Martin Lawrence hates critics. Ten minutes into his new comedy concert film, he tears into critics for years of negative press. He’s going to like us even less after my review.
Lawrence dubs his effort “Runteldat,” though “Night of a Dozen Laughs” works better since 12 is the amount of vulgar jokes that flourish over two grueling hours. He’s preachy. He’s screechy. He’s everything but funny, tossing dated lines about Osama bin Laden and the Menendez brothers to a rabid crowd. Yes, it’s hard for a routine recorded months ago to stay timely, but the bulk of Lawrence’s act revolves around picked-over topics like marriage, childbirth and parenting – all dispensed by a divorced comic with a laundry list of drug abuse and weapons charges.“Runteldat” concludes with Lawrence addressing the recent tabloid fodder, from his drug-induced jaunt through an L.A. intersection with a gun to his hospital stint for exhaustion. Strangely enough, this is the driest moment in the film, when Lawrence stops cracking wise and lays it on the line for his fans. “No one is immune to the trials and tribulations of life,” Lawrence reiterates. “That’s just life.” Perhaps. It’s just hard to believe that a “life” like this can sound so dull.Grade: DBy Sean O’ConnellJuly 31, 2002