Nothing to Lose

Nothing to Lose could have been a hilarious 30 or 40 minutes of comic filmmaking. Instead, it's an over-stuffed 98 minutes which follows the misadventures of an upper-crust executive (Tim Robbins) accosted by a carjacker (Martin Lawrence) on a particularly bad day, leading to a wild road trip of crime and buddy bonding. Some of writer/director Steve Oedekerk's situations are admittedly bizarre and truly inventive, peppered with memorable supporting performances or unpredictable punchlines, but that still leaves a lot of empty space in the 90-minute paradigm of a feature film. Ultimately, Tim Robbins as just another uptight liberal-in-training is a bore, while Martin Lawrence as a sympathetic family man is a strain on credulity like a tractor-trailer being pulled by a tricycle. Far from having Nothing to Lose, the film could have safely jettisoned a good hour. Optional. (S. Renshaw)