Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat (R, 2002)

MARTIN LAWRENCE LIVE: RUNTELDAT is a personal, autobiographical stand-up act from Martin Lawrence that should please his fans. It is a live comedy concert that opens with reels of newsmen talking about Lawrence's tumultuous last few years, including his arrest for disturbing the peace and his collapse and subsequent coma while jogging on the hottest day of the year. Lawrence gives a voiceover monologue about the struggles both in his life and on the job as a stand-up comedian and we see him backstage calmly preparing himself to deliver his act to an enthusiastic Washington DC audience. When he gets to the show, he gives his notoriously raunchy act and has his fans in stitches, but also finds time to take a comedic but responsible look at his life. By the end of the show, even those turned off by his dialogue will be impressed by what he's learned.

Martin Lawrence is undeniably gifted, and always shines even when his material doesn't. He's better off here than in some of his recent movies, as he just gets a chance to make us laugh rather than having to worry about a plot. The movie title comes from his life being a topic for public discussion and speculation ("Guess what Martin just did, run n' tell dat") and he doesn't hesitate to tell his side of the story. His language, as well as his takes on sex and race, are filthier than all four comics in The Original Kings of Comedy but he's always likeable and relatively unegotistical, making this film a real treat for fans of stand-up comedy.