Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat (R) ★★

Comedian Martin Lawrence is back on stage--large and in charge--in his first live concert film since the 1994 You So Crazy.

Story

At the very beginning, Lawrence informs the audience he has a few things he wants to clear up. The controversial bad-boy of comedy feels it's time to get up onstage and tell us his own version of what's happened to him in his life--from the crazy bouts with drugs that left him screaming obscenities in the middle of a busy intersection in Los Angeles, to his run-in with the law after beating someone up at a bar, to his near-death experience from heat exhaustion. He's honest about what happened, but he also flat-out states the media is evil and have clouded the public's view of him. If Lawrence actually stuck to that framework, the film may have been a little more interesting. Instead, the comedian lapses into typical comedy bits: relating the standard woes of being in a relationship and flinging around a litany of raunchy anecdotes about women, sex and general social commentary. It's not that it isn't at times hysterically funny--Lawrence is great at it (especially when he describes watching his wife give birth). But he himself has set up the premise of the show and only spends about 20 minutes talking about it. You're left wanting more.

Acting

Lawrence looks great. For all he's has been through, he is in shape. He owns the stage completely and never once loses his momentum. His physicality is dead-on and as always, his strongest asset is playing outrageous characters. He is definitely at his best when he's doing a black woman checking out a potential lover's nether regions. Or as a drunk man letting the insults fly at his overweight wife, and then in turn, playing the same wife beating the heck out of the husband after he passes out. Good stuff. This is the Lawrence we always remember and as long as he is doing a character, Runteldat sings. It's when he pauses for positive affirmations about ''riding life until the wheels fall off'' and how much he values his family and fans that the film sags a little. One minute he is thanking God and the next he's talking about having sex with a woman on her period. Doesn't really mix.

Direction

At the beginning of the film there's an interesting featurette about the live and times of Martin Lawrence, using a three-screen split. It's a nice touch, but there isn't anything special about the way the rest of the concert film plays out. The camera stays on Lawrence most of the time, rarely venturing out into the audience, which is fine. Director David Raynr is not pretending to be Spike Lee (who directed the hilarious The Original Kings of Comedy) and doesn't try anything fancy. He simply concentrates on its star.

Bottom Line

No doubt die-hard Martin Lawrence fans are going flock to see Runteldat, but knowing how funny Lawrence can be, you expect a little more.