An actor's trademark is something that they bank on for a good portion of their career, so naturally it's one of the biggest decisions for a working thespian as to what will be theirs. Case in point: when it came time for Martin Lawrence to decide what he'd be best known for, he truly went to the dogs. Enjoy this supercut of Martin Lawrence's many barks:
For the sake of you, the reading audience, we'll dispense with any sort of puns detailing how this latest supercut from the folks at Owenergy Studios is a "ruff" sit. What we will do though is marvel at the fact that since his performance in the Kid 'n' Play classic House Party, straight through to the era of the Big Momma's House movies, Lawrence has barked his way through decades in comedy. And with those decades of practice, he's gotten pretty good at it.
Now when it comes to the Martin Lawrence bark, there are two main variants when it comes to the tone and severity of said barking. The first is the playful smart-ass bark, which can be seen in films like Bad Boys and Black Knight. This bark can range from the typical "woof" with hand gestures similar to that of Arsenio Hall's famous chant, to a light growling that can be heard in more light-hearted / romantic moments. If he's on this side of the spectrum, you're in the clear. But if he's edging more towards the madder side of the dog continuum, you're in for trouble.
The meaner side of the Martin Lawrence bark tend to be a little more realistic in its sound. Short and terse, Lawrence is either mocking the subject of his vocalizations or he's warning them to stay away. College Road Trip is a good example of this bark, as a suitor for on-screen daughter Raven-Symone has triggered this reaction at 01:22. Of course, this can also range from a simple growl of warning to a full-on burst of sound, the latter of which made it into Blue Streak's mic-check gag at 00:05.
With Bad Boys 3 in the works for next summer, this refresher course into the canine-inspired hijinks of Martin Lawrence has us wondering if the time off he's taken from crime-busting with Will Smith has left him without a bark in sight. Though we'd like to think that he'll bring back the bark, as well as the bite, when he starts to clean up the streets next June.
