Martin Lawrence fell harder than most. Lawrence had a rags to riches tale of comedic success which was quickly followed by a litany of terrible, awful movies detailing the death of his funny. For Lawrence it all began in Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing,” as well as various standup specials and hosting Def Comedy Jam. All this led to the hit sitcom “Martin,” which, in the eyes of many, did as much for the genre as Seinfeld.
Lawrence quickly became one of the most famous and successful working comedians in the 1990’s, starring in hilarious films such as “Life,” “Bad Boys” and “Blue Streak.” Self-deprecating humor, racial jokes as well as lots of physical gags epitomized Lawrence’s work.
The death of Lawrence’s funny is a simple one: he got old. He started getting typecast in movies as the lecherous old guy, or the struggling, married old guy or just simply the unfunny old guy. If you want to torture yourself with examples take a look at “Wild Hogs” or “Death at a Funeral.” Or better yet, don’t. Unless you’re willing to attend a funeral of funny.