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THE STORY LINE is ok, I would love to have seen someone else play a smooth debonair young entrepenuer ladies man who wins over an obviously older, more refined, (and deranged) wealthy woman. The pacing and interplay between characters was good and enjoyable until Lynn Whitfield's character basically took over the last 3rd of the movie. As the movie progressed and it became clear Martin's character was way over his head as Ms Whitfield basically took over with a riveting portrayal as the sicko dangerous jilted woman, who exuded sexy throughout, hell in my opinion she was more malevolent then Glen Close. If you consider the wonderful mix of the iconic Della Reese whose has entertained us since the 50's and 60's, Lynn whitfield who is no doubt one of our most unheralded stars since the 70's (Josephine Baker story) and Regina king who has shown her talent and range from TV and now to movies and no doubt will be entertaining us for a long time and of course Roger Mosely who is always solid this could be considered an all star cast. Luckily he surrounded himself with a strong supporting cast including a sober Bobby Brown, who may have had some acting chops back then. My opinion is the same for this movie, Martin puts in a cliched, effort that shows he was more full of himself than his character or his acting talent suggests. Put an real actor in this movie like Bokeem Woodbine or Allan Payne and this would have been something. but it is an enjoyable suspense movie thanks to Lynn whitfield performance and support from the rest of the cast.
I agree this movie really isnt that funny (are any of Martin's movies funny). Unlike many I feel Martin Lawrence is best doing standup, as an example in his TV show Martin he was notable for slapstick and urban shtick, but the efforts of Tisha Campbell, and the rest of the cast made the show a classic. I saw this movie when it originally came out and thought it was a good movie. Her portrayal early was right on as sexy, above it all with a hint of something odd about her.
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For Darnell, the harder a woman is to get, the more she entices him. There should be a lot transpiring on a psychological level, but the script is content with unbelievable transformations and simple labels. The screenplay is credited to four writers, and its unevenness argues that none of them were on the same wavelength. The ending doesn't have the guts to demand a meaningful sacrifice. With a more clear notion of what it was trying to do and a shorter, tighter script, this movie could have been worthwhile as a comedy or a thriller, although doubtfully as both. She'll try anything, including bodily harm, to keep him. He's a classic womanizer the kind of man who keeps a stream of girlfriends waiting at the other end of the phone for his call. Although Lawrence, who's wearing half-a-dozen hats for this film (Executive Producer, Music Supervisor, Story, Screenplay, Director, and Star), includes a few humorous scenes, there's not enough comedy to leaven the film's slower portions.
Darnell is the repentant sinner and Brandi is the psycho scorned woman. So when Brandi (Lynn Whitfield), a wealthy real estate agent, turns her nose up at his come-ons, Darnell goes after her with the tenacity of a pit bull. Lynn Whitfield occasionally manages to bring hints of humanity to Brandi (the almost- invisible tear on her cheek when Darnell breaks off the relationship is a nice touch). `A Thin Line Between Love and Hate' boasts several solid performances.
The dreary setup takes forever, the thriller elements are disappointingly pedestrian, and the climax is formulaic. Lead actor Martin Lawrence (in his directorial debut) has a degree of screen presence, but not even his charisma can rescue this clichéd film from sliding into oblivion. When he tries to break things off with Brandi to prove his affection for the high school sweetheart who has come back to town (Regina King), he discovers that Brandi isn't willing to let him go. Mix Eddie Murphy's `Boomerang' with `Fatal Attraction,' and you get an idea how confused this movie can get. Eventually, he succeeds, but he gets more than he bargained for. Regina King and Della Reese (as Darnell's mother) are effective in supporting roles.
Darnell (Lawrence) is the kind of character who it's easy to dislike. The film's message don't say you love someone unless you mean it doesn't have any resonance because, aside from a few cuts and bruises, Darnell never pays a real price for his actions. Lawrence is energetic, but never so completely out-of-control that he loses the audience the way Jim Carrey does. Subplots start but never finish, characters come and go, and even the main storyline can't decide whether it wants to be a comedy, a morality play, or a thriller. This movie is sort of mess and it doesn't get any better with repetitive viewing. There is the core of an interesting story here what happens when a lothario becomes a victim but Lawrence never does more with this plot strand than superficially trace it.
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