Tiresome stuff, bearable only if you can overlook the questionable premise and find something to like in Lawrence's Eddie Murphy-lite turn.
A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:23
Fresh:3
Rotten:20
Average Rating:3.7/10
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: An overt, fast-talking playboy gets his comeuppance when one of his conquests takes it personally and comes back for revenge in this "Fatal Attraction"-esque comic thriller. Martin Lawrence... An overt, fast-talking playboy gets his comeuppance when one of his conquests takes it personally and comes back for revenge in this "Fatal Attraction"-esque comic thriller. Martin Lawrence scripts, stars and directs. [More]
Starring: Martin Lawrence, Lynn Whitfield, Regina King, Bobby Brown
Starring: Martin Lawrence, Lynn Whitfield, Regina King, Bobby Brown, Daryl Mitchell, Roger E. Mosley, Della Reese
Director: Martin Lawrence
Director: Martin Lawrence
Reviews for A Thin Line Between Love and Hate
The script lacks wit and depth, while Lawrence's direction is meandering and undramatic, full of showy, over-elaborate camera movements.
A Thin Line Between Love and Hate takes its name from the Persuaders 1971 hit that has been re-recorded by the Pretenders, Annie Lennox and H-Town. You could have just as much fun simply playing one of them and skipping the movie.
[Lawrence] doesn't seem to know that his protagonist is a deceptive, frivolous, fast-talking and surprisingly stupid womanizer.
Lawrence the director should have pulled the reigns in on Lawrence the star, as his constant mugging is both out of character and ridiculously exaggerated.
In showing the importance of monogamy, the film is profound enough that it could lead couples to reevaluate themselves; women will look at their new men a bit more quizzically, and men will be less likely to say "I love you" unless they mean it.
[Lawrence is] a charming, gifted comic with a killer smile, but he's way out of his depth in this Fatal Attraction knockoff, which he also co-wrote and stars in.
Once it gets going, A Thin Line is moderately entertaining, but, oh my, that first hour...
The screenplay is credited to four writers, and its unevenness argues that none of them were on the same wavelength.
Martin Lawrence bites off a bit more than he can chew with his four roles in this haphazard comedy. As a result, nothing seems quite focused.
Sexual stereotyping provides the grist for much of Martin Lawrence's humor and, for the most part, it's on target.
A ponderous vanity project that is unfunny and, worst of all, just plain boring.
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