By Paul Hall
In 1995, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence became Bad Boys. The film brought together two heavyweights of the television ranks. People were laughing at Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Lawrence in Martin. They brought huge audiences from the small screen to theaters to see the dream pairing. The film prompted a sequel, 2003’s Bad Boys II, and 17 years later we get a third film in the franchise, Bad Boys for Life.
Though time has passed, Mike Lowrey (Smith) is still the ladies’ man with the fast car and large, um, ego. He still partners with Marcus Burnett (Lawrence), who is ready to call it quits and retire. But fate, and a Mexican drug lord’s family, have other plans for the pair.
Will the bad boys stay together long enough to solve the case, or is their partnership truly over?
To ride again and solve the crimes, they will need to move fast and combine the best of the old school with the best of the new. Capt. Howard (Joe Pantoliano) assigns them to work with the AMMO team, the younger faction of the Miami Police Department, who know a thing or two about policing.
The magic that existed when these two actors came together at the peak of their television careers just wasn’t present in Bad Boys for Life. In this effort, there were a number of moments that worked. Unfortunately, the road to the good was detoured as viewers slogged through dialogue that felt forced and unfunny, leaving the film stuck in the mud.
Together, Smith and Lawrence have moments, but the story had no flow; as a complete film, it just didn’t work. I liked a number of the new characters, but there was no development or depth, only questions, and with few of those answered, we are left wondering. When the moments work, they really work and are crowd-pleasing. Fans will enjoy that. I just wanted so much more.
I love rolling back to a simpler time. I love the thought of melding the past and the present. But Smith and Lawrence are good guys who deserve better, and Bad Boys for Life isn’t the way this series should end.
Paul’s Grade: C
Bad Boys for Life
Rated R
Stars: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens
Directors: Adil & Bilall
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