Life (1999): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
Life is a 1999 comedy drama directed by Ted Demme, starring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. It runs 1 hour 48 minutes and earned $73.5 million worldwide on a $80 million budget. Critics gave it 63 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.8/10.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 48m (108 min)
- Director
- Ted Demme
- Original language
-
Spanish - Studio
- MCA/Universal Pictures
- Budget
- $80M
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Life About?
The premise of Life without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
The film, titled "Kuxlejal," meaning "Life" in the Tsotsil language, explores the struggles of young indigenous people facing despair and desperation. Set against a backdrop of violence, the drama portrays their raw and honest confrontation with high suicide rates within their community. Through shared human experience, they seek to overcome generational and cultural divides, offering a poignant look at resilience and hope.
Life Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- passage of time
- unjust incarceration
- faking one's own death
- murder
- old man
- montage
- old age
- bloopers during end credits
- argument
- framed for murder
- attempted escape
- 1970s
+38 more Show fewer
- flashback
- mississippi
- life imprisonment
- great depression
- friendship between men
- profanity
- racist
- escape from prison
- new york city
- 1990s
- 1930s
- racism
- baseball
- prison
- african american
- surprise ending
- year 1932
- wrongful conviction
- cemetery
- shot to death
- year 1972
- harlem manhattan new york city
- pocket watch
- year 1944
- year 1997
- scar on cheek
- hunting
- baseball scout
- prison superintendent
- grave digger
- mentally challenged man
- one word title
- cheating at cards
- empathy
- prison warden
- boyfriend girlfriend relationship
- road trip
- biracial child
Life Cast
Eddie Murphy leads the cast, with Martin Lawrence. Directed by Ted Demme.
-
Director Ted Demme
More from Ted Demme
More films directed by Ted Demme, best-rated first: A Decade Under the Influence, Monument Ave., Beautiful Girls and Blow.
Life Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave Life 63 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.8/10.
-
IMDb 6.8 /10
See on IMDb -
Metacritic 63 Metascore
User score 7.1
See on Metacritic
Life Plot Summary
What happens in Life from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
As the Pilgrim 7 skillfully maneuvers through a perilous meteor storm, Engineer Rory Adams (Eddie Murphy) takes the lead by stepping outside the capsule to skillfully deploy the ship’s mechanism, hoping to secure a valuable Martian sample. The tension peaks as the capsule crashes into the mechanism, successfully safeguarding its precious contents for further analysis.
On Earth, a team of biologists, led by Dr. Hugh Derry (Martin Lawrence), is enthusiastic about studying the sample, affectionately labeled “Calvin” by a group of eager elementary school students gathered in Times Square. Initially believed to be an ordinary amoeba, Calvin surprises everyone by sprouting limbs and exhibiting unexpected mobility, leaving the team astounded at the prospect of having a sample that exhibits life.
Full summary
The whole story of Life, scene by scene
Life Box Office & Budget
Life grossed $73.5 million worldwide on a $80 million budget, 92% of what it cost. $64 million came from the US and Canada and $9.5 million (13%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$73.5M
92% of its budget back
- US & Canada
- $64M
- International
- $9.5M
- Budget
- $80M
Life Trailers & Videos
11 videos: 1 trailer and 10 clips.
- Clip Life (1999) - The Cornbread Fight Scene (1/10) | Movieclips
- Clip Life (1999) - Ray's Boom Boom Room Scene (2/10) | Movieclips
- Clip Life (1999) - The Night Escape Scene (3/10) | Movieclips
- Clip Life (1999) - I'm the Baby's Daddy Scene (4/10) | Movieclips
How Well Do You Know Life?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What is the name of the alien creature discovered by the Pilgrim 7 crew?
Cars in Life
19 cars on screen, including the 1941 Buick Special and the 1962 Chrysler 300 H.
-
1941 Buick Special Important role -
1962 Chrysler 300 H Important role -
1930 Ford Model A Important role -
1941 Ford Super De Luxe Minor role
Life Also Known As
29 alternative titles, including “Perpete” and “Életfogytig”.
- Also known as
-
- Perpete
- Életfogytig
- Doživotí
- Пожизненно
- Condenados a escaparse
- Kata lathos katadikoi
- Life Eddie Murphy
- Довічно!
- Lebenslänglich
- Perpète
- Пожизненно!
- Condenados a fugarse
+17 more Show fewer
- Życie
- Κατά Λάθος Κατάδικοι
- É a Vida
- Viață
- מאסר עולם
- Müebbet Kuşları
- Até que a Fuga os Separe
- 라이프
- Доживотна робија
- До живот
- Venner for livet
- 人生
- エディ&マーティンの逃走人生
- Gyvenimas
- Життя
- الحياة
- Život
Seen Life?
Movies Like Life
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Life Itself, Once in the Life and A Better Life.
Life FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, post-credit scenes and language of Life, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Life?
Life runs 1 hour 48 minutes (108 minutes).
When was Life released?
Life was released on April 16, 1999.
Who directed Life?
Life was directed by Ted Demme.
More films by Ted Demme Who is in the cast of Life?
Life stars Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence.
How much did Life make at the box office?
Life grossed $73.5 million worldwide ($64 million domestic, $9.5 million international) on a budget of $80 million.
How is Life rated?
Life has 6.8/10 on IMDb and 63 on Metacritic.
Does Life have a post-credit scene?
No. Life has no extra scene during or after the credits.
What language is Life in?
The original language of Life is Spanish.
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