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Lawrence's 'Thin Line' falls flat

From the first scene of "A Thin Line Between Love And Hate," which mirrors the opening of the classic "Sunset Boulevard," we can tell that the ensuing film will not be a thoroughly original tale.

The sequence, depicting the protagonist floating face-down in a pool and beginning to tell the story of how he got there, provides an homage to cinematic genius -- but does not further the cause of "Thin Line."

Although the humor seems recycled from "Def Comedy Jam" and the majority of the performances weak, the film is not wholly old and tired.

"Thin Line" marks the directorial debut of newborn renaissance man Martin Lawrence, who also co-wrote and produced the film. Taking time out from his hit sit-com, Lawrence directs "Thin Line" responsibly but generically, and makes the film an amusing ride that is unexpectedly suspenseful.

It is the story of womanizing club manager Darnell Wright and his friends, as they talk about their trials with women and the merits of never saying "I love you." From its description, the film may sound like the flipside of "Waiting To Exhale," told from the perspective of the player, not the jilted woman. However, this movie focuses on Darnell's relationships, features Bobby Brown instead of Whitney Houston and is nowhere near as insightful or entertaining.

As Darnell smooth-talks his way through life using every ounce of his big-eared charm, he is beside himself when he encounters the stunning Brandi Web (Lynn Whitfield).

Brandi seems to be the perfect woman for Darnell -- beautiful, wealthy, successful and independent. What Darnell does not realize is that under that cool, distant facade lies an obsessive, emotional wreck.

Though she initially rejects his advances, Darnell is determined to win Brandi's affections, betting his best friend Tee (Bobby "Mr. Houston" Brown) that if he gets Brandi, then Tee must always greet him with a cry of "You're The Man!"

During his attempts to woo Brandi, Darnell is reunited with his childhood friend Mia (Regina King) who has returned from the Air Force as an attention-grabbing woman in her own right.

Darnell juggles the two women in his life, trying everything he can to get close to Brandi while having casual relations with the down-to-earth Mia.

To consummate his relationship with Brandi and win the bet, Darnell becomes desperate and is forced to use the final weapon in his arsenal of lust. In the throes of seduction, he utters the three words that damn him -- "I love you."

Before you can sing the first verse of "Let's Get It On," Darnell has achieved his goal and is finally physical with Brandi. But in the heat of passion, Brandi tells Darnell a little secret -- she killed her abusive husband.

As their relationship grows, Brandi begins a slow downward spiral into depression and psychosis. After a short period of Brandi's protectiveness of him, Darnell realizes that it is Mia that he truly loves and gets rid of Brandi like she's last week's cottage cheese.

In classic, unsurprising Hollywood fashion, Brandi does not accept his rejection and turns her dejection into violent manifestations of malice.

While Brandi apparently goes completely insane and destroys his life in creative ways -- with charges of domestic violence and vandalism -- Darnell learns how deep his love for Mia is and vows never to use the l-word unless he means it. (This is the moral of this story, just in case it was not blatant enough.)

As "Thin Line" creeps toward a climax, Brandi becomes out of control and Darnell knows that he must stop her for Mia's sake.

Ultimately, the mix of bawdy scatological humor for which Martin Lawrence is famous and the mass-produced plot of an erotic thriller gives us the feeling that we have seen this entire movie before.

What makes this film worthwhile is the tour-de-force performance of Lynn Whitfield, who has been neglected by the film industry since her award-winning portrayal of the title character in "The Josephine Baker Story." Whitfield utilizes each bit of rage and emotion to convey Brandi's malicious tendencies, earning her place beside Sharon Stone as one of the greatest femme fatales of all time.

There may be "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate," but there is definitely a large gap between this film and comedic-thriller perfection.