What does one get when one mixes two different types of actors as the leads in a comedy?: A surprise! "Nothing to Lose" shows how Steve Oedekerk's gamble in casting such different actors as Martin Lawrence and Tim Robbins can produce great results.

Not being a fan of Mr. Lawrence's style of comedy, we decided to take a gamble on this 1997 film that came and went without much fanfare. In fact, we had no expectations whatsoever as to what to expect because even the trailers we remember seeing at the time before its release didn't show anything of interest.

In fact, Mr. Lawrence, guided by the expert hand of Mr. Oederkerk, shows a man that can deliver without resorting to his usual excesses. Tim Robbins on the other hand shows an uncanny flair for this type of comedy and a chemistry for his co-star. Both these actors are seen at their best in the comedy.

"Nothing to Lose" feels shorter than its 98 minutes running time. There are also good supporting players behind the stars. Kelly Preston, John McGinley, Giancarlo Esposito, Michael McKean and the fabulous Irma P. Hall, who one would have loved to have seen more of because she is an extraordinary and accomplished actress.

Let this film win you over and watch it without any preconceived ideas because it's packs a lot of fun.

This movie surprised me how entertaining it was. It's simple like most other mismatched buddy-flicks but this movie has a certain bit of extra, which not in the least thanks to its fine solid cast.

Thank goodness it's not the type of comedy that forces its humor upon people. The comedy of the movie is more in the chemistry between Martin Lawrence and Tim Robbins. Yes, it sounds weird but Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence are really a great screen duo, with some nice comedy chemistry, that get themselves into some fun trouble when by coincidence embarking on a sort of road-trip together. Like in all road-movies, some crazy characters pop-up. The most sensational one's in this movie are being played by John C. McGinley and Giancarlo Esposito, who form a criminal-duo. The diversity of John C. McGinley as an actor is amazing. Just look at the list of movies he has done and the characters he has played.

But the greatest power of the movie is the chemistry between the two main actors and their individual comical skills. Tim Robbins is a great serious actors, who just happens to like doing comedies as well from time to time. But on top of that he also really has talent for the genre. He knows how the deliver the lines in the right way and knows how to time his moments. Martin Lawrence also has been the sort of comical-actor who fun with his dialog. As a stand-alone actor and when he needs to carry a movie on his own he just isn't good enough but when he teams up with another great comical actor (for example as was the case with Will Smith in "Bad Boys"), he's truly at his best and most fun to watch.

The story unfolded nicely and slowly. Nothing got forced and things just happened as they came along, such as always is the case in road-movies. It at the same time also makes the movie surprising, or at least not as predictable or formulaic as most other comedies. The movie has a couple of greatly build-up moments, some more subtle than the other, but always fun and in some cases even hilarious to watch. Look out for Irma P. Hall as Martin Lawrence's character's mother! It's true that the movie doesn't live up to its fine fast paced start but nevertheless the movie remains fun to watch throughout.

It's a movie surprisingly well worth seeing!

7/10

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NOTHING TO LOSE is Martin Lawrence's finest hour and is really one of the very few films to showcase his comedic talent. Lawrence plays a jobless carjacker who meets a depressed executive (Tim Robbins) who is having a very bad day. The two team up for a wild adventure consisting of robberies, car chases and other encounters while being pursued by not only the police, but two rival criminals as well. While the chemistry between Lawrence and Robbins is quite strong, the highlight of the film is Lawrence at home getting his face smacked repeatedly by his mother. Simply put, this is Martin Lawrence's best movie.

4 out of 5

Tim Robbins is a fantastic actor. He was wonderful in "Shawshank Redemption", and "Mystic River" and pretty much everything else he's ever done (even "Anchorman"). He was wonderful in this movie, even though it didn't really demand a lot of talent.

A man (Robbins) finds his wife in bed with his boss, and after being almost robbed at gunpoint comes up with the genius idea to steal his boss's fortune. Along with Martin Lawrence, he becomes a criminal mastermind.

Martin Lawrence is a great comedian on film. "Black Knight" and "Blue Streak" are both wonderful and this film is no exception. His show "Martin" was less sophisticated, but luckily he has shied away from that. The writer/director is Steve Oedekirk, originally (I believe) a writer for "In Living Color" after being discovered on "Star Search". He's now best known for "Kung Pow! Enter the Fist" and "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls", and you'll find more of that stupid but clever humor here.

The film's use of music is funny, if poorly conceived. One scene involves an impromptu dance by Robbins to "Scatman" which should be stupid, but proved some chuckles. Odekirk cameos as a security guard who likes to sing and dance, which plays into the plot very well.

Add the very sexy Rebecca Gayheart, Michael McKean and John C. McKInley (who seems to guest star in pretty much everything) and you've got yourself a quirky comedy with a very diverse and talented ensemble cast. This will likely not be your favorite film and you might not even remember it a year from now, but it's certainly worth at least one shot. Because, heck, Tim Robbins can do no wrong.

Oh, and if you like vulgarity, there is a (very funny) scene where the F-word is used nearly fifty times in a two minute span. So, that's fun.

A bit silly, but the good kind of silly, with enough credibility to make it believable. Most of all it is FUN and that is all I needed.

It's the "let's laugh at other people's misery" kind of fun, because Tim Robbin's wife has an affair and right after discovering that he gets mugged by Martin Lawrence. Things go way out of control after these 2 characters butt heads, with lots of great race and class struggle jokes.

The good: great chemistry between Tim Robbins (serious) and Martin Lawrence (silly). Good jokes and good timing of the jokes as well. Spot on.

Any bad? It's quite a bit silly, but it's still serious enough though to be an enjoyable comedy for the entire family, from young to old, everybody could enjoy it.

Seen it several times over the past decades now and the jokes and the characters still stand strong...

Even better than Trading Places. (I will only spoil the first 20 minutes.) Nick Beam, well played by Tim Robbins, is an upper-middle class white man with a pretty wife, a successful career in advertising, and a nice home. His marriage seems happy, but one day he comes home early and sees his wife straddling another man in their bed. He doesn't say anything. She doesn't even know he was there. He finds his boss's cuff links on the way out, and therefore realises that it was his boss whom his wife was on top of.

After driving in a daze at about 20 miles an hour, Nick Beam wanders into the ghetto. This is where Terrance, played by Martin Laurence, attempts to mug him. Well, Nick Beam is so depressed that he really doesn't value his own life, and takes Terrance for a little ride.

The rest of the movie is filled with their crazy adventures. A few robberies, and Tim's gradual transformation into a criminal. There is a hilarious scene where Tim has a spider on his head, freaks out, and... well you'll see. That scene alone would have made the movie worth watching even if the rest were terrible. But fortunately, there is plenty more wacky adventures for these two before the twist at the end.

Most of this is comedy, but it does get a little serious at certain parts. How could the producers contrast the lives of a well-to-do white man with a struggling black man from the ghetto without going into social injustices? Nick Beam accuses Terrance of laziness and wasting his time robbing people instead of finding a job. Terrance never goes into details, but just tells Nick not to judge him. Then, Nick discovered several rejection letters to Terrance from potential employers. Furthermore, Terrance, a mugger, has a wife and kids and he seems to be a good father to them. It looks like Terrance is more than a common thug.

Lastly, I complement the musical choices. The spider dance scene was to the song, I think its called, 'The Scott Man.' Something like that. Its funny. Later in the movie, Pachebel's 'Canon' is played. The song at the end of the movie is a rap to the music of 'Canon.' I don't normally like rap, but I liked that, very creative.

I give the movie a perfect 10. Its not a copy of Trading Places at all, but it does have a similar theme, rich white guy, poor black guy. This is one of the few movies that has made me laugh uncontrollably for more than a few seconds at a time. If you haven't seen it, watch it, and you will watch it many more times after, I guarantee.

Nothing to Lose is another one of these mismatched buddy comedies. As one actor is black and the other is white there is also a whiff that it was offered to Eddie Murphy who turned it down before Martin Lawrence was cast.

Robbins plays a man who finds his wife cheating and it spirals into a bad day as he encounters carjacker Lawrence but Robbins has nothing to lose and has a death wish and hence begins a road trip with Lawrence getting involved in hold ups and then they encounter two other more ruthless outlaws who pursues them back to Los Angeles.

The comedy and some of the scenes are rather corny and its also patchy. Lawrence although successful in comedy films has always been a little irritating and Eddie Murphy lite to me. Maybe its the scripts he gets or maybe as an actor he has limited range.

Robbins does dramatic well and also throws himself into the slapstick such as his shoes catching fire. However he also has had misfires in the past when he tried his hand in comedy films, remember Howard: The Duck!

There is some nice music especially the end title song but the film also wants to crow bar a social message as Lawrence is educated, clever, resourceful but unable to get a job and reduced to a life of crime. Not sure that works.

I have seen this film several times now. I cannot stop laughing at everything I laughed at the first time that I saw it at the theatre. I had no idea what to expect at that viewing, other than the fact that I enjoyed Tim Robbins' work in the past and thought that Martin Lawrence was very funny. This did not prepare me for the life-changing event it was.

I once showed this movie to a then-girlfriend who was no fan of the comedy genre, and thus it was a big risk to even attempt viewing an unknown comedy to begin with. But sure enough, she turned to me when it was over and declared it to be one of the most intelligent yet gut-level funny films she had ever seen.

And without a doubt, she had summed it up best right there.

This kind of "buddy" picture is something rather unexpected considering the director (behind such comedy "classics" as Ace Ventura 2 and Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, not that they're bad films). While it's not without some share of stupidity, it also has its share of brains too, somewhere. It's basically a B comedy with A-list stars and a pretty high budget, but it doesn't sell its audience short of the goods. Martin Lawrence will have his fan-base here as strong, if not stronger, than in some of his other starring vehicles. He does get some dimension to his character, as a guy who has the usual Lawrence-type sarcasm and humor and also some conflict with his life. It's a good balance with Tim Robbins, with his own sort of crisis as well. The plot involves a robbery, and some hold-ups, some hicks, and a dancing security guard. The overall scope of the film, with a soundtrack fairly standard, isn't anything great (although one scene where a song by Scatman as Robbins puts out a certain fire is one of the funniest scenes he's ever done). But this is made up for by some clever bits, and a good repore by the stars.

When I went to see this movie in the theaters, I wasn't expecting too much. I was expecting to see a decent comedy with an occasional chuckle with some good lines.

What I wound up seeing was a hilarious film with consistent laughs throughout. I loved it. Lawrence and Robbins were well cast and worked well together. If you get a chance, check this one out.

*** out of ****

Let me say this first as it should be the first thing critiqued for a comedy: the humor here is good. This isn't all typical American family mainstream movie humor, there are some really good moments mostly in situational comedy. Just Oedekeker putting himself in the film alone is a hilarious thought but the useless character and attributed scene are just hilariously pointless, and therefor very meaningful to such a comedy. But that's a detail. It's actually got suspense, is strong structurally, and as most Oedekerk motion pictures (ahem...that don't have THUMB in the title...) this has meaning and is very humane. Globally, it's a great coming together of two radically antagonistic leads and, naturally, the characters they play, while the two villain characters that follow their symmetry is a funny concept - it's well written, funny, with a point and whether as a comedy or as a film with its own tension and developments, it's just a good, strong movie.

'Nothing to Lose' tries to be a few movies. Buddy Movie, Fish Out of Water Movie, Road Movie, Mistaken Identity Movie and Heist Movie. And in not settling for one it falls short of greatness. But that does not mean it's not fun.

The writer-director, Steve Oedekerk, is clearly a fan of movies , as he tries a bit of everything

The film stars Tim Robbins as Nick Beam, a corporate executive who comes home one afternoon to find his wife (Kelly Preston) in bed with another man. He believes it to be his boss. In a daze Nick drives off, where he is carjacked by a loud Martin Lawrence.

There are good moments. And some big laughs, some supporting actors get some good laughs too.

Rebecca Gayheart is lovely to look at, and stands out, while John C. McGinley is worthy of note too, and is reliable as always.

Predictably, spoils things a bit, as at the end of "Nothing to Lose'' everything falls nicely into place.

OK, so most of Martin Lawrence's movies are pretty worthless. But "Nothing to Lose" is pretty funny. Tim Robbins plays a yuppie who gets fed up with his life and drives into the ghetto. There, he meets up with a hoodlum (Martin Lawrence), and the two proceed to form their own plans...at any cost.

I will admit that this movie has practically no artistic value, just a bunch of silly situations. But it's impossible not to like, as both men have to try and respect each other. And anyway, it's just funny when a rich white guy and black ghetto guy have to team up. Worth seeing, if only once.

I wonder if anyone really does own a statue like that.

This was an enjoyable and entertaining film. Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence put on a great comedic performance as an unlikely duo. Both come from different worlds that one day collide. The duo realize they share some things in common, people cannot be judged so easily. This is a film with a simple plot, lots of laughs and has a strong feel good element. Martin Lawrence brings his unique brand of crude yet charming humor to the screen and Tim Robbins more than holds his own. This simple story has a number of twists, moments of comedic genius and a very satisfying end.

You don't always have huge expectations watching these type of films so you're pleasantly surprised and gained something from watching it.

The 1997 action comedy "Nothing to Lose" is actually a rather enjoyable and funny movie. I remember watching this back around the end of the 90s, but I couldn't recall the storyline. So as I had the opportunity to watch it again here in 2022, of course I did so.

Writer and director Steve Oedekerk put together a script and storyline that was equal parts action and comedy, and managed to blend the two genres in a very enjoyable and entertaining manner. And that really makes "Nothing to Lose" a good movie, one that has withstood the passing of time with grace. "Nothing to Lose" is every bit as enjoyable and watchable today as it was 25 years ago.

The movie does have a pretty good cast ensemble, with the likes of Tim Robbins, Martin Lawrence, John C. McGinley, Giancarlo Esposito, Michael McKean and Kelly Preston on the cast list. Tim Robbins really is phenomenal in this action comedy.

If you enjoy action comedies, then you definitely should give writer and director Steve Oedekerk's 1997 movie "Nothing to Lose" a chance, if you haven't already seen it, of course.

My rating of "Nothing to Lose" lands on a seven out of ten stars.

Although writer/director Steve Oedekerk and star Tim Robbins both were at the height of their careers at the time this film went into production - Oedekerk coming from a great success with Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and Robbins just fresh off from starring in The Hudsucker Proxy and The Shawshank Redemption, as well as directing the brilliant Dead Man Walking - there's not much sign of the quality of the aforementioned films in Nothing to Lose. In short, Oedekerk's material is too slight, silly and banally well-meaning, making Tim Robbins as uninspired as only a script of this calibre can make him. At the time of release, Robbins and co-star Martin Lawrence were hailed for their collaboration, but calling Nothing to Lose a great buddy movie is an insult to this once flourishing sub-genre. Whatever chemistry they strike up is purely academic. They watch each other deliver their lines with gullible amusement, but there is no real connection, no nerve between them. And with a setup as contrived as this one (rich white man down on his luck rediscovers his true self after being faced with poor black man's situation), Oedekerk is in dire need of more hilarious comedy or more heartfelt drama in order to create something other than a mediocre (and already oddly dated) time-killer.

The 90's had a ton of buddy comedies and this one got lost in the fold, sadly. The cast is great as many of the actors have gone on to do great things in TV. But it's got a great message and has many funny moments. Martin Lawrence and Tim Robbins have great chemistry as do John C. McGinley and Giancarlo Esposito. The latter two especially as ruthless robbers in the desert. I forgot this is one of the few Steve Oedekerk directed movies. Wish he did more actually. But it's perfectly placed, well scripted, acted well, and just the right length. It touches a bit on the economic issues of America. Tim Robbins playing Nick Beam was a trip knowing the character probably wouldn't agree with anything Tim Robbins does in real life. Martin Lawrence gets overshadowed a lot in the 90's by Will Smith but he's really solid in this. I mean he could be Denzel Washington. Take a good look. It's funny that Nick Beam the executive is a better criminal than Martin Lawrence while Martin is a better husband and knows a ton about electronics but can't get a job because of the color of his skin. The scene with the tarantula is comedy gold and the scene with Grandma slapping everyone is great as well. Lots of great one liners throughout the movie make it worthwhile. You can't go wrong with the 90+ minutes spent. I mean you really have.... Nothing to Lose.

Steve Oedekirk's tepid Nothing to Lose is a lame comedy with Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence as an odd-couple buddy pairing who team up to steal $600, 000. Robbin's comes home early to find his wife in bed with his boss and runs away to the desert, taking car-jacker Lawrence with him, to think things over.

The dialogue is hackneyed and stilted, the plot is horribly contrived and Lawrence seems to have been given freedom to improvise, which is is clearly not good at. He resorts mainly to doing his xenophobic 'Oooh white folks' thing while Robbins lumbers around like an idiot.

None of the jokes work, the humor is far from clever and the set-ups are obvious. The bland photography and silly score are so incredibly 90s that the film, merely ten years old, looks heavily dated.

There are better things that you could be doing with your time.