Martin Lawrence is a well-known name in Hollywood. The actor first became known as a comedian and actor after his role on the ABC sitcom What’s Happening Now!! (1987-1988). During the ’90s, Lawrence’s name was spoken alongside other popular Black actors such as Eddie Murphy and Will Smith. Over the years, Lawrence has built quite the acting portfolio for himself. He’s appeared in some of the best action and comedy films of all time, becoming a big part of American pop culture. Let’s take a closer look at some of Martin Lawrence’s best performances:
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7 House Party (1990)
New Line Cinema
Directed by Reginald Hudlin, House Party is a comedy film that stars Christopher Kid Reid and Christorpher Play Martin from the hip-hop duo, Kid ‘n Play. As the title suggests, the movie follows the duo who is throwing a party, which ends up taking an unexpected turn. The film was quite a success when it initially premiered and has since then become a cult classic. Lawrence only shows up in a few scenes in the film, as he plays the reluctant yet amazing party DJ, Bilal. Lawrence, being the comedy king that he is, manages to make the audience laugh even with the limited screen time. There’s no denying that Lawrence knows how to work magic with his acting skills.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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6 A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996)
New Line CinemaSavoy Pictures
Lawrence did more than just act in the comedy thriller A Thin Line Between Love and Hate. Not only did Lawrence direct the film, but he also co-wrote the screenplay along with Kenny Buford, Bentley Kyle Evans, and Kim Bass. It’s one of Lawrence’s underappreciated works and definitely deserves more praise given that he wrote, directed, and acted in the film. The movie follows a player, Darnell, portrayed by Lawrence, who becomes entangled with an obsessive lover, Brandi, portrayed by Lynn Whitfield. The plot of the film is quite similar to Fatal Attraction (1987) with the whole obsessed femme fatale, only A Thin Line Between Love and Hate brings humor into the mix. Martin does a great job of portraying Darnell, who is constantly trying to get rid of the obsessive Brandi.
One particularly hilarious scene involves Darnell going to the police station to request a restraining order against Brandi, only to be refused and ridiculed by the authorities. When Darnell returns to his car, he discovers that Brandi has trashed his car, even going as far as getting rid of all his wheels. It’s a rather amusing scene to see a grown man throw a tantrum in the parking lot of a police station.
5 Martin (1992 - 1997)
Warner Bros. Television Distribution
This American sitcom starred Martin in a titular role that won the hearts of thousands. Martin had a total of five seasons, making it one of Fox’s most high-rated shows. It narrates the playful, romantic relationship of Martin with his girlfriend, Gina. The show also explores other friendships with Pam, Tommy, and Cole. Martin Lawrence completely dives into his role with his sassy and family-man personality, but with a selfish and macho upfront. With such a diverse role in his possession, he won the People’s Choice Award, NAACP Image Award and got nominated twice for Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award.
4 Bad Boys (1995)
Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group
Michael Bay’s directorial debut film, Bad Boys is a buddy-cop action-comedy film. It follows two narcotic detectives, Marcus and Mike, portrayed by Martin Lawrence and Will Smith respectively. When it first premiered the film got mixed reviews from critics, yet was still a commercial success. Over the years, the Bad Boys franchise as a whole has gained quite a cult following and is considered a classic in the genre.
In Bad Boys, Marcus and Mike discover that $100 million worth of heroin has gone missing from their headquarters. The duo has five days to recover the missing heroin, or they will have to face major consequences. Que has a bunch of badass action sequences and some hilarious stunts and scenes. The film is a great example of Lawrence’s acting talents. The actor is absolutely hilarious and packs quite the mean punch. Not to mention his chemistry with Will Smith is incredible and often leaves the audience laughing until they have tears streaming down their eyes.
3 Bad Boys For Life (2020)
Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, also known as Adil & Bilall, Bad Boys for Life is the third installment in the franchise, which finds cop duo, Marcus and Mike, investigating a string of murders that are tied to Mike’s past. When the film first premiered it was well received by the critics and the general audience alike. It even ranked as the fourth highest-grossing film of the year in 2020.
As with most of the other films in the franchise, the chemistry between the cop duo is incredible and definitely gives the audience some iconic moments that have them guffawing. Whether the two are bantering amidst a gunfight or are driving a totaled car, there are numerous moments that keep the audience entertained. Lawrence even gives the audience a glimpse of his more emotional side, when Mike is wounded during a project. Plus, watching the recent installment along with the older installments in the franchise really helps one see how Lawrence has grown as an actor over the years.
2 Blue Streak (1999)
Buddy cop action-comedy films are Martin Lawrence’s specialty, so it’s no surprise that Blue Streak is one of the actor’s most popular performances. Only Blue Streak comes with a little twist that makes it different from the usual buddy cop films. Lawrence portrays Miles, a jewel thief, who accidentally leaves a diamond at a police station. To retrieve the jewel, Miles pretends to be a detective and ends up getting assigned to a case with Detective Carlson, portrayed by Luke Wilson.
What follows are a bunch of hilarious, action-packed scenes that keep one entertained throughout the film. For instance, Lawrence munching on chips during a gunfight is absolutely ridiculous. Or the moment he likens his partnership with Detective Carlson to a one-night stand is absolutely hilarious. It’s been almost two decades since the movie first premiered, yet it still doesn’t fail to leave one laughing with tears streaming down their face.
1 Life (1999)
Universal Pictures
Directed by Ted Demme, Life is another buddy-comedy that features Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. The film portrays the story of two inmates, Ray (Murphy) and Claude (Lawrence) who are wrongly accused of murder and are sentenced to life in prison. Even though the film received a mixed reception from critics, it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Makeup. Over the years, the film has gathered quite a cult following. Given both Lawrence and Murphy’s performances, it’s not too surprising. The relationship between the two is quite interesting, built on a mix of friendship and resentment. It leads to quite some funny moments. For instance, the whole cornbread incident in the prison cafeteria is definitely an amusing scene with Murphy trying to scare the other prisoners and Lawrence trying to hold his friend back.
