I can't hold this in any longer. It has to be said. I can't stand Martin Lawrence. I never have, and I never will. He is CONSISTENTLY unfunny, yet for some inexplicable reason, gets treated like a trail blazer for black comedians. Whenever Martin goes on a talk show, he is introduced as a "genius." "Genius" is not a word that should be thrown around lightly. Additionally, one should be extra careful when using it to describe a comedian. A comedic genius knows the subtle nuances that are necessary to draw laughs. He not only knows HOW to make people laugh, he knows WHY they laugh. He knows what is funny about himself, life, and the way in which we interact with one another, and is able to present it in a humorous fashion.
I was flipping through the channels recently and saw Martin, Mo'Nique, and Cedric the Entertainer on Oprah, promoting Martin's latest movie, "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins." Mo'Nique and Oprah praised Martin as if he were to black comedy what GOD is to the Christians. I was disgusted. For some reason, it's become fashionable to praise him. Is it because of his longevity? Because he's been doing movies for almost 20 years now? Being able to still get work, especially when the work is deplorable, does not make you a genius. Why not just praise his longevity? Why fill his head with lies about how funny he is? What purpose does that serve? Are you going to ask him for money in the near future? You should just spare him (and me) the false flattery.
Of course, I would never go so far as to make such a bold assertion without providing some reasons and proof. So let's get down to the real meat and bones of this post. Let's talk about WHY I believe Martin is over-rated. As stated before, he gets the word "genius" thrown at him a lot. What makes someone a comedic genius? I believe consistency is the main factor. A comedic genius consistently does funny stand-ups. He consistently makes good movies (he may not have a flawless track record, but he is more often funny than not). Typically, anything he is affiliated with is funny.
Typically, anything Martin is affiliated with is loathsome. THE MAN HAS NEVER STARRED IN A FUNNY MOVIE. Point blank period. I know some of you have liked some of his movies. That's fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I am about to go to IMDB and make a list of every movie Martin has starred in, or played a major role. If you can find CONSISTENT funnyness in this list, feel free to post a comment "correcting" me.
STARRING ROLES (in chronological order):
Bad Boys
A Thin Line Between Love and Hate
Nothing To Lose
Life
Blue Streak
Big Momma's House
What's The Worst That Could Happen?
Black Knight
National Security
Bad Boys 2
Rebound
Big Momma's House 2
Wild Hogs
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
Now keep in mind when viewing that list, that the Bad Boys movies aren't comedies. OK now…GO! Find consistency!! No…wait…I found consistency: Consistent SHITTYNESS. How could someone in their right mind call a man with that resume a "genius"? Now let's take a look at his supporting roles.
SUPPORTING ROLES (in chronological order):
Do The Right Thing
House Party
House Party 2
Boomerang
It seems to me that the only thing consistent about his resume is that, as long as he doesn't have a big role; you have a strong chance at making a good film. Are we redefining "genius" to describe someone who makes things better, the less they have to do with it? Can we make a graph? The less Martin is in a movie, the better the movie will be? Hell, let's try it and see! Martin played a HUGE role (no pun intended) in "Big Momma's House 2," and it sucked. Martin played absolutely no role whatsoever in the creation or filming of "Schindler's List," and it's one of the best movies of all-time! I knew it! PROOF! lol And these are the attributes of a genius?
Finally, let's take a look at Martin's most prized work, his TV show. "Martin" is probably the only positive thing that Mr. Lawrence has on his resume, and I would argue that show, too, is dramatically over-rated. I liked some of the characters he played, and I liked him roasting Pam, but overall, the show was quite average. By comparison, another show that ran at the same time was, in my opinion, MUCH funnier: The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire. I would compare the resumes of Martin and Will Smith, but I think I've already embarrassed Martin enough…and Will isn't even a primarily comedic actor. God forbid I compare Martin's work to that of true geniuses: Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, Redd Foxx, or even Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock.
Martin has acted in approximately 20 movies in his career. He has done his own stand-up specials, hosted Def Comedy Jam, and had his own TV show. The best that can be said for him is that, when it's all said and done, his TV show will probably rank somewhere in the lower-middle of all-time funniest black shows beneath every show that came out in the 70's and 80's. lol I would list all the shows I think were better than his, but I have places to be today.
I am going to see "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins" in about an hour and a half. I figure that, like nearly every other movie he's ever starred in, that it will be shitty. If it's not, I will hurry back to my computer and type up an apology for dogging a good movie before I saw it. However, it's only going to cost me $3.25 to see it, and I will probably still feel cheated. And this is the man we call a genius?
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