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What does one get when one mixes two different types of actors as the leads in a comedy?: A surprise! "Nothing to Lose" shows how Steve Oedekerk's gamble in casting such different actors as Martin Lawrence and Tim Robbins can produce great results.

Not being a fan of Mr. Lawrence's style of comedy, we decided to take a gamble on this 1997 film that came and went without much fanfare. In fact, we had no expectations whatsoever as to what to expect because even the trailers we remember seeing at the time before its release didn't show anything of interest.

In fact, Mr. Lawrence, guided by the expert hand of Mr. Oederkerk, shows a man that can deliver without resorting to his usual excesses. Tim Robbins on the other hand shows an uncanny flair for this type of comedy and a chemistry for his co-star. Both these actors are seen at their best in the comedy.

"Nothing to Lose" feels shorter than its 98 minutes running time. There are also good supporting players behind the stars. Kelly Preston, John McGinley, Giancarlo Esposito, Michael McKean and the fabulous Irma P. Hall, who one would have loved to have seen more of because she is an extraordinary and accomplished actress.

Let this film win you over and watch it without any preconceived ideas because it's packs a lot of fun.

Nothing to lose is about having lost everything (or at least believing so) and there is no lower spot you cannot hit. Geting there however you really that when you hit the botom there is nowhere to go but up!!!

Good story and cast, excellent playing by them all, funny and hillarious from start to finish this is a must for comedy lovers.

This movie surprised me how entertaining it was. It's simple like most other mismatched buddy-flicks but this movie has a certain bit of extra, which not in the least thanks to its fine solid cast.

Thank goodness it's not the type of comedy that forces its humor upon people. The comedy of the movie is more in the chemistry between Martin Lawrence and Tim Robbins. Yes, it sounds weird but Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence are really a great screen duo, with some nice comedy chemistry, that get themselves into some fun trouble when by coincidence embarking on a sort of road-trip together. Like in all road-movies, some crazy characters pop-up. The most sensational one's in this movie are being played by John C. McGinley and Giancarlo Esposito, who form a criminal-duo. The diversity of John C. McGinley as an actor is amazing. Just look at the list of movies he has done and the characters he has played.

But the greatest power of the movie is the chemistry between the two main actors and their individual comical skills. Tim Robbins is a great serious actors, who just happens to like doing comedies as well from time to time. But on top of that he also really has talent for the genre. He knows how the deliver the lines in the right way and knows how to time his moments. Martin Lawrence also has been the sort of comical-actor who fun with his dialog. As a stand-alone actor and when he needs to carry a movie on his own he just isn't good enough but when he teams up with another great comical actor (for example as was the case with Will Smith in "Bad Boys"), he's truly at his best and most fun to watch.

The story unfolded nicely and slowly. Nothing got forced and things just happened as they came along, such as always is the case in road-movies. It at the same time also makes the movie surprising, or at least not as predictable or formulaic as most other comedies. The movie has a couple of greatly build-up moments, some more subtle than the other, but always fun and in some cases even hilarious to watch. Look out for Irma P. Hall as Martin Lawrence's character's mother! It's true that the movie doesn't live up to its fine fast paced start but nevertheless the movie remains fun to watch throughout.

It's a movie surprisingly well worth seeing!

7/10

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When I went to see this movie in the theaters, I wasn't expecting too much. I was expecting to see a decent comedy with an occasional chuckle with some good lines.

What I wound up seeing was a hilarious film with consistent laughs throughout. I loved it. Lawrence and Robbins were well cast and worked well together. If you get a chance, check this one out.

*** out of ****

I didn't expect much of this, but after a slow 5 minutes Martin Lawerence came in and started it all off. Tim Robbins is not great at this type of comedy but he works well with Lawerence. It's very funny if you're in the mood - however if you don't like Lawerence's manic style of humour then there's not much else for you here.