CB4

CB4Comedian Chris Rock is the leader of a middle-class rap act that wins fame and fortune after donning a prison persona. The title stands for Cell Block 4. Naturally, they are mistaken for the real thing by everyone but the incarcerated gangstas, who are none too happy at the theft of their identities. One of the better efforts from Saturday Night Live alumni, this "rapumentary" is a hip-hop hit. However, it is not up to the cutting humor of that granddaddy of all spoofs, This Is Spinal Tap?, as misogyny and meanness get in the way. It has an anything-goes mentality, so expect outrageously filthy lyrics and plenty of tasteless humor. Of note: Director Tamra Davis was also behind that wild 1992 road movie, Guncrazy. --Rochelle O'Gorman LifeMartin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy play it surprisingly straight in this film by director Ted Demme. Though there are laughs to be had, this is a story about perseverance in the face of a life of disappointment (yet the film was sold as a prison comedy). But Stir Crazy this isn't. Rather, Lawrence and Murphy play a couple of New Yorkers making a moonshine run from New York to Mississippi during the Prohibition who find themselves framed for murder and sentenced for life to a prison chain gang. As they age, the two become close friends, although the strait-laced Lawrence always resents the free-wheeling Murphy for getting him into the situation in the first place. Ultimately, these two men learn to find meaning where they can, taking value from friendship and their limited ability to affect the lives of others. At times preachy, it ends on an upbeat note; the film's biggest laughs are reserved for the final section, in which Lawrence and Murphy don age makeup and play octogenarians. --Marshall Fine