Courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment
Bad Boys for Life (2020)
This week in cinemas: Bad Boys for Life and Dolittle.
Bad Boys for Life (Rated R)
Set 17 years after the previous Bad Boys, Detective Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) recklessly maneuvers his sports car while his partner and passenger, Inspector Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence), loudly objects and claims his impending retirement can't come soon enough. However, he's forced to postpone leaving after the pair is targeted for assassination by the brother of an arch enemy. Constant bickering between their characters ratchets up the comic friction supporting this franchise. Can the magic continue for these middle-aged cops? Famously directing the original and its sequel, Michael Bay said this one’s $90 million budget precluded his customary salary. However, if number three makes bank, he'll come out of retirement for number four.
Dolittle (Rated PG)
In the wake of his wife's death, Dr. Dolittle (Robert Downey Jr.) has become a recluse, holing up in his country cottage with a menagerie of animals—all of whom he converses with. Then, the doctor is summoned by a critically ill Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley), who begs him to collect a rare medicine located on a faraway, exotic island. The melancholy doctor undertakes this lifesaving journey with several of his best animal friends and a human youngster (Harry Collett), in tow. They help the doctor regain his mojo. Too bad the film suffers from a ridiculous case of serious-itis. Once filming wrapped, frantic rewrites required 21 days of re-shoots that have done little to improve the outcome, including a batch of unconvincing CGI animals and flaws enhanced in IMAX.
