Bad Boys to Men
posted by Law | February 21, 2020 | In Arts and Culture“Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you.”
Our favorite ‘90s detective duo, Mike Lowery (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence), brings us another cinematic adventure with a side of grown man-ish, tackling a wide range of real-life issues while maintaining a balance of drama, action, and comedy in “Bad Boys for Life.”
“It’s been 25 years since these self-proclaimed ‘bad boys for life’ first arrived on the big screen, and not much has changed,” wrote film critic Emily Clark.
I couldn’t disagree more.
In 1995, Mike and Marcus first hit the big screen together in what might be considered a typical buddy cop comedy/action film. “Bad Boys,” first of the trilogy, presents us with a view of the male perspective of life, career, and responsibility. Absolute is their delivery of “My Black is beautiful” masculinity.
Young Will Smith, who was at the height of his show “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” portrays the charming, playboy, single and ready-to-mingle cop, dressed in designer clothing and ready to be “bad.” His temperament is without the bearing of responsibility of family, wife, and children and strong sense of survival, as seen with Martin Lawrence’s character. Did I mention that Mike is rich? He is “that boy” with a badge, a gun, and a Porsche.
On the other hand, we observe Detective Burnett, who simply “wants some quality time,” a frequent representation of married life. The two perspectives are at war on film, each detective driven by his own view of his role as a man.
Eight years later, “Bad Boys II” (2003) hit the screen and with it came a bad girl, the character of Syd played by Gabrielle Union. This film is filled with plenty of explosions, bullets, bad guys, and “fat doe’s,” i.e., John Does.
Where’s the struggle? Man-code had been violated. The playboy is playing too close to home and big brother Marcus is uncomfortable with his compadre dating his sister, Syd, an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent. Marcus has to look at his “boy” and tell him how he truly feels about him. This is a harsh truth that many men do not share.
Finally, 2020 has brought Bad Boys III: “Bad Boys for Life.” Oh yes, the “bad boys” have grown up. The action heroes are slower, older. Mike is often referenced as “grandpa.” The Burnetts are still married.
Mike learns his past has come back with a vengeance, a living, breathing fury—an old flame.
Many young men have stepped off into the world, inspired and informed by a mother consumed with vengeance, filling a man-child with everything he needs to be better, stronger, and faster than his father.
In “Bad Boys for Life,” we experience the irresponsible playboy taking responsibility for the choices of his youth. Finally, he’s not fighting. He’s taking the beating for love, and he’s doing it for family with Marcus at his side, like MEN.
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