Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a concept!, May 15, 2004
Humor and substance all in one! 30 To Life is a story about a close group of friends who survive turning 30 with the help of each other (as if it's a death sentence...wait till 40 ya'll, it gets better!) The comediene, Tracy Morgan portrays the best character, telling it like it is when it comes to the men who want home cookin and good freakin and the women who must create dual lives to maintain the careers they love while pretending they like cooking and being a freak after slaving twelve hours in the boardroom. Five stars for humor. Ten starts for mind enriching substance.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life and Love...the best journey ever..., April 15, 2004
30 Years to Life is a cute romantic comedy that follows the lives of six African American friends as they approach thirty years old in New York City. The cast consists Allen Payne, Tracy Morgan, Kadeem Hardison, Erica Alexander, Paula Jai Parker, T. Russell and Melissa De Sousa. As you can tell from the cast names and if you know their filmographies...then you know that all of these people can really act. So they have taken and crafted each character into a believable individual that most will be able to identify with.The movie covers the span of one year. It begins with a birthday celebration and ends with one. You get an inside view of what women want in a relationship and also what men want. It is hilarious as the characters portray the most shallow to something of substance. Sometimes all that we think we want in a person (outer trappings like money, career, good looks)...does not enhance the inner person (inner qualities like politeness, caring, considerate, loving, giving and unselfishness). Paula's character deals with being a great person inside (and a great cook), but overlooked by most men because she is overweight. She has an extreme make over which takes her on an enlightening journey to get the man of her dreams. Tracy's character seems to be a non-committal jerk, trying to break into the comedy business and bumming money from women...but later he reveals why a broke brother does what he does (a self-esteem kinda thing...issues). Erika's character lives with her boyfriend of four years. She wants to get married, but he does not. He goes to buy her a bracelet and is accidently given another customer's ring purchase. So he does not have the heart to tell his girlfriend that their engagement was a mistake, fake, crazy mix-up...this was deep. Allen's character quits a good job to follow his dream of being a model. He is also a womanizer that has left a trail of loved them & left them. He is forced to see the damage that his one night stands causes to women with good intentions. Melissa's character discovers that one must be careful what they pray for because you just might get it...and it might not be a pretty picture. In the course of one year each character grows older, but will they grow wiser and more mature? I enjoyed this one and highly recommend it. Paula & Tracy really came out of the box with their performances and I look forward to more from them in the future.
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18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
30's ain't all that bad, July 19, 2004
Six friends in NY face the emotions of turning 30. I could so identify with this movie. I'm 36, so a lot of what some of the characters were dealing with in this film, I've dealt with them or know others who have. 30 years to life starts with a birthday and ends with a birthday. At the beginning of the movie Natalie comes home from work to a surprise birthday party. Instead of being happy she screams "I'm 30" and runs away crying. Usually birthdays are reasons to celebrate, for Natalie she is facing the fact that she "Has an MBA, A Great well paying job, and is in great shape, but why is she not happy or married." Natalie really wants to be in a relationship, but she has trouble in the relationship area. Natalie is not the only character dealing with being 30 or about to turn 30. You have Joy who is in a 4 year relationship, but she really wants to be married to Leland. Joy has convinced herself that they do not need that piece of paper to label their relationship (man if I had a nickel for every time I heard that line I would be RICH). Leland feels if they get married, everything will change in the relationship, so he is comfortable with just living together the way they have been. Bottom line is he is scared!!! Malik is a marketing executive who has a negative idea about relationships. He sees relationships as "leasing with the option to buy", and he goes out of his way to NOT put himself in a situation where the relationship can get serious. However, he has no problems sleeping with woman, after woman, and forgets the names of some women. Malik works in Marketing and gets a promotion. He does not like how his career is mapped out for him over the next 10 years. He was informed of his career path and his projected salary by the time he was 40! He quits his job to pursue his dream of being a model. Troy is a broke actor comedian who is always trying to borrow money from women, and steals food from his friends. Don't expect him to pay the tab if you go out to eat. He can't cover his part of the bill. Stephanie is a successful real estate agent who has been dealing with weight issues all her life. To hide her pain she makes jokes about her weight before anyone else can start, but she longs to live happy and slimmer like her other female friends do.
Joy finally admits to Leland that she wants to get married and it's a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. Now he is feeling the pressure to get her an engagement ring. Leland "Accidentally" gets Joy an engagement ring, and when lets her know it was a mistake she breaks up with him. Stephanie loses weight and suddenly she is getting attention from men and loves it. Nicole is dating a doctor who loves to be served and taken care of (by Kadeem Hardison), but when her job performance suffers she has to make a choice.
The movie is could be depressing for some, but for me I laughed a lot. There is a stigma to turning 30, and I happen to enjoy being in my 30's. The movie is about reflection, about taking chances, and about being honest to yourself about what you truly want in life. I enjoyed the movie so much I watched it twice before I returned it, and I plan to purchase my own copy. This is a good film.
There is a hilarious scene that involves a 6th toe on the foot of one of the characters. Janet Hubert (Aunt Viv #1 from the Fresh Prince of Bell Air) plays Joys Mom in the movie. Music artist Monifah makes a quick appearance. Blink and you will miss her, it's that quick.
There is another scene that Joy shares with her Mom discussing her just living with her boyfriend. Joy is trying to justify it, but some really great lines come out we all may have heard over and over. "That's your problem you're afraid you are going to scare him off. You know it's what you want (marriage) I can see it in your eyes." "For a man sex outside of marriage is like finding money. If no one claims it you will be spending it until it's all gone." "Why buy something you can get for free."
The DVD has no significant extras. You get a filmography of the actors in the movie. It would have been nice to get some film commentary from the director and the actors in the movie. The movie stars Ericka Alexander (Living Single, Cosby show), Melissa De Sousa (The Best Man, Miss Congeniality), Tracy Morgan (The Tracy Morgan Show, SNL, Head of State), Paula Jai Parker (Proud Family, Friday, My Baby Daddy, Phone Booth), Allen Payne (Blue Hill Avenue, Cosby Show, Jasons Lyric, Vampire in Brooklyn, New Jack City), TE Russel (City of Angels), Kadeem Hardison (A Different World, Vampire in Brooklyn, White Men Can't Jump, Biker Boyz)
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