Bad Boys For Life was a fun trip down memory lane for fans of the original film. The blockbuster was a huge watershed moment in 2020, releasing ahead of Bad Boys’ 25th anniversary. Unfortunately, the movie duo and fans couldn’t celebrate that occasion as the COVID-19 pandemic shut things down. But this year, Smith and Lawrence decided to celebrate the 1995 action-comedy’s recent anniversary, and the two took to social media with a special throwback moment.
Bad Boys took Will Smith and Martin Lawrence from being two of the '90s top sitcom stars to bonafide film superstars. The 1995 comedy still holds up as one of the best of that decade, despite some aged jokes and scenarios. Smith took to his Instagram to recreate the Bad Boys poster with Lawrence to celebrate the film’s 26th anniversary. Check out Smith’s nice throwback moment below:
But Will Smith wasn’t the only one to celebrate the milestone moment as Martin Lawrence shared the same video on his own Instagram. Smith’s post was a nice nod to the original film, as he and Lawrence were able to capture the same poses as the 1995 poster. Even Smith’s sunglasses and Lawrence’s badge paid homage to Bad Boys’ explosive success. With that said, the explosion was a nice touch and completed the throwback appeal.
In my opinion, Bad Boys remains one of the best comedies of the '90s. As previously mentioned, some of the plot points and jokes haven’t aged well, but that still doesn’t take away from Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s chemistry. The “odd couple” appeal of the film’s two stars and their casual banter made the action-comedy both fun and chaotic. Smith managed to make Mike Lowrey a playboy icon, even inspiring pop culture and music references. Much like buddy comedies such as 48 Hrs. and Wayne’s World, the action-comedy set a precedent that few films have matched. Smith and Lawrence’s scenes still crack me up to this day.
Given Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s tremendous chemistry, Bad Boys became a wild success. That success spawned two sequels spanning over three decades. But the film didn’t just result in a film franchise, it also spawned the term “Big Willie Weekend” in the '90s. Smith was the king of the '90s Fourth of July weekend, in no small part due to his portrayal of Detective Mike Lowrey. While Smith became Hollywood’s top-earning star for decades, Lawrence also reaped the benefits of Bad Boys’ success. Lawrence became one of Hollywood’s top comedy stars with a successful run from the 1990s to mid-2000s.
Will Smith's Instagram post is a full-circle moment for those nostalgic about the original Bad Boys. Hopefully, those Bad Boys 4 talks will pan out so viewers can get more Smith and Martin Lawrence on the big screen.
