I Know an Old Bitch Named Della Hit Harder Than You

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/LifeMovie_9008.jpg

Life is a 1999 comedy-drama film directed by Ted Demme, starring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence.

In 1932 New York Urban center, Claude Banks (Lawrence) gets caught upwards in a bootlegging scheme afterward a fateful run in with no-adept Ray Gibson (Murphy). While making the auction in the Deep S, the boys get involved in a crooked game of cards and end up framed for the murder of the local card precipitous. Sentenced to life, their friendship is forged past proximity and the dream of escape.

At offset glance, it appears to exist a normal Eddie White potato or Martin Lawrence screwball comedy, but it actually has surprising Subconscious Depths as it follows several decades of the main characters' unlikely friendship, fitting it firmly in the Dramedy territory.

Ned Beatty (as a kindly prison official), Anthony Anderson (as the prisoner who does the cooking), Bernie Mac (equally a prisoner who practices Situational Sexuality), and R. Lee Ermey (as the Big Bad after a few Time Skip's) also appear.


This film provides examples of:

  • Really Pretty Funny: Even the Sergeant and Hoppin' Bob have a hearty express joy when all the men in campsite claim to have fathered a baby with the Superintendant's daughter.
  • The Alcatraz: As they enter the prison yard, Ray and Claude are told past Sergeant Dillard that Parchman Subcontract prison has no fences, considering any prisoner crossing the gun line will be taken down past a sharpshooter.
  • Alone in a Crowd: When Claude is left lonely at the charabanc station, he looks around at the outside world. It's his start fourth dimension seeing it in xl years. He looks utterly lost and so catches his ain wrinkled reflection in a car window.
  • Ambiguous Situation: Information technology's unclear if several of Ray and Claude's friends, such equally Cookie, jangle Leg and Hoppin' Bob died or were released during the Fourth dimension Skip.
  • American Accents: Over the grade of the flick, Ray and Claude lose their New York accents and pick up southern accents equally a result of a lifetime in the South.
  • Asshole Victim: Sheriff Pike killed Winston Hancock and framed Ray and Claude for his murder, and he took Ray's father's watch that Hancock gambled off him, to boot. Needless to say, no tears are shed when Superintendent Abernathy shoots him later on hearing that he framed the ii convicts, right when he was about to shoot them whilst Ray and Claude were fighting over which of them should shoot him.
  • Benevolent Dominate: Superintendent Wilkins (Ned Beatty) treats both Ray and, especially Claude with respect and relative amiability. He even covers for them after killing Pike upon learning they truly were framed for Hancock's murder and was going to describe up their pardon papers. Sadly, he suffers a fatal heart attack before doing and then.
  • Berserk Push button: "White-Just Pies". Likewise making a wisecrack about Ray's begetter and his watch is this for Ray.
  • Amend to Die than Exist Killed: Biscuit commits suicide past deliberately running over the gun line in lodge to exist shot by one of the trustees. The reason why is because he didn't want to go dwelling house to his mother a gay homo. Truth in Tv as being homosexual during that time was heavily frowned upon.
  • Large Bad: Sheriff Motorway, the closest thing to one the film has. It was he who framed our two leads and put them in prison for life.
  • Bittersweet Ending: Claude and Ray spend their whole lives locked away for a crime they never committed. By the fourth dimension they finally pull off a successful escape, they're both old men living in the modernistic globe, terminal seen at a Yankee game. All the same the ending treats this in a positive light.
  • Barefaced the Imposter: Claude pulls this when Ray tries to pickpocket him posing as an old friend from high school by verifying if he attended Jefferson Loftier and non "Monroe".
  • Bookends: Ray and Claude's funeral ...or and so it seemed.
  • The Cameo: Rick James plays a 1930'southward gangster named "Spanky" and rapper Heavy D is a Present Day inmate.
  • Military camp Gay: Biscuit.
  • Tin can't Get Away with Nuthin': Winston Hancock successfully deprives Ray of his money and his male parent's sentry in a rigged gambling match. He doesn't become to return abode with his winnings, though, because Sheriff Motorway confronts him in the street and ultimately kills him.
  • Category Traitor: Hoppin' Bob is a prisoner, but is a trustee working with the guards, who even entrust him with a gun.
  • Chocolate Baby: The Superintendent's girl gives nascency to a very evidently non white child. This leads to a hilarious scene where the Superintendent lines the prisoners upwards and compares the baby to each of them, trying to root out the father.
  • Covers Ever Lie: The poster for this movie shows Murphy and Lawrence sandwiched between two very big inmates who obviously have a little bit o'prison rape on their minds. These two inmates, Jangle Leg and Gold Mouth, do appear in the film, merely apart from making a pass at Ray and being politely rebuffed, Jangle Leg never rapes anyone (indeed, he's in a consensual human relationship with Biscuit), and Gold Rima oris is non a rapist: he'southward just a corking.
  • Credits Gag: A bloopers reel is shown during the credits. The best of which is Tater's fissure during the watch scene: "Hey, this ain't my daddy's watch!"
  • Curb-Stomp Battle: Ray vs. Gold Rima oris in the one thousand, right later on Ray stands up to Golden Oral fissure and refuses to let him bully another prisoner out of his corn bread. Since Ray is a con artist more used to talking his manner out of fights than actually engaging in them, and Golden Mouth is a massive pugilist, Ray simply gets 2 good blows in before Gold Mouth wipes the floor with him.
  • Daddy'due south Little Villain: When punishing Ray and Claude after a would be escape, the superintendent asks Petty Mae Rose what she thinks he should do with them. She considers for a moment, and and then sentences them to a dark in The Hole (her daddy extends it to a week).
  • Dashedplot Line: The story flashbacks to 1932, before skipping to 1944, then 1972, and then finally catching up to 1997 where the motion picture started.
  • Defiant to the Terminate: Sheriff Superhighway and his deputies accept Winston Hancock at his mercy for non leaving town. Hancock, instead of begging for them to let him go, makes a wisecrack about sleeping with the Sheriff's wife, which gets him knocked down to the ground. He uses a switchblade to slice Pike's face, giving him a permanent scar.
  • Deep South: Even though they are black men in the early 1930s, Claude is shocked to encounter the differences in their treatment when they go out New York and caput South.
  • Deus Malaise Machina: Parodied, when one of the inmates gets Ray to read a letter for him that he'due south had for years but couldn't read, it basically contains a long list of things that have gone wrong for his family. He even so thanks Ray for reading it anyhow.
  • Driven to Suicide: Unable to cope with the thought of living on the outside, Biscuit commits suicide past running across the gun line.
    • Ray's male parent gave up hope and allegedly hung himself in prison.
  • Enemy Eats Your Dejeuner: When Claude and Ray make it in prison, Gilded Rima oris tries to take their cornbread, causing Ray to assert himself by refusing and get into a fight over information technology.

    Cookie: I appreciate you going through all the problem over my cornbread; you don't get a lot of compliments around here.

  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Gold Mouth, the prison bully, has a son who'southward as fatty and bald as he is, who he happily reunites with on a visit mean solar day.
  • Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": We never hear most of the inmates' existent names. Instead they are introduced past their prison names: Biscuit, Jangle Leg, Cookie, etc. No i ever even knows Can't Get Right'southward real proper name, as he can't speak to introduce himself.
  • Everything Makes a Mushroom: Ray'due south attempt to escape in the crop duster ends this fashion. Amazingly, he's shown existence shoved into The Hole with no injuries other than a hilarious covering of soot.
  • Evil Gloating: While at gunpoint, Sheriff Motorway not only admits that he is the one who killed Winston Hancock, he also takes pleasure in the fact that Ray and Claude spent the last 40 years doing cheap labor for his law-breaking.
  • Faking the Expressionless: How Ray and Claude escape.
  • Burn-Forged Friends: Ray and Claude hate each other until they have to spend decades in each other's company.
  • Fish out of Temporal H2o: At the bus station Claude briefly considers running, but when he looks around and realizes how much the world has changed, he sits back down in the car and waits for the superintendent to return.
  • Foregone Conclusion: As established by the opening scene, Ray and Claude die in prison. Or did they?
  • Good Is Not Nice: Dilliard and Hoppin' Bob are rather harsh simply deep down, they genuinely care for the inmates, especially the main coiffure. This is most evident when Biscuit commits suicide by running across the line. Hoppin' Bob has a clear shot to kill him simply he's visibly broken-hearted and refrains from doing so. When another guard makes the killing shot, Hoppin' Bob is genuinely horrified. Dilliard is then seen sadly watching from afar. Years later on, Dilliard regretfully tells Claude and Ray that they are existence transferred to work at the superintendent's mansion and conspicuously lies about non missing then when they exit. He's fifty-fifty close to tears when he tells him.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: Ray and Claude somewhen become these.
  • Hope Spot: When the new superintendent Dexter Wilkins finds out Ray and Claude are innocent, he immediately moves to write their pardon - correct after he gets out of the restroom. Unfortunately, the stress of the day'south events causes a heart assail and he dies without drawing up the papers or telling a soul.
    • Before, Ray and Claude are in talks with a Negro Baseball League recruiter to aid them get out of prison by acting as Can't Get Right's handlers. While mourning the death of Beige, Can't Go Right gets his parole papers, and the agent tells Claude and Ray he tried to secure their liberty but couldn't.
  • I Am Spartacus: The entire campsite claims fathership of Mae Rose'southward child to save Tin can't Get Right.
  • Imagine Spot: The inmates collectively have one when Ray talks about his dream of owning his nightclub, "Ray'southward Nail-Boom Room".
    • Biscuit fantasizes himself as The Chanteuse.
  • Innocently Insensitive: Warden Wilkins talks about his upcoming retirement in front of Claude (who is serving life in prison). TO his credit, Wilkins quickly realizes this and apologizes to him.
  • Inspirationally Disadvantaged: Can't Go Right is plain very simple and never speaks. However, his potential major-league baseball game skills earn him a full pardon and he manages to have an affair with Superintendent Abernathy'due south daughter, fifty-fifty fathering a child with her.
  • I Never Said Information technology Was Poison: Willie never said Ray and Claude didn't succeed in their escape plan.
  • Lyrical Dissonance: The closing scene is intended to exist highly uplifting and spotlight Ray and Claude'southward friendship and freedom. However, the vocal chosen was "What Would You Do" by City Loftier, which is nigh a woman explaining her reasons for condign a hooker. The song was plain only chosen for the single chorus line "Merely for me this is what I call life."
  • Make It Look Like an Accident: The new superintendent explains to the police that the shooting was a Dick Cheney-style hunting accident when actually he shot and killed Sheriff Pike after learning of Ray and Claude's innocence.
  • Not Worth Killing: Hoppin' Bob hesitates to shoot Beige when he deliberately runs beyond the gun line, although he has a clear shot. Sadly, another baby-sit kills him.
  • Odd Couple: Straitlaced Claude and footling thief Ray.
  • The One-time Captive: Claude and Ray get this over decades of incarceration. As well Willie as well.
  • Orphan'due south Plot Trinket: Ray's spotter, given to him by his deceased male parent who hung himself in prison house.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure:
    • Wilkins the new superintendent is an amiable man who is fairly polite to his trustees (Claude and Ray), doesn't seem to corruption his ability and sides with Claude and Ray confronting Pike and would accept had them pardoned subsequently learning of their innocence if he'd lived long plenty.
    • Sergeant Dillard, arguably. He's a guard who takes keeping his prisoners from escaping seriously, but is also willing to cut them some slack at times.
    • Downplayed with the baseball league official who gets out Can't Become Right every bit a histrion and does brand an effort to secure a release for Claude and Ray and is somewhat apologetic when he can't.
  • Pet the Dog: Sergeant Dillard selling Claude and his girlfriend a 'temporary marriage license" to brand them eligible for a bridal visit the once she visits him.
  • Punishment Box: Prisoners are punished with time in "The Hole," which is an outhouse sized shed with no light or plumbing out in the sun in the South.
  • Scarlet Right Hand: Claude recognizes the real murderer, Sheriff Superhighway, by his emphasis and the scar across his cheek.
  • Sand In My Optics: Afterwards hearing Ray and Claude's story, one of the young inmates claims his tears are from "allergies".
  • Scary Blackness Human: Granted, all the prisoners are black- in the 1930's, anyhow. The prison becomes less segregated in the modern day- merely Goldmouth, the local keen, fits this trope, as the tallest and most heavyset of the lot. His first scene ends with him challenging Ray to a fight after declining to nifty Claude into giving upwards his cornbread.
  • She'south All Grown Up: Little Mae Rose, Superintendent Abernathy'south girl is introduced every bit an adolescent and is fairly coy and pretty every bit an adult subsequently the Time Skip.
  • Signature Particular Clue: Gibson sees his male parent's heirloom pocket watch—the one he lost to the card shark he was bedevilled of murdering—in the possession of the deputy who arrested him for the murder, and puts two and 2 together.
  • Situational Sexuality: Biscuit and Jangle Leg are together. Nevertheless, Jangle Leg prefers women when he tin get to them such as the party scene and his annotate about Claude's hand being soft like a woman's.
  • Starts with Their Funeral: Subverted at the very end when we learn Ray and Claude faked their deaths to finally escape prison.
  • Starter Villain: Spanky Johnson, the gangster who sends Ray and Claude to the Due south to pick upwards booze for him to pay off their debts, thus setting the scene for them getting arrested.
  • Suicide by Cop: Biscuit's demise.
  • Time-Compression Montage: After closely post-obit their first 12 years of incarceration, the movie skips to the mid 70s via a montage of historical events and images of the other inmates fading as they either died or were released.
  • Iii-Month-Erstwhile Newborn: When the superintendent lines the convicts upwards to compare the babe to them, it should be the day afterwards its birth. The baby is wide-eyed, property its caput upward on its own, and working its easily. It'south clearly at to the lowest degree iii-5 months old. annotation Although information technology is possible that the scene took place some time after the infant'due south birth specifically for that reason.
  • Championship Drop: All over since it'southward a mutual, one-syllable discussion, but notably when the gauge sentences Ray and Claude to "LIFE" imprisonment.
  • True Companions: The inmates grade an odd family of sorts.
  • The Voiceless: Can't Get Right has no dialogue. It'southward unclear if he can't speak or just chooses not to.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: The main crew of inmates are these, but Ray and Claude epitomize this trope afterwards 60+ years together.
  • "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: Ray Gibson and Claude Banks at present live in Harlem...Together.
  • Where da White Women At?: Can't Go Right tin't keep his optics off of Mae Rose. Ray and Claude continually try to warn him what kind of problem this could get him in.
  • Working on the Chain Gang: Claude and Ray are sentenced to piece of work on a concatenation gang later on existence wrongfully bedevilled of a crime they didn't commit.
  • You Fight Similar a Cow: Ray, later on beingness on the receiving finish of a Curb-Stomp Battle from Goldmouth, taunts him "I know a bowwow named Della hit harder than you." He still loses.
    • Della stands for Della Reese who's graphic symbol got into with Eddie'south graphic symbol in Harlem Nights and who Eddie besides lost a fight too in a one-sided affair.
  • Zany Scheme: Ray'south constant escape plots.

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Source: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/Life1999

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