Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Sexist '90s comedy has sex, language, violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
A Thin Line Between Love and Hate
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In A THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE, Darnell (Martin Lawrence) is a player, a smooth-talking jerk who kisses the woman behind the dry-cleaning counter and has a running relationship with a woman with a small child. He ogles women and licks his lips salaciously when he talks to them, giving a sleazily sexual undertone to all his approaches. With his men friends the sex talk is overt, including references to oral sex. He bets one friend he will "hit" a woman resistant to his charm, and the minute he accomplishes that goal, he calls the friend to boast. A seemingly accomplished, smart businesswoman named Brandi (Lyn Whitefield) dismisses his obvious and crude sexual overtures repeatedly, then suddenly for no explained reason changes her mind and becomes obsessed with dating him. Once they have sex, she stalks him and Mia (Regina King), another woman he is seeing. In her quest to bring Darnell down, Brandi beats herself up, goes to the hospital, and claims Darnell caused her injuries. The police arrest him for assault but she drops the charges. She threatens Mia, prompting Darnell to come after her at her home, where she hits him with a vase and ties him up, then points a gun at him, shoots him, and tries to electrocute him. Will Darnell learn to change his ways?
Is It Any Good?
Most of A Thin Line Between Love and Hate feels like a stereotypical male fantasy about what women are willing to fall for in men's singular quest to have sex and move on. Lawrence's unfunny comedy script, written with others, dwells on all the ways men play women, proudly as part of a strategy to have sex with as many women as possible, by whatever devious means available. It doesn't help that Lawrence shamelessly mugs his way through a tedious and repetitive performance, actually licking his lips as he woos new conquests. Although Darnell claims to see the error of his ways at the film's end, Lawrence didn't choose to show us a single second of the "new" Darnell and how he would act differently from the old one.
For that reason, this movie is basically a misogynist's manual on how to be a smarmy, two-timing jerk. The fact that a woman who claims she was physically abused by her husband turns out to be a psycho also deliberately undermines a real problem many completely innocent abused women suffer in domestic situations. It doesn't feel like a politically correct knee jerk response to observe abused women have enough problems without a flippant comedian like Lawrence dismissing the true danger such women face.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the stereotypes of men and women portrayed in this movie. What does Darnell want with women? According to the movie, what do women want of Darnell? Are these accurate portrayals?
Why does Darnell advise men never to tell women, "I love you"?
Darnell claims he has learned to treat women better after an angry one tried to kill him. Do you believe he'll suddenly change his ways? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- In theaters : April 3, 1996
- On DVD or streaming : January 16, 2007
- Cast : Martin Lawrence , Regina King , Lynn Whitfield , Bobbie Brown , Della Reese
- Director : Martin Lawrence
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Director(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Savoy Pictures
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 108 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : for strong language, a sex scene and some violence
- Last updated : July 3, 2022
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate