Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Rated R
(for Violence, language, mature themes)

Directed by Michael Bay

Cast: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Teo Leoni

my rating: D+


As my younger brother (11 years old) was playing SSX on the PS2, I told him “I am in a mood to see some violent, shoot’em up flick. Wanna come with me to blockbuster to rent some John Woo films?.” And, he came with me. Yes, I am a great older brother. Anyways, even though my brother wanted to see “Killer”, we agreed on renting “A Better Tomorrow 2”, but of course, Blockbuster doesn’t have anything of quality, hence the company name. So, we opted on “Bad Boys”, a movie that a lot of people I know rave it as one of the funniest action-comedy out there. “Well, lets see what this bad boy is all about.” And, off we went, after of course paying several dollars.

Sorry, for going on a tangent…my mind works in unusual ways sometimes.

But anyways, the year was 1995. The producing team of Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer has just released “Bad Boys”. After their recent flops, “The Ref” and “Days of Thunder”, they were in desperate need for a hit. Heck, when people think of Simpson/Bruckheimer they think of hit. What else do these two people do? They hire a newcomer director, Michael Bay, and put two famous sitcom stars, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, as partners. Along with every possible cliché and plenty explosions and gun f ire, the producing team added all the necessary ingredients for a hit and they succeeded. Too bad this hit is a huge disappointment and not worth checking out.

When it came to putting ideas on paper, the writers had no clue where to begin. Well, they had a beginning (drugs were stolen), a middle (bang bang bang), and an ending (bang bang bang). Between the bangs, the writers came up with a brilliant premise: lets take two cops with completely different lifestyles and perspective on life and watch them react with each other. Yes, it’s far from original, and it is evident that no thought was ever put into the screenplay for “Bad Boys”.

With that said, people obviously did not make this movie a hit for its breathtaking story. They went to see this movie for the action and comedy. Following the trend of “48 Hours” and “Lethal Weapons”, “Bad Boys” added plenty of comedy and action. But, let me first begin by talking about the action. Michael Bay came from the music-video industry, so he obviously has plenty of style when it comes to directing. But, as a newcomer, it is evident that he lacks the experience to stage intricate action sequences. Nonetheless, there was still some memorable action scenes including the downtown car chase. Well, as a whole, the action is nothing that I haven’t seen before. After being bombarded by action sequences through out my life, seeing a car chase or a shoot-out isn’t spectacular to me anymore. Hollywood, that is the result of saturating your movies with too much action. The public becomes desensitized and the “WOW” factor is gone, especially if the movie is solely based around the action.

Now, this action/comedy wouldn’t be complete with, you’ll never guess it, yes, some comedy. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are likable guys in this movie and for the most part, they have good chemistry with each other. The humor is mostly surrounded around the neurotic outburst by those two with the occasional participation of Joe Pantoliano. There is a lot of screaming, yelling, and one-liners in this movie. That’s about as far as the comedy goes. I found myself laughing in some parts, but the rest of the time, I was just telling my younger brother that they scream just too damn much. Ahh, am I just getting too old that my hearing sucks? Who knows, but a lot of scenes were more annoying and frustrating to watch and listen too than funny. At least, Teo Leoni’s eyes were intriguing to watch.

All in all, “Bad Boys” will be mostly remembered for jump starting the career of Michael Bay, Martin Lawrence, Teo Leoni, and most evidently Will Smith. They are now all doing bigger and better things (well, not better in the sense of quality *ahem* Martin Lawrence, what is up with you? “Big Momma’s House” and “What’s the worst that could happen to you?” Come on…) Oh well, they are all getting paid a lot more now that’s for sure. I will end this review by saying: “Bad Boys, Bad Boys, What’cha going to do, What’cha going to do…” That song is still stuck in my head.


Recommended: No

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older