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NOTHING TO LOSE

Starring Tim Robbins, Martin Lawrence, Kelly Preston, Giancarlo Esposito, John C. McGinley, Michael McKean, Rebecca Gayheart

Director Steve Oedekerk

Opens July 16

Forget what happens at the box office. Nothing to Lose wins the award for the most inspired lead casting of the season — pairing Robbins, late of the somber, Oscar-winning Dead Man Walking, with Lawrence, late of the sexual-harassment suit (which was settled out of court) and several arrests. ''It was great seeing these two guys together,'' says director Oedekerk (Ace Ventura 2). ''They had absolutely nothing in common.'' But Robbins, playing an ad exec on the verge of a nervous breakdown who gets carjacked by a fast-talking thief (Lawrence), says he and his costar talked ''sports and fatherhood'' and reveled in ad-libbing. ''We were going out without a net every time,'' says Robbins. ''We never knew what was going to come out of the other person's mouth.'' Oedekerk insists that Lawrence was ''pleasant and cooperative'' during the shoot, and that the star's mid-production hospitalization — following ranting in a crowded street — didn't derail the schedule. Says Oedekerk: ''We saw no sign of anything unusual with him.'' Now, that's acting. UPSIDE With two strong stars and a funny script by the talented Oedekerk, it could be this summer's Thelma & Louise. DOWNSIDE The film could suffer from Lawrence's dicey appeal, which may have played a role in the cancellation of his Fox sitcom.


Posted May 16, 1997 | Published in issue #379 May 16, 1997 | Order Article Reprints