american version of “Death at a Funeral”, here it’s been released direct to video (like almost all Lawrence movies except “Bad Boys” and “Big Momma” franchise), but I saw the original version and it’s really one of the funnniest comedies of the last decade. I simply loved it

RB
RB
10 years ago

How the heck did I miss a new WTHH post? No excuse other than that I’ve been mired in a very important week, in terms of college football. not only has the week been traumatic but earlier in the season, my longtime favorite football blog host decided to take time off to live a real life. I know… i know…. and anyway that necessitated finding a new football blog. So now…. after maybe a few more nights where i keep dreaming about The Game but the ending doesn’t change…. back to more creative pursuits. Enough about football. Great post as… Read more »

Liz
Liz
10 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Oh, LeBeau, I LOVED hearing this. Reading your WTHHT series quickly became a favorite pasttime of mine from the moment I came across it some 6 or so months ago. (In fact, it’s the only blog I frequent outside of my usual food ones. That’s how awesomely engaging I find your series. 🙂 I’m probably not your usual or intended audience, but I hope you’ll have me, anyway. LOL). Though, my opinions sometimes differ from yours, I love the objectiveness with which you approach every one of your WTHHT posts and the humor you interject into each one. Even when… Read more »

vitieddie
vitieddie
10 years ago

Lebeau, you have to edit this line I think?

“If you look at Rotten Tomatoes, Lawrence has had a movie with more than 50% positive reviews since the first House Party in 1990!”

And I am still biting my nails waiting for Stallone and JCVD.
Man I remember when they (along with Arnold, SS, etc) used to rule the BO.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  vitieddie

A THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE & HATE (1996) http://www.cinefilestv.blogspot.com/2016/02/a-thin-line-between-love-hate-1996.html An observable, fast-talking party man Darnell Wright, gets his punishment when one of his conquests takes it personally and comes back for revenge in this ‘Fatal Attraction’-esque comic thriller. I thought his film was a hit. It was at the middle of his stardom and seems to be the film that telegraphed his downfall. As this film wasn’t watered down or silly as his other films that seemed more aimed at general audiences. This film is definitely more for adults and taps into his sense of humor like his stand up.… Read more »

Higgins
Higgins
10 years ago

If this TV pilot I was in gets sold, I hope my career doesn’t turn out like Martin’s!

joe crane
joe crane
9 years ago

I think Martin Lawrence should do a comedy using Shenenehs in a movie on the way to the top meaning that she trying to be successful,buy trying to start her own business of doing hair in the big city,it probably be funny ads he’ll I will run to the movie to see that.

S.R. Tooms
9 years ago

I never realized Martin’s movies received such low ratings! What does it say about me that I enjoyed nearly all of them! He seems to be more of a “people’s” actor rather than a critics. Blue Streak is a classic! A CLASSIC! “He’s high!”

daffystardust
Editor
9 years ago
Reply to  S.R. Tooms

I’ve never been a big fan of the variations on the term “people’s” actor/director/musician versus “critic’s”. It suggests that critics or those who tend to agree with them are not people.

S.R. Tooms
9 years ago
Reply to  daffystardust

I think it comes about when “experts” give their opinion — in contrast to the average person. The critics might say a movie is pure pabulum without any artistic merit whatsoever, total rubbish! And the guy down the street might think it’s a wonderful action packed comedy that made him smile and laugh for a few hours. You see that quite often on rotten tomatoes. Critics rate the film 20-30% and the viewers give it 70-90%

daffystardust
Editor
9 years ago
Reply to  S.R. Tooms

I’m never going to ask anybody to not like the entertainment that makes them happy. That’s what it’s there for. But your use of the quotation marks around the word expert reveals a general contempt for those with knowledge in today’s society. If you’re reading the right critic, then you actually are dealing with an expert. These are often people who have degrees in film/music/literature. That doesn’t mean that you should have to like the same stuff they do, but it does mean that they have a knowledge base which lends some credibility to their opinions.

S.R. Tooms
9 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

That’s my thought on it as well. A critic generally thinks about more factors than “was it entertaining”? Which I believe is the regular person’s main criteria for if it’s a good movie or not. Even I feel a similar way from time to time — you’ll hear people talk about a new movie as if it were this great original piece, and here I am thinking “What?! That story has been done at least a dozen times before AND much better!” I’d agree the professional reviewers have a much larger database to compare the movies to on average. But…… Read more »

Lorenzo Dampies
Lorenzo Dampies
9 years ago

LeBeau great article as always. I always read you WTHH articles, some more than once but this is the first time I’ve commented. You’ve written about Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy. And they really reminded me of Chris Tucker. Black comedian turned successful movie star. He’s worked with Tarantino and Luc Besson and was once the highest paid actor in Hollywood. Then he just disapeared. Would he qualify for WTHH?

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

The Lost Roles of Chris Tucker: http://splitsider.com/2011/07/the-lost-roles-of-chris-tucker/ In 2006, Chris Tucker was the highest paid actor in Hollywood, receiving a $25 million payday for appearing in Rush Hour 3. He even negotiated a larger salary and top billing over co-star Jackie Chan, who had more credits and had been a movie star for much longer. Most actors tend to capitalize on that kind of success by flooding the marketplace with more movies while they’re still at the height of their popularity. Not Chris Tucker. He’s been very picky with his projects, only starring in two movies in the past 10… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

C’MON HOLLYWOOD: What the hell happened to Chris Tucker? http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/cmon-hollywood-what-the-hell-happened-to-chris-tucker …what the hell happened to Chris Tucker? by J.A. Hamilton The ebb and flow of comedy seems to fluctuate back and forth every ten years or so. The eighties gave us Eddie Murphy, a man who’s comedic exploits are not only renown but have even become a base or stepping stone for today’s comedians. But the late nineties saw Eddie begin to lose form and I truly believe that it was a variety of things that led to this; fatherhood being one, but comedy standards and etiquette no doubt also… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

I think Chris Tucker’s problem in general is that after the first “Rush Hour” became a success (and really, the first blockbuster in his career), Tucker got extremely lazy and complacent. He overestimated his value by holding out on any sequels until got paid at least $20 million. The problem is that Chris Tucker was never really a box office draw unlike his “Rush Hour” co-star Jackie Chan. Because Chris Tucker literally only did “Rush Hour” movies from (1998-2007), he pretty much allowed himself to be typecast as a shrill, fast talking, loud-mouth persona. Then again, I’m willing to bet… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Episode 115 – Bad Boys II:
http://www.whmpodcast.com/2013/06/episode-115-bad-boys-ii.html

In this week’s episode the gang visits the island nation of Cuba in the ridiculous, murder-happy sequel, Bad Boys II! How is Will Smith allowed to kill people no matter what? Why do they keep tailing villains using the flashiest of cars? And how long can Will Smith stare at a dead boob? Plus: Was Mr. Cunningham from Happy Days in the Klan?

Bad Boys II stars Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Gabrielle Union, Jordi Molla and Joe Pantoliano; directed by Michael Bay.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Bad Boys 3 happening, apparently without Michael Bay: http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/bad-boys-3/35720/bad-boys-3-happening-apparently-without-michael-bay Michael Bay won’t be directing the next Bad Boys film, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. But Joe Carnahan might… It’s little secret that plans have been afoot for a third Bad Boys movie for some time, with the problem, as producer Jerry Bruckheimer told us back in summer 2013, being reuniting the key personnel. Back then, he was “trying to find a hole in Will Smith’s schedule”, and with regards director Michael Bay (who helmed the first two films), “trying to get on his docket”. With Michael Bay’s future seemingly… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Action movies are just starting to recover from Michael Bay’s Bad influence http://www.avclub.com/article/action-movies-are-just-starting-recover-michael-ba-250921 Bad Boys (1995) Movie directors who broke through to the mainstream in the ’90s tended to do it one of two ways, either through independent film or music videos. The music-video route was probably the less respectable one, but plenty of genuine auteurs still came up through that farm system: Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, David Fincher, Jonathan Glazer, the one-movie wonder Hype Williams. But music videos also produced plenty of big-screen hacks: McG, Brett Ratner, Gore Verbinski, Simon West, Marc Webb. The music-video world only produced one… Read more »

Craig Hansen
Craig Hansen
9 years ago

Chris Tucker is an interesting case. He was quite prolific for a handful of years (between 1995 and 1998 he made 7 films), then he went almost completely silent, since the first Rush Hour he’s only made 3 films in the last 16 years, and two were Rush Hour sequels. I know he got paid 20 Million to do Rush Hour 2, did he just decide to essentially retire with that money?

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Martin Lawrence vs. Jamie Foxx? http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showpost.php?p=4890710&postcount=5 I happen to be VERY familiar with BOTH actors, having seen 85% of their work. Both have the envious talent of being able to pick highly likable and satisfying projects. Both are extremely funny and talented. Here are the differences. Jamie Foxx shines on the silver screen where Martin Lawrence is more a natural for television. Jamie Foxx is a movie star. Martin Lawrence can only be a great television star. He comes across much more natural and relaxed on the boob tube while appearing stiff and scripted on the wide screen. So in… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

When did Martin Lawrence fall off?

http://www.lipstickalley.com/showthread.php?t=687499

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Kelsey Grammer & Martin Lawrence’s FX sitcom gets an August premiere date:
http://www.tvguide.com/News/FX-Premiere-Partners-1082173.aspx

They’ll play lawyers in “Partners,” which will air like “Louie” — two episodes a week for five weeks, starting Aug. 4.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Wild Hogs assured viewers that men were born to be mild: http://thedissolve.com/features/forgotbusters/518-wild-hogs-assured-viewers-that-men-were-born-to-be/ According to pop-culture conventional wisdom, the heterosexual male was once a proud creature that ran free across our fair land, like a mighty man-buffalo slathered in Old Spice. He was a veteran of one of the good wars, ideally World War II or at least Korea, and those experiences haunted him in ways he was too manly and stoic to ever reveal, to himself or anyone else. He wore a suit, tie, and cufflinks when he went to an office with a buxom secretary. He went golfing, told… Read more »

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