USA: COMEDIANS EDDIE MURPHY AND MARTIN LAWRENCE TEAM UP FOR NEW FILM "LIFE"

Record ID: 388290

  • Title: USA: COMEDIANS EDDIE MURPHY AND MARTIN LAWRENCE TEAM UP FOR NEW FILM "LIFE"
  • Date: 15th April 1999
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (MARCH 28, 1999)(REUTERS) SOUNDBITE (English) EDDIE MURPHY CONTRADICTING QUESTIONER'S STATEMENT THAT THIS IS HIS FIRST SERIOUS MOVIE, BY SAYING "I think I've always mixed elements -- the first movie I ever did, "48 Hours," had dramatic elements to it, you know, "Beverly Hills Cop" has dramatic elements to it, I've done action movies and stuff like that. And "Nutty Professor," even though it's a funny movie, it's a lot of poignant stuff in "Nutty Professor." So I've always tried to mix it all up." LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (APRIL 13, 1999)(REUTERS) W/S VILLAGE THEATER, WESTWOOD W/S ARRIVALS AND ZOOM TO MIGUEL A NUNEZ JNR AND MICHAEL "BEAR" TALIFERRO C/U RON HOWARD SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) RAQUEL WELCH saying "It's going to be nice to see a comedy film tonight because I bought a project with Jim Brubaker who is producing the film this evening and that's a comedy and so later this year we'll do that and then there's a television project that I'm working on too" C/A WILL SMITH AND ZOOM OUT TO ARRIVALS C/A PRESS SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) MIGUEL A NUNEZ JNR saying "It was a challenge because at first I was a little scared about doing it and then I thought about, you know what, i'll just go in and have fun and do it. And I went in and had fun and it turned out to be really hilarious, great work, funny addition to the movie, and I'm proud of it" 13. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) MICHAEL "BEAR" TALIFERRO saying "I'm the man who beats up Eddie Murphy. First time its ever happened in a movie, so I feel privileged to be the one to kick his ass first" C/A SIGN AND PAN TO WILL SMITH SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) TED DEMME (DIRECTOR) saying "That was like the hardest part of the whole thing, keeping us sane on the set. It was like someone had to do it and these guys would at least once a day break out and just start cracking up, and it would just be hilarious. that was the hardest hardest thing. Like just stop alright we have to get back to work now. The other thing they heard a lot from me was, like you guys are killing me" 16. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) EDDIE MURPHY saying "Ted Demme is a fucking liar, and you can quote me" (reporter question: he told me he had to keep telling you to get back to work) EDDIE MURPHY saying "That's a crock of shit and you can quote me" C/U SIGN SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) POPPY MONTGOMERY saying "They are so wild and they are all like so quick you know, because a lot of these guys, I;m sure, have done standup comedy. They have to and their wit is incredible. I gave up, I couldn;t outwit or be funnier than any of them, so I just sat there and smiled you know" SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) OBBA BABATUNDE saying "I would say about those two gentlemen, they are two of the finest talents and two of the greatest human beings I've had an opportunity to work with in this business. I found them to be extremely professional as well as funny as you could possibly be. They made it a pleasure to come to work"
  • Embargoed: 30th April 1999 13:00
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  • Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA67JDOELUE9H2WH57ZFDKKOYV8
  • Story Text: Comedians Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence have teamed up for "LIFE" in their new movie of the same name.It tells the story of two men who are jailed for life for murdering a man in Mississippi and details the trials and tribulations of their friendship behind bars.
    Ray Gibson (Eddie Murphy) makes a habit of stealing peoples wallets, mostly to pay off his debts.But when he picks Claude Banks' (Martin Lawrence) wallet, he discovers his victim is as broke as he is.In order to pay back New York clubowner Spanky, the two are forced to go on a bootlegging run to Mississippi.
    On the way back they decide to have some fun in a local bar, playing poker and picking up girls.As they are leaving, they discover one of the card players face down in a pool of blood.Hesitating too long to wonder what happened to him, they are found looking in his pockets, arrested for murder and thrown in jail for life.
    Their attempts to escape from Mississippi State Prison are thwarted time and again, but they never give up hope.
    Coping with the other convicts is no picnic.Ray and Claude had never met before that night in Spanky's, and each blames the other for their plight.Before long they're not speaking at all, until Claude is punished and Ray is forced to choose between backing his friend or helping himself that the two realise just how much they care about each other.
    Murphy, who's "always been a fan of the big escape prison movies" stumbled on the idea when he "saw a picture of a prisoner at his parole board in the film Shawshank Redemption.
    The photograph showed a much younger man and the comedian thought the story of him in prison would be an interesting tale".
    Working alongside the two comic geniuses was "great fun"for the other actors who revelled in the way "they could take everyday things and make them funny".
    The role that Eddie Murphy plays also has a much more dramatic side, but diehard fans can relax, he's not giving up comedy, he "just likes to mix it up a little bit".
    As the sun went down in Los Angeles, the stars came out to celebrate the premiere of their new movie.Director Ron Howard, a partner in Imagine Entertainment who helped finance "Life" was there to show his support.Raquel Welch, who has "a comedy of her own coming out later this year also came along to the screening.
    Miguel A Nunez Jnr was "a little bit scared of getting up on the big screen with two comedy legends, but soon relaxed and had a good time"
    In one scene, the film highlights the brutality of prison life when Ray takes a thrashing from Goldmouth (Michael "Bear"
    Taliferro)."It's the first time the quick witted actor has taken a beating in a movie, and Taliferro was only too pleased to be the one to kick his ass".
    Having so many comedy actors on one set is no easy task according to Director Ted Demme.He claims that "at least once a day they would get out of hand and he'd have to order them back to work"
    "Not so" says Murphy who dismisses that rumour as "a crock of shit" and brands Demme a "liar", all in good fun of course.
    Rumour or truth, one thing's for sure, both Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy are greatly admired by the cast, for "their wit, their professionalism, their talent and their humanity".
    "Life" opens in US cinemas on Friday 16th April, 1999.
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