Martin Lawrence, suffering a long career skid right now that probably won''t be stopped until "Bad Boys II" comes
out in mid-2003, has done the only logical thing... That is, he has filmed one of his stand-up comedy acts, and instead of sending it direct-to-video like stand-up acts should, he has put it on the big screen.
Basically, regardless of the talent of the comedian, I think these theatrical releases of stand-up shows are a waste. There is really no reason to see stuff like this on the big screen, and no reason to pay full movie price if you wish to purchase it at a video store. Furthermore, this things just aren''t as funny than if you''re there live; the atmosphere surrounds you. Watching a stand-up show on television, well, it''s just kind of boring.
Specifically, looking at "Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat," I just don''t think he''s all that funny. He walks around the stage laughing at himself and murmuring things, but most of his jokes are rather ineffective. Granted, he does pull off a few really good ones, but for the most part the comedy is nothing special, and it''s definitely not worth watching for an hour and a half.