Movie Review – Nothing to Lose (1997)

By Manofyesterday

Director: Steve Oedekirk

Stars: Tim Robbins, Martin Lawrence, John C. McGinley, Giancarlo Esposito, Kelly Preston, Michael McKean, Rebecca Gayheart

When ad executive Nick (Robbins) discovers that his wife has been sleeping with his boss, he hatches a plan with carjacker Terrence (Lawrence) to rob him.

I could write more about the synopsis but honestly it’s not really worth the effort. This is a forgettable comedy that never really quite hits its stride. The central premise is fairly amusing and I liked how Robbins and Lawrence first got together but their relationship never really sparked. It threatened to for a few moments during the film, but was never a consistent thing. Robbins nailed the physical comedy other than that the laughs were lacking.

The central driving force of the plot was an obvious twist that was predictable, so it was annoying to have to wait until the end of the film when it was finally revealed. The inclusion of two other robbers, McGinley and Esposito seemed to serve nothing more than to pad out the runtime of the film.

There’s just not much on offer here. There might be Nothing to Lose but there’s nothing to gain by watching it either, so this is one I’m going to say to avoid.