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Review: ‘Bad Boys For Life’ Surprises Among Dump Month Releases

The month of January in film is known for cheap and underwhelming releases. Last year, that was Glass and the previous year was Proud Mary. Oh, and should we even mention 2017’s The Bye-Bye Man? Basically, no matter what film it is, it’s a rare occurrence that a film to be well received. Despite these films being thrown in the start of a new year, each outcome seems to be fatigued and one-dimensional. However, Bad Boys for Life might prove to be an unexpected good January film.

Bad Boys for Life is directed by the duo of Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah and stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrenece reprising their roles as Mike Lowery and Marcus Burnett. Lowery and Burnett are back together to take down a drug cartel that wants Lowery dead. The script is well executed due to its blend of action and buddy-cop comedy, especially considering it is a franchise from the 1990’s returning to screen in the 2020’s. The return stars some new and old faces as well, each of which have great performances and vitality to the plot. The chemistry between Smith and Lawrence is hilarious; They clearly “still got it” with their laughable jokes and puns and haven’t missed a step as partners.

The most satisfying part of this film is its antagonists, played by Jacob Scipio and Kate del Castillo. Kate del Castillo, known for telenovelas and feature films such as La Reina del Sur and Ingobernables, tries her hardest to sell her character as this unstoppable force that the protagonists can’t defeat. The previous two Bad Boys films had featured some sort of drug cartel and the capture of an important character in relation to the protagonists only to find out that they get shot and end of movie. Here, this film executes the antagonist by having her be mysterious in the first and second act until there’s a certain flashback in relation with the antagonist and somebody else from her past.

However, this film has two minor issues that keeps it from being a great buddy-cop film: the transitions and the soundtrack. From time to time, small transitions revealing different parts of Miami feel like the film wanted to emphasize the atmosphere of Miami even though most of the movie is already in Miami. The transitions are unnecessary, especially in a film franchise such as Bad Boys, which doesn’t need transitions to keep the plot moving. As for the soundtrack, it’s just a mix of some new music that’s from generation Z and even then it was only used as background music for club scenes or transitions. This is in contrast to the first film, which provided some instrumental music that fit the tone of the film whereas here.

All I can say about this film is this- it’s a surprisingly good film that has a stellar cast, including a very strong antagonist, a well-executed plot, and laughable and interesting moments from Mike Lowery and Marcus Burnett. While this film is the third entry of a twenty-five year old franchise, Bad Boys for Life tops the first two films out of the dust.

3/5 STARS

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SXSW Review: Get More of Harmony Korine with ‘The Beach Bum’

Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers is a cult fav’ among film goers. One half exclaims brilliance while the other half detests it, but regardless of what you think of his work, Korine’s style and flare is undeniable. Bombastic, absurdism is the name of the game, and his films are more or less mood pieces rather than your traditional narrative films. His latest film, The Beach Bum, is more of that, and you can tell right from the get-go that Korine’s signature trademarks are all over it.

Moondog (Matthew McConaughey) is our titular character who drifts along the Florida coast as a washed up poet doing anything and everything. Living off his wife’s (Isla Fisher) money, he galavants from beach to beach, smoking weed, drinking PBRs, and living without a care in the world as he struggles to channel his prior successes.

For narrative purposes, it seemingly doesn’t matter to the point of the film. The synopsis I gave you exists simply as a vehicle for the crazy sh*t Moondog. Each scene is a non sequitur from the prior, and it plays out like a series of sketches where absurdist comedy runs rampant. Smuggling weed out of your friend’s house with a blind airplane pilot. You bet. Swimming with sharks that you mistake for dolphins that take your foot. Why not? Cheating on your wife in the back of sleazy burger bar minutes before your daughter gets married. Sure thing. It’s all incredibly insane, off the wall, and par for the course for someone like Harmony Korine. 

It may be hard to believe but this film tones back the overt stylings of Spring Breakers. This one is just in it for the vibes, which may totally be your thing, but the film is one giant joke about itself and a responsive Xanax to the state of discourse in the country. There’s one scene in particular which I won’t spoil here, but just know that when Moondog reads his final poem, the film has reached it’s long running punchline and given its last eff’ to give (in a semi-good way).

The cast is wild. I already mentioned McConaughey as the eccentric and sun-crisped Moondog, and Fisher as the semi-faithful wife Minnie, but there is a slew of others in here as well with their own zany characters. You have Jonah Hill as playing Moondog’s manager. Snoop Dogg as Moondog’s supplier and closest confidant. Martin Lawrence as a fish boat captain. Zac Efron as an accomplice in Moondog’s escape from an AA retreat. And Jimmy Buffet as himself. Everyone is playing a caricature in this film. Not a relatable character, an off the wall, kooky caricature, and they’re all having a great time doing it. They each get their own segments to shine in, and their disparate, random connectivity feeds into the fluid, carefree nature of the film.  

You may be thinking at this point, “This sounds like a fun ass time.” And to that I would say, “Yah, if you’re into Harmony Korine.” Like I said, this film is one giant joke for an hour and half, and by the hour mark it really grades on you. Or at least me. I’m indifferent to Korine; I admire his audacity in some moments and other times times I can’t believe someone thought this was a good creative decision, but that’s kinda what makes his films his films. Those who have seen his prior work and enjoyed it will surely feel the same about The Beach Bum, but at the same time, I don’t think this will do anything to change the minds of those who already have baggage with Korine.

Also in a totally random note that somewhat ties into the absurdism of this film, before we entered the film, we were given scratch and sniff cards to use whenever weed played an important part in the film. You know, like those scratch and sniff cards you got from Burger King for The Rugrats Go Wild movie? We got those, and it was as pungent as you would expect. 

Score: 3/5