The release of Bad Boys premiered 25 years ago. But ever since Bad Boys II released in 2003, Lawrence has seemingly disappeared from the pop culture map, especially in the past decade. So, what happened?
In 1995, Smith was best known for starring in NBC’s Do the Right Thing, Boomerang, and House Party - films with an entirely different vibe than Smith’s family-friendly TV series and three movie roles to that point.
A series of bad decisions and box office flops briefly de-railed Lawrence’s career after the original Bad Boys released. Lawrence's TV series ended after actress Tisha Martin made allegations of sexual misconduct, and he later suffered a nervous breakdown while directing the 1996 romantic comedy A Thin Line Between Love and Hate. By the early 2000s, Lawrence starred in notable box office hits like Blue Streak and Big Momma’s House. But when Bad Boys II released, Smith had emerged as the more bankable star. And so Lawrence slowly but surely faded into the background, at least in of blockbuster action cinema, while Smith earned more high-profile roles within the genre, and elsewhere.
From 2005 to 2010, Lawrence focused primarily on family films, and made lots of money thanks to Big Momma's House 2 and Wild Hogs. However, smaller scale movies like Rebound and Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins didn’t quite resonate with audiences. Lawrence then landed three consecutive box office hits: College Road Trip, Death at a Funeral, and Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son. But those films didn't set up a big blockbuster return. Instead, Lawrence seemingly put his career on hold when he got married in 2010, perhaps to spend more time with his wife and two daughters - though he did return to the big screen last year in Harmony Korine's The Beach Bum.
It's worth noting that development hell, and Lawrence quietly disappeared from movies entirely after Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son. But the joy of laughter inspired a career come-back in 2016, as Lawrence returned to the stage for the stand-up comedy special Martin Lawrence: Doin' Time. At the time, he offered some insight about his career to Esquire:
"I just want to continue to do good work. I've gotten to do a lot of things I've wanted to do and I just want to continue to do good work in whatever it is that I'm doing. And to do it at my pace. I've gotten to do so much, so now it's about the gravy."
So, producers didn't quite pluck Bad Boys III becomes a massive box office hit, or - as Lawrence might call it, "the gravy" - moviegoers will certainly be curious about the next phase of his career.
