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Life (film)
Encyclopedia
Life is a 1999 American comedy-drama
film
directed by Ted Demme
, and starring Eddie Murphy
and Martin Lawrence
. The supporting cast includes Obba Babatundé
, Bernie Mac
, Anthony Anderson
, Miguel A. Núñez Jr.
and Bokeem Woodbine
. The film's format is a story being told by an elderly inmate (Babatundé) about two of his friends (Murphy and Lawrence), who are both wrongly convicted
of murder and given a life sentence
in prison.
It is Murphy's last R-rated film to date.
) at the burial of his two friends who have just recently perished in a fire in the prison's infirmary. He begins to tell two young men (Heavy D and Bonz Malone) who are inmates at the prison their story.
Ray Gibson (Eddie Murphy
) and Claude Banks (Martin Lawrence
) are two New York
ers in 1932 from different worlds. Ray is a small-time hustler
and Claude has just been accepted for a job as a bank teller, trying to make something of himself. They are both at a club called Spanky's when Ray picks Claude as his mark to pick-pocket. Later they both end up in debt to the club's owner, a loan shark
named "Spanky" (Rick James
). Ray arranges to have himself and Claude do some boot-legging
in order to pay off their debt.
They head down south from New York
in order to buy a carload of Mississippi
'hooch
'. Unfortunately, before they can get back to New York, a man named Winston Hancock (Clarence Williams III
), who swindles Ray in a card game, is murdered outside of a juke joint
. Through a misunderstanding, Ray and Claude are blamed for the crime, and are sentenced to life in prison. They are sent to an infamous prison camp
called 'Camp 8', located at the Mississippi State Penitentiary
.
At first Claude tries to get out by himself legally by telling his girlfriend Daisy to ask his attorney cousin Melvin to file an appeal on his behalf. Later, Claude gets a letter from Melvin and the news is not good. The appeal was denied and whats more, Daisy has left Claude for Melvin and are now engaged to be married (Daisy was clearly put off by Claude's selfishness since he was planning to abandon Ray). With any chance of getting out legally gone, Claude attempts to make be partners with Ray, who has a plan of getting out.
Ray and Claude make several attempts to escape the prison. Early in their incarceration, they simply try running away in the middle of the night, getting as far as Tallahatchie
before being tracked down--they are sentenced to a week in solitary confinement
.
Around 1944, during World War II
, they meet a mute
inmate named 'Can't-Get-Right' (Woodbine) who happens to be a talented baseball
player. He catches the eye of a Negros League
scout who indicates he can get him out of prison to play baseball. Seeing this as a golden opportunity to get out of prison, Ray and Claude tell the scout to put a word in for them as well (as they relate to 'Can't-Get-Right' in that they can coax him best to play). A month before his release, a homosexual inmate, Biscuit (Miguel A. Nuñez), commits suicide
by deliberately running into a gun line. After 'Can't-Get-Right' is released to play baseball for the Pittsburgh Crawfords
, Ray makes another escape plan (namely, hijacking a Stearman cropduster in a comically failed attempt to fly back to New York City) but Claude wants no part of it, angry with the fact that 'Can't-Get-Right' was released without them. Claude gives up trying to escape and accepts the fact that he will pass away in prison. This leads to an argument, which in turn leads to Ray and Claude going their separate ways. During the argument, it is revealed that Ray's father was sent to such a camp, and hung himself in despair. With them not talking, Camp 8 gets "a little harder and colder", and as 28 years (1944-1972) pass, all of the inmates who were friends of Ray, Claude, and Willie are either released or have passed on.
Many years later, in 1972, Ray and Claude are now much elderly and sent over to live at the Superintendent Dexter Wilkins' (Ned Beatty
) mansion to work for him. Claude drives Superintendent Wilkins to pick up the new superintendent (R. Lee Ermey
), who happens to be none other than Sheriff Warren Pike, the man who framed them 40 years earlier.
While on a hunt one day, Ray sees Pike pull out a pocket watch, and realizes that is in fact his father's, which was taken from him 40 years earlier. Ray confronts Pike, grabs a shotgun and accuses him of murdering Hancock. When Wilkins asks if this is true, Pike brags that he not only committed the murder, but framed Ray and Claude, revealing that "The state of Mississippi got 40 years of cheap labor out of the deal". Enraged, Claude and Ray begin fighting over the gun, both determined to shoot him. Pike attempts to kill them with a hidden pistol, but is shot and killed by Wilkins, who now realizes that Ray and Claude are innocent. He tells Ray and Claude he intends to write pardon
papers for the two of them, but passed away of a heart attack
in his bathroom before he is able to do so.
In 1997, the present day, Ray and Claude are now more elderly, and living in the (now-integrated) prison's infirmary. They realize by now that the only way they will escape the prison is when they pass away. Later, while playing poker with Willie and some other inmates, Claude tells Ray of a plan that he thought up, and after a short argument, Ray follows Claude to hear the plan. That night, however, the infirmary catches fire, and everyone is able to get out except Claude. Willie tells Ray he is still inside, Ray goes back in to find him, when the entrance caves in behind him, presumably killing him.
In present day, Willie concludes the tale and the two workers are saddened by the story, but he reveals that the fire was part of the plan thought up by Ray and Claude. The two bodies being buried, presumably of Ray and Claude, were actually taken from the morgue, and Ray and Claude planned to escape the fire and prison by hiding on the departing fire trucks. When the workers ask why the plan did not work, Willie tells them that he "never said it didn't work". Willie wheels himself away, laughing and smoking a cigarette, as the inmates realize that the bodies they buried are not Ray and Claude.
The film ends with Ray and Claude back in New York, at a New York Yankees
baseball
game, Doing what they always do: Arguing. It concludes saying they now live in Harlem
together.
(for a $80 million budget). K-Ci & JoJo sang the film's theme song, which was titled "Life", but it was the song "Fortunate
" by Maxwell
that garnered the most attention from the soundtrack as it received several awards and nominations.
Released
Passed On
; filming locations include Locke, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Downey, CA, and Sacramento, CA. Parts of the film were actually shot at a Rockwell
Defense Plant in California.
. It peaked at 10 on the Billboard 200
and 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
and was certified platinum for over 1 million copies sold on June 18, 1999.
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by Ted Demme
Ted Demme
Edward K. "Ted" Demme was an American film director and producer.- Early life and career :Born in New York City, Demme grew up in Rockville Centre on Long Island, New York and attended South Side Senior High School. He graduated from SUNY-Cortland in 1985. His media career likely began with a...
, and starring Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
and Martin Lawrence
Martin Lawrence
Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence is an American actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and stand up comedian. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor, most notably the films Bad Boys, Blue Streak, and Big Momma's House...
. The supporting cast includes Obba Babatundé
Obba Babatunde
Obba Babatundé is an American actor of stage and screen, known for his Emmy-nominated performance in the television movie Miss Evers' Boys, a NAACP Image Award-nominated performance in the TV movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and a Tony Award-nominated role for his performance as C.C...
, Bernie Mac
Bernie Mac
Bernard Jeffrey McCullough , better known by his stage name, Bernie Mac, was an American actor and comedian. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L...
, Anthony Anderson
Anthony Anderson
Anthony Anderson is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He has starred in his own sitcom All About the Andersons, as well as the Fox sitcom The Bernie Mac Show during the fifth and final season of the show. He is also known for his leading roles in television dramas such as K-Ville, The...
, Miguel A. Núñez Jr.
Miguel A. Núñez Jr.
Miguel A. Núñez, Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for his supporting roles in The Return of the Living Dead and Life and a leading role in Juwanna Mann....
and Bokeem Woodbine
Bokeem Woodbine
Bokeem Woodbine is an American film and television actor.-Personal life:Woodbine was born in Harlem, New York to an actress mother. He attended the prestigious Dalton School in New York before transferring to the also prestigious LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in the city...
. The film's format is a story being told by an elderly inmate (Babatundé) about two of his friends (Murphy and Lawrence), who are both wrongly convicted
Miscarriage of justice
A miscarriage of justice primarily is the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. The term can also apply to errors in the other direction—"errors of impunity", and to civil cases. Most criminal justice systems have some means to overturn, or "quash", a wrongful...
of murder and given a life sentence
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
in prison.
It is Murphy's last R-rated film to date.
Plot
The film begins with an elderly inmate named Willie Long (Obba BabatundéObba Babatunde
Obba Babatundé is an American actor of stage and screen, known for his Emmy-nominated performance in the television movie Miss Evers' Boys, a NAACP Image Award-nominated performance in the TV movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and a Tony Award-nominated role for his performance as C.C...
) at the burial of his two friends who have just recently perished in a fire in the prison's infirmary. He begins to tell two young men (Heavy D and Bonz Malone) who are inmates at the prison their story.
Ray Gibson (Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
) and Claude Banks (Martin Lawrence
Martin Lawrence
Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence is an American actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and stand up comedian. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor, most notably the films Bad Boys, Blue Streak, and Big Momma's House...
) are two New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
ers in 1932 from different worlds. Ray is a small-time hustler
Charlatan
A charlatan is a person practicing quackery or some similar confidence trick in order to obtain money, fame or other advantages via some form of pretense or deception....
and Claude has just been accepted for a job as a bank teller, trying to make something of himself. They are both at a club called Spanky's when Ray picks Claude as his mark to pick-pocket. Later they both end up in debt to the club's owner, a loan shark
Loan shark
A loan shark is a person or body that offers unsecured loans at illegally high interest rates to individuals, often enforcing repayment by blackmail or threats of violence....
named "Spanky" (Rick James
Rick James
James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B...
). Ray arranges to have himself and Claude do some boot-legging
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
in order to pay off their debt.
They head down south from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in order to buy a carload of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
'hooch
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
'. Unfortunately, before they can get back to New York, a man named Winston Hancock (Clarence Williams III
Clarence Williams III
Clarence Williams III is an American actor.-Early life:Williams was born in New York City. His grandfather was Clarence Williams, the jazz pianist and composer. He was raised by his grandmother.-Career:...
), who swindles Ray in a card game, is murdered outside of a juke joint
Juke joint
Juke joint is the vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by African American people in the southeastern United States. The term "juke" is believed to derive from the Gullah word joog, meaning rowdy or disorderly...
. Through a misunderstanding, Ray and Claude are blamed for the crime, and are sentenced to life in prison. They are sent to an infamous prison camp
Labor camp
A labor camp is a simplified detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons...
called 'Camp 8', located at the Mississippi State Penitentiary
Mississippi State Penitentiary
Mississippi State Penitentiary , also known as Parchman Farm, is the oldest prison and the only maximum security prison for men in the state of Mississippi, USA....
.
At first Claude tries to get out by himself legally by telling his girlfriend Daisy to ask his attorney cousin Melvin to file an appeal on his behalf. Later, Claude gets a letter from Melvin and the news is not good. The appeal was denied and whats more, Daisy has left Claude for Melvin and are now engaged to be married (Daisy was clearly put off by Claude's selfishness since he was planning to abandon Ray). With any chance of getting out legally gone, Claude attempts to make be partners with Ray, who has a plan of getting out.
Ray and Claude make several attempts to escape the prison. Early in their incarceration, they simply try running away in the middle of the night, getting as far as Tallahatchie
Tallahatchie County, Mississippi
-National protected areas:*Coldwater River National Wildlife Refuge *Tallahatchie National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 14,903 people, 5,263 households, and 3,826 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile...
before being tracked down--they are sentenced to a week in solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
.
Around 1944, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, they meet a mute
Mute
Mute may refer to:* Muteness, a speech disorder in which a person lacks the ability to speak* Mute, a silent letter in phonology* Mute , an upcoming sequel to the movie Moon...
inmate named 'Can't-Get-Right' (Woodbine) who happens to be a talented baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player. He catches the eye of a Negros League
Negro league baseball
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...
scout who indicates he can get him out of prison to play baseball. Seeing this as a golden opportunity to get out of prison, Ray and Claude tell the scout to put a word in for them as well (as they relate to 'Can't-Get-Right' in that they can coax him best to play). A month before his release, a homosexual inmate, Biscuit (Miguel A. Nuñez), commits suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by deliberately running into a gun line. After 'Can't-Get-Right' is released to play baseball for the Pittsburgh Crawfords
Pittsburgh Crawfords
The Pittsburgh Crawfords, popularly known as the Craws, were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Named after the Crawford Grill, a club in the Hill District of Pittsburgh owned by Gus Greenlee, the Crawfords were originally a youth semipro team sponsored by...
, Ray makes another escape plan (namely, hijacking a Stearman cropduster in a comically failed attempt to fly back to New York City) but Claude wants no part of it, angry with the fact that 'Can't-Get-Right' was released without them. Claude gives up trying to escape and accepts the fact that he will pass away in prison. This leads to an argument, which in turn leads to Ray and Claude going their separate ways. During the argument, it is revealed that Ray's father was sent to such a camp, and hung himself in despair. With them not talking, Camp 8 gets "a little harder and colder", and as 28 years (1944-1972) pass, all of the inmates who were friends of Ray, Claude, and Willie are either released or have passed on.
Many years later, in 1972, Ray and Claude are now much elderly and sent over to live at the Superintendent Dexter Wilkins' (Ned Beatty
Ned Beatty
Ned Thomas Beatty is an American actor who has appeared in more than 100 films and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain and a Golden Globe Award; won a Drama Desk Award....
) mansion to work for him. Claude drives Superintendent Wilkins to pick up the new superintendent (R. Lee Ermey
R. Lee Ermey
Ronald Lee Ermey is a retired United States Marine Corps drill instructor and actor.Ermey has often played the roles of authority figures, such as his breakout performance as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket, Mayor Tilman in the Alan Parker film Mississippi Burning, Bill Bowerman in...
), who happens to be none other than Sheriff Warren Pike, the man who framed them 40 years earlier.
While on a hunt one day, Ray sees Pike pull out a pocket watch, and realizes that is in fact his father's, which was taken from him 40 years earlier. Ray confronts Pike, grabs a shotgun and accuses him of murdering Hancock. When Wilkins asks if this is true, Pike brags that he not only committed the murder, but framed Ray and Claude, revealing that "The state of Mississippi got 40 years of cheap labor out of the deal". Enraged, Claude and Ray begin fighting over the gun, both determined to shoot him. Pike attempts to kill them with a hidden pistol, but is shot and killed by Wilkins, who now realizes that Ray and Claude are innocent. He tells Ray and Claude he intends to write pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
papers for the two of them, but passed away of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in his bathroom before he is able to do so.
In 1997, the present day, Ray and Claude are now more elderly, and living in the (now-integrated) prison's infirmary. They realize by now that the only way they will escape the prison is when they pass away. Later, while playing poker with Willie and some other inmates, Claude tells Ray of a plan that he thought up, and after a short argument, Ray follows Claude to hear the plan. That night, however, the infirmary catches fire, and everyone is able to get out except Claude. Willie tells Ray he is still inside, Ray goes back in to find him, when the entrance caves in behind him, presumably killing him.
In present day, Willie concludes the tale and the two workers are saddened by the story, but he reveals that the fire was part of the plan thought up by Ray and Claude. The two bodies being buried, presumably of Ray and Claude, were actually taken from the morgue, and Ray and Claude planned to escape the fire and prison by hiding on the departing fire trucks. When the workers ask why the plan did not work, Willie tells them that he "never said it didn't work". Willie wheels himself away, laughing and smoking a cigarette, as the inmates realize that the bodies they buried are not Ray and Claude.
The film ends with Ray and Claude back in New York, at a New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
game, Doing what they always do: Arguing. It concludes saying they now live in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
together.
Cast
- Eddie MurphyEddie MurphyEdward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
as Rayford Gibson - Martin LawrenceMartin LawrenceMartin Fitzgerald Lawrence is an American actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and stand up comedian. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor, most notably the films Bad Boys, Blue Streak, and Big Momma's House...
as Claude Banks - Obba BabatundéObba BabatundeObba Babatundé is an American actor of stage and screen, known for his Emmy-nominated performance in the television movie Miss Evers' Boys, a NAACP Image Award-nominated performance in the TV movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and a Tony Award-nominated role for his performance as C.C...
as Willie Long - Nick Cassavetes as Sergeant Dillard
- Anthony AndersonAnthony AndersonAnthony Anderson is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He has starred in his own sitcom All About the Andersons, as well as the Fox sitcom The Bernie Mac Show during the fifth and final season of the show. He is also known for his leading roles in television dramas such as K-Ville, The...
as Cookie - Bernie MacBernie MacBernard Jeffrey McCullough , better known by his stage name, Bernie Mac, was an American actor and comedian. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L...
as Jangle Leg - Miguel A. Núñez Jr.Miguel A. Núñez Jr.Miguel A. Núñez, Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for his supporting roles in The Return of the Living Dead and Life and a leading role in Juwanna Mann....
as Biscuit - Brent Jennings as Hoppin' Bob
- Bokeem WoodbineBokeem WoodbineBokeem Woodbine is an American film and television actor.-Personal life:Woodbine was born in Harlem, New York to an actress mother. He attended the prestigious Dalton School in New York before transferring to the also prestigious LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in the city...
as Can't Get Right - Guy TorryGuy Torry-Early life:Guy Torry was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, along with his brother, actor and comedian Joe Torry. He attended Southeast Missouri State University where fellow comedian and St. Louisan Cedric the Entertainer attended. While attending college, Torry developed his talent for comedy...
as Radio - Barry Shabaka HenleyBarry Shabaka HenleyBarry Shabaka Henley is an American character actor. Henley is a fixture in many films, most often the films of director Michael Mann, having worked with the director four times....
as Pokerface - Ned BeattyNed BeattyNed Thomas Beatty is an American actor who has appeared in more than 100 films and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain and a Golden Globe Award; won a Drama Desk Award....
as Dexter Wilkins - Michael TaliferroMichael TaliferroMichael Taliferro was an American film and television actor, sportsman and singer.-Personal life:Taliferro was born in Brooksville, Florida. He has an older brother, James Waldon Taliferro and two sisters, Olga and Cheryl Taliferro. Taliferro attended Texas Christian University. Taliferro never...
as Goldmouth - O'Neal ComptonO'Neal ComptonO'Neal Compton is an American film and television actor.He was born Belton O'Neal Compton, Jr. in Sumter, South Carolina, the son of educators....
as Superintendent Abernathy - Noah EmmerichNoah EmmerichNoah Nicholas Emmerich is an American film actor who first broke out in the film Beautiful Girls. He was later seen in movies like The Truman Show, Cop Land, Frequency, Love & Sex, Windtalkers, Miracle, Super 8 and Little Children.-Early life:Emmerich was born in New York City to a Jewish family,...
as Stan Blocker - Rick JamesRick JamesJames Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B...
as Spanky - R. Lee ErmeyR. Lee ErmeyRonald Lee Ermey is a retired United States Marine Corps drill instructor and actor.Ermey has often played the roles of authority figures, such as his breakout performance as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket, Mayor Tilman in the Alan Parker film Mississippi Burning, Bill Bowerman in...
as Older Sheriff Pike - Ned VaughnNed VaughnNed Vaughn is an American actor known for his television work. He attended Lee High School in Huntsville, AL and Birmingham-Southern College.-Filmography:*The Rescue, 1988 - Shawn Howard...
as Younger Sheriff Pike - Clarence Williams IIIClarence Williams IIIClarence Williams III is an American actor.-Early life:Williams was born in New York City. His grandfather was Clarence Williams, the jazz pianist and composer. He was raised by his grandmother.-Career:...
as Winston Hancock - Heavy D as Leon
- Bonz MaloneBönz MaloneBönz Malone was born in the Bronx and has been called the "Hunter S. Thompson of Hip Hop". He also co-wrote and starred in the prison film Slam, which won the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival Grand Jury Prize at Sundance....
as Jake - Lisa Nicole CarsonLisa Nicole CarsonLisa Nicole Carson is an American actress. She is best known for her work on U.S. television, including supporting roles in NBC's ER and Fox's Ally McBeal...
as Sylvia - Poppy MontgomeryPoppy MontgomeryPoppy Montgomery , is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role as Samantha Spade on Without a Trace...
as Older Mae Rose
Release
Life was released in April 1999 and went on to gross over $73 million at the box officeBox office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
(for a $80 million budget). K-Ci & JoJo sang the film's theme song, which was titled "Life", but it was the song "Fortunate
Fortunate
"Fortunate" is a neo soul song from the 1999 motion picture Life and was released on the film's soundtrack. The song was composed by R. Kelly and recorded by Maxwell. "Fortunate" was awarded Best R&B Single of the Year at the Billboard Music Awards and Best R&B/Soul Single at Soul Train Awards...
" by Maxwell
Maxwell (musician)
Maxwell , is an American R&B, funk and neo soul musician. He played an important role in the development of the soul sub-genre, neo-soul.-Early life:...
that garnered the most attention from the soundtrack as it received several awards and nominations.
Death/Release Sequence
Most viewers get confused about what inmates were released or died but this here is a list of inmates who were released and passed away.Released
- Pokerface (Barry Shabaka HenleyBarry Shabaka HenleyBarry Shabaka Henley is an American character actor. Henley is a fixture in many films, most often the films of director Michael Mann, having worked with the director four times....
) - Cookie (Anthony AndersonAnthony AndersonAnthony Anderson is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He has starred in his own sitcom All About the Andersons, as well as the Fox sitcom The Bernie Mac Show during the fifth and final season of the show. He is also known for his leading roles in television dramas such as K-Ville, The...
)
Passed On
- Jangle Leg (Bernie MacBernie MacBernard Jeffrey McCullough , better known by his stage name, Bernie Mac, was an American actor and comedian. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L...
) - Goldmouth (Michael TaliferroMichael TaliferroMichael Taliferro was an American film and television actor, sportsman and singer.-Personal life:Taliferro was born in Brooksville, Florida. He has an older brother, James Waldon Taliferro and two sisters, Olga and Cheryl Taliferro. Taliferro attended Texas Christian University. Taliferro never...
) - Radio (Guy TorryGuy Torry-Early life:Guy Torry was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, along with his brother, actor and comedian Joe Torry. He attended Southeast Missouri State University where fellow comedian and St. Louisan Cedric the Entertainer attended. While attending college, Torry developed his talent for comedy...
) - Hoppin' Bob (Brent Jennings)
Location
Even though Life was set in Mississippi, Life was filmed in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
; filming locations include Locke, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Downey, CA, and Sacramento, CA. Parts of the film were actually shot at a Rockwell
Rockwell International
Rockwell International was a major American manufacturing conglomerate in the latter half of the 20th century, involved in aircraft, the space industry, both defense-oriented and commercial electronics, automotive and truck components, printing presses, valves and meters, and industrial automation....
Defense Plant in California.
Awards and nominations
- Academy AwardAcademy AwardsAn Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
- nominated for Best MakeupAcademy Award for MakeupThe Academy Award for Best Makeup is the Oscar given to the best achievement in makeup for film. Usually, only three films are nominated each year rather than five as in most categories...
(2000)
- nominated for Best Makeup
- NAACP Image AwardNAACP Image AwardAn NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature....
- nominated for Outstanding Motion Picture (2000)
- BMI Film & TV Awards
- (won) for Most Performed Song from a Film (2000)
- Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
- nominated with Eddie MurphyEddie MurphyEdward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
for Favorite Comedy Team (2000) for the movie - nominated for Favorite Song from a Movie (FortunateFortunate"Fortunate" is a neo soul song from the 1999 motion picture Life and was released on the film's soundtrack. The song was composed by R. Kelly and recorded by Maxwell. "Fortunate" was awarded Best R&B Single of the Year at the Billboard Music Awards and Best R&B/Soul Single at Soul Train Awards...
)
- nominated with Eddie Murphy
Soundtrack listing
A soundtrack containing hip hop and R&B music was released on March 16, 1999 on Rock Land/Interscope RecordsInterscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
. It peaked at 10 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
and was certified platinum for over 1 million copies sold on June 18, 1999.