User reviews

A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996) is a movie I recently rewatched for the first time in a long time on Tubi. The storyline for this picture involves a club promoter in the neighborhood he grew up in who is a womanizer with his best friend. He has specific rules for his womanizing ways. One crazy summer his childhood crush returns home and he meets the woman of his dreams who is independent, rich, smart and successful. He will need to make some tough decisions on both ladies and will likely break every rule along the way.

This movie is directed by and stars Martin Lawrence in his directorial debut and also stars Lynn Whitfield (Eve's Bayou), Regina King (Poetic Justice), Malinda Williams (Soul Food), Della Reese (Harlem Nights) and Bobby Brown (Ghostbusters II).

This was perfectly written, directed and executed by Martin Lawrence. His mannerisms, facial expressions and body language made this work as much as the comedic content. The dialogue is very good with some subtle content to go with Martin's standard shenanigans. Bobby Brown being in this is hilarious and Reese was the perfect mother characters. King and Whitfield also deliver strong performances. The soundtrack and settings were great and the ending was perfect.

Overall this isn't a perfect movie but it is a very entertaining and a worthwhile watch. I would score this a solid 7/10 and strongly recommend it.

This movie isn't Citizen Kane but it's enjoyable. It could've been done better but if you're patient there's some unique (original) bits like the car scene or the chicken delivery bit. It's great for date night. It's like a diff kind of mumblecore.

If you looking for a black-plotation version of Fatal Attraction then this is the one for you. I thought Lynn Whitfield was great as Brandi and played all her emotions really well, and the filming was nice and glossy like a pop video...and that's it for the good things.

Lawrence was poor - he really needs a comedy like Bad Boys which won't stretch his acting muscles. His narration is also simplistic and insulting - not letting the audience draw it's own conclusion and treating us like idiots. His acting is only on one level - the playa, and it doesn't seem to change at any point. Even when he hurts all his women we only really see it in terms of how it affects him and not them..

The story is straight-forward and offers nothing new...even the soundtrack is rubbish (full of B-side RnB).

We don't need a black Fatal Attraction - especially one that's boring and predictable from start to finish.

A classic, truly. A tremendous addition to the pantheon of formative black film.

Who EVER thought MARTIN should play this role was OUT OF IT! Martin isn't a bad actor but he IS NOT EYE CANDY AT ALL! The movie lacked for me because of it! I can't see Martin as a player AT ALL. He got a 16yr old body with a 28 yr old face. Who casted him?! The chicken king would've been a better choice than him geez! The movie lost major points for that!

Observable, fast-talking party man Darnell Wright (Martin Lawrence), gets his punishment when one of his conquests takes it personally and comes back for revenge in this "Fatal Attraction" themed comic thriller.

"A Thin Line Between Love and Hate" was released in April 1996 and went on to gross over $30 million at the box office against a budget of $8 million. The film was shot on location entirely in the city of Los Angeles, California from June 5 until August 11, 1995.

Yes, somehow this made money. Quite a bit of money, really. How much of that ended up in Martin Lawrence's pockets, I don't know, but I can't believe how wildly popular this was. The humor is terrible, the language is crude, and it is not particularly memorable, even hours after watching it. I wonder if it took a beating on home video, because I saw it paired with "Love Jones", an actually good movie.

Martin Lawrence was always a C grade Eddie Murphy. He was not even half as funny as Murphy.

Murphy once made Harlem Nights as a vanity project which he directed, wrote, produced and starred in. He managed to get an Oscar nomination for his critically reviled project.

Lawrence had no such luck with awards nominations with A Thin Line Between Love and Hate which he wrote, directed and starred in.

Lawrence plays Darnell. A charmless ladies man and chauvinist. He works in a nightclub where ladies are granted special privileges for doing him favours. He is engaged to Mia (Regina King) but fools around with every chance he gets.

Eventually Darnell meets a challenge with classy Brandi (Lynn Whitfield) who rejects his advances which just makes him double down to pursue her. Once Darnell beds her he drops her when he realises he might lose Mia.

However Brandi has a loopy side and vows revenge on Darnell for discarding her.

Lawrence intended to make a darkly comic version of A Fatal Attraction. He was hoping that the audience would see his character grow and learn his lesson.

The trouble is the film is not funny, the opening two thirds is boring, the part where Brandi takes revenge makes little sense. I could not understand why Darnell was let go by the police after Brandi was hospitalised. If he did not cause the injuries then it would had been self inflicted or done by someone else. Then Brandi should had been charged for perverting the course of justice.

I was never persuaded by Lawrence as a babe magnet. It was just there to massage his own ego. His fast talking jiving with his buddies is not funny.

To make matters worse. He cast the twonker allegedly largely responsible for the fate of Whitney Houston!

In my opinion, A THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE is a hilarious, witty, sexy, suspenseful, and totally beautiful movie. It is also one of the best Martin Lawrence films I have ever seen. I thought that Martin (Lawrence) and Lynn (Whitfield) lit up the screen like magic! One of my favorite quotes of this movie is, "You put your hands on the wrong woman." That really made me feel good and smile. The part that really made me feel good and smile, though, was when Brandi (Lynn Whitfield) got even with Darnell (Martin Lawrence) at her home towards the end of the movie. Also, I thought that Erica (Malinda Williams) looked very beautiful in her prom dress, especially with the way she had her hair done. That sure brings back memories for me. In conclusion, to anyone who's a fan of Martin Lawrence, I recommend this movie. You're in for lots of laughs and thrills, so go to the video store, rent it or buy it, kick back with a friend, and watch it.

Martin Lawrence should NEVER try a dramatic movie EVER AGAIN!! I watched this the first time, because I am open minded!

Bad script; bad acting ; riddled with LIVING stereotypes,and just plain SILLY! The makeup person must have had vision defecits because they made Lynn Whitfield look like a cadaver! How they even got her IN this hot mess of a movie escapes me! Ok movie to watch, if there is NOTHING else on!!!

A Thin Line Between Love And Hate is a very solid movie production job from Martin Lawrence. The film provides a nice mix of drama and comedy. The story line revolves around Darnell (Martin Lawrence) Brandi (Lynn Whitfield) and Mia (Regina King). Darnell is a ladies man who thinks he says all the right things to the ladies. He runs across Brandi and makes a bet with his buddy Tee (Bobby Brown) that he would have sex with her once he gets to know her. Eventually he gets his chance and hits paydirt with Brandi sexually. Brandi was hurt before by her cheating husband and holds brutal grudges for "womanizing" men (She killed her ex husband after finding him in bed with another women) As her relationship with Darnell develops she warns him that she is not the type of woman to be hurt and taken advantage of. The Producer does a good job of bringing along Darnel's rekindling relationship with ex flame Mia. Somehow you feel that Darnel and Mia's future relationship holds promise despite Darnel's flirtatious ways. Some of the things that happen to Darnel because of his womanizing ways you feel are justified but Brandi is out for serious revenge. Brandi inflicts injury to herself and convinces police that Darnel is the perpetrator, she leaves his Truck on bricks outside of a police station, she stops at nothing. Darnel calls off his relationship with Mia due to threats by Brandi that she would hurt Mia. Determined to settle the score once and for all he goes to Brandi beautiful estate overlooking the Pacific....

> Thin Line Between Love And Hate was much better than I thought it would be. The movie definitely is funny but also provides plenty of drama. Lynn Whitfield is ever convincing in her role as Brandi, her piercing eyes slamming a knife down wickedly into her birthday cake is a scene worth remembering. What adds greatly to the movie is the fact that everything is centered around a nightclub which adds a certain feel and environment. This is a movie that is better than you would think. A definite thumbs up 8/10 on the scale.

A THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE is a movie that'll never make a person want to lie to someone again. This movie made me express every emotion that a person could show except crying.I loved the cast and the characters that they played and I also think that they should consider making a part 2 to this movie. My favorite cast member was Lynn Whitfield because of how strongly she played the character "Brandi Web". Martin Lawrence Did an Awesome Job Being "Darnel Write," He was the Martin Lawrence that everyone knows and loves.Bobby Brown,Regina King and all the other cast members also did a great job to make this movie what it is.

This is a great movie and it depicts reality quite accurately. A Thin Line Between Love & Hate deserves at least an 8 but seeing how it's an all African American cast, I guess it was rated accordingly. I do not believe a sequel would be in order for this movie. The sequel would be easily predetermined and not very mind bottling so the producers should leave it as is. I compare this movie to Obsessed starring Beyonce Knowles which was a mediocre movie. A Thin Line Between Love & Hate demonstrates how the effects of love can cause one to do crazy and outlandish things to mend a broken heart. The cast were extraordinary and very realistic despite the fact that the movie is seriously underrated and not many people know about it. I suggest viewers give this movie a chance with a clear head and without a predisposition view about any of the characters

I don't think I have ever seen a film where the relationships, dialog and interactions between characters were so unrealistic. It boggles the mind that women would even want to spend 5 seconds around the main character, let alone sleep with him.

Likewise, the female characters are equally unrealistic. One gets the impression of a bunch of actors standing around trying to memorise lines or improvise comedy at a rehearsal.

One cannot believe their motivations for anything, or their reactions to each other, making this film utterly unwatchable.

This is one of my wife and I fav. Martin just knew he was so slick. But no spoilers. Great film.

I love this movie, it was funny, romantic, and suspenseful. Always a fan of Martin Lawrence, an actor that can comedy to any film. Beautiful film, I give it a 9/10.