Lynn Whitfield in A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1995)
Clips
Review
I hate just about everything Martin Lawrence has ever been in. He not only starred in this incredibly horrible movie but also took on Screenwriting, Producing, Music Supervising and Directing credits. Take that into consideration…
A Thin Line Between Love and Hate is basically a “Hip-Hop” take on the ol’ Fatal Attraction tale of the proverbial psycho woman scorned, complete with offensive rap music pretty much throughout the film.
Lawrence plays our resident “Playa,” alongside his pal Bobby Brown with whom he owns a happening night club. More offensive gangsta rap and foolishness ensue…
Along comes the otherwise vastly talented Lynn Whitfield whose agent should be tortured and dragged through the streets for advising her to take this gig. Well, fired, at least. In any case, she’s the object of attraction and Lawrence sets his sights, plays his “game” and beds her.
Oh gee… Guess what happens next…
I’ll save you the rental fee. Lawrence breaks things off with Whitfield because an old fling (In the form of the always lovely Regina King) comes back into his life. Whitfield, wanting none of that proceeds to make his life a living Hell in one hilariously life-threatening situation after another. She ends up shooting Lawrence, although he escapes certain doom in spite of bleeding a whole lot. The end.
Crazy woman as a sub-plot in a comedy? Worked for The Blues Brothers. That was funny. Crazy woman as THE PLOT in a thriller? Sure. Ever seen Fatal Attraction or Basic Instinct? It worked there. It just didn’t here and I’m fairly certain it was because of Lawrence. He’s not funny. He’s not likable. It just doesn’t work… F
Nudity Report: Whitfield, who flashed just about every inch of her fantastic frame in The Josephine Baker Story merely teased us with a look at her right hooter in this stinker.
Critics’ Vote: Berardinelli said two of four stars. That’s a bit generous. FilmCritic.com said three of four. They’re high.
IMDb Summary: 4.4/10, a bit closer to the mark…
Box Office: Made for $8 million, it made just over $34 million in the theaters. Maybe the Atheists are right… That, or the Cubs are due to win the series any time, now…
DVD Info: 2.35 :1 aspect ratio, 5.1 digital sound. Looks nice, sounds nice, still sucks.
Written by: Vance Moravian